ILLlffi 
 
 LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
 973.74 
 
 1461 
 
 96 
 
 US HISTORICAL
 
 JJ
 
 . 

 
 BATTLE FLAGS OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 (See Page 988.)
 
 HISTORY 
 
 NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT 
 
 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY, 
 
 PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE 
 
 Historical Society of UK Begin* cut ; 
 
 CHARLES W. EARLE. HENRY H. GAGE. 
 
 CHARLES A. PARTRIDGE. EDWIN DRURY. 
 
 EDWARD A. BLODGETT. M. UMBDENSTOCK, JR. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 CHARLES A. PARTRIDGE. 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 
 1887.
 
 737 
 
 UROWN, PETTIBONE & Co. 
 
 PRINTERS, 
 
 Sfos. 80 & 82 ADAMS STREET, 
 CHICAGO, ILL., U. S. A.
 
 ; ' 
 
 HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S NOTICE. 
 
 ^te. TWENTY years had passed since its disbandment, and yet no history 
 10 of the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS had been written. The only plan ever 
 formed which promised any definite result was at the reunion of the 
 Regiment, held in Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois, in September. 1S75, 
 and that had failed. No one person or persons had yet come to the front 
 and expressed the willingness to assume the financial burden. All were 
 disappointed, and many were inquiring, as they met at Fairs and County 
 Reunions, or wherever chance threw a number of them together, if some- 
 thing could not yet be done to put in connected form the more important 
 events in which the command participated. It was in response to these 
 requests and to give definite shape to the half-defined plans of those who 
 had talked the matter over that "The Historical Society of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH Regiment Illinois Volunteers 1 ' was organized under the laws of 
 the State, the incorporators being Lieutenant Charles W. Earle, Adjutant 
 E. A. Blodgett, Sergeant Major Charles A. Partridge, Corporal Henry H. 
 Gage, Edwin Drury, and M. Umbdenstock, Jr. In the organization of 
 this company abundant capital for the enterprise was assured and the 
 details for the work at once commenced. Charles A. Partridge, our 
 former Sergeant Major, and for fifteen years the able editor of the 
 Waukegan Gazette, was secured as Editor. A historian, selected because 
 of his known literary ability, was appointed for each Company, different 
 comrades engaged to furnish chapters upon various special topics not 
 strictly a part of the general history of the command, and a thousand 
 and one other things set in motion by which was insured a full, complete 
 and truthful history of the Regiment. 
 
 We proposed to write a history of the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment 
 Illinois Volunteers and not the personal achievements or altiloquence of 
 any one or two men. 
 
 Only about one-half of the Company historians carried out the work 
 allotted to them, and, as a consequence, much additional labor fell upon 
 editor. If omissions in regard to Company organizations or per- 
 ~ soual sketches are noticed the blame cannot justly be placed on the 
 j^editor, for that which appears has in many instances only been secured 
 * by oft-repeated solicitations. 
 
 It was early decided that the work should be written, in part at least, 
 -r-in the form of a diary, this plan seeming to promise the best results in 
 ^ giving a complete and connected history of the Regiment. It was 
 \p also determined that there should be a brief sketch of each Company, in 
 - which should be stated the main facts relating to the manner of its 
 organization and a narrative of any detached service performed by it, to 
 o be concluded by a brief personal biography of every man in the Com- 
 i. pany. A blank, forwarded to every member of the Regiment whose 
 
 1520SP,
 
 iv HlSTORTT OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 address could be ascertained, in many instances failed to elicit a reply. 
 Such must not complain if they find their personal sketches deficient, 
 although the Editor has searched the reports in the Adjutant General's 
 office to complete them. 
 
 The maps and battle scenes have been made expressly for this work, 
 at considerable expense, and we believe will be satisfactory to the com- 
 rades familiar with the scenes portrayed. We are gratified at being able 
 to present the portraits of a large number of the officers and men of the 
 command. These have been prepared at the expense of the comrades 
 whose faces appear, or by some of their personal friends. Many are 
 from old and faded photographs and daguerreotypes, and could be but 
 imperfectly reproduced, but nearly all are true to life. Although they 
 have cost the Historical Society much labor, and a considerable sum in 
 excess of the amounts charged, we have no regret that this feature of the 
 work was undertaken. These photo prints have been made by M. 
 Umbdenstock, to whom we are under many obligations. In this con- 
 nection, it should be mentioned that the utmost harmony and hearty 
 cooperation has prevailed among those who assumed the task, and in 
 addition to the work performed by the editor and portrayer, it would be 
 unjust to omit an acknowledgement of the valuable assistance of Mr. 
 Edwin Drury in many of the details, and Messrs. Blodgett and Gage for 
 financial advances while the enterprise has been developed. 
 
 While the magnitude of the undertaking was in no measure compre- 
 hended by us at the outset, and more time and money has been required 
 for its completion than was anticipated, yet we trust that the volume will 
 be satisfactory to those for whom it was written our comrades in arms 
 and those who loved them. We promised a work of five hundred pages ; 
 we give, instead, a volume of nearly twice that size. We believe that 
 in other respects we have exceeded the promises made in the prospectus. 
 We had no expectation of pecuniary gain, and with the entire edition 
 sold, the copy retained by each member of the Historical Society will be 
 the most expensive. For this we care nothing. If our comrades, after a 
 careful perusal of the book, shall give it their approval as a careful, 
 truthful and well- written history, we shall feel that we have been fully 
 compensated for our work and all our sacrifices. 
 
 Cherishing the memory of every comrade, whether living or dead ; 
 proud of the fact that it was our privilege to be associated with them in 
 the days when they were making a record of which any soldier might be 
 justly proud, and rejoicing that we have been able to be the means of 
 putting in a more connected and enduring form than had hitherto been 
 attempted some record of their achievements ; and, finally, with a silent 
 tear for those and with those whose wounds will be opened afresh by 
 the perusal of these pages because of the "vacant chair," we submit this 
 History, earnestly hoping that it may meet the approval of our sur- 
 viving comrades and their friends. 
 
 In behalf of and for the Historical Society of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 Regiment Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 CHAS. WARRINGTON EARLE, 
 
 CHICAGO, July 1, 1887. Chairman.
 
 PRKFACK. 
 
 To me was assigned, by the Historical Society, the work of editing 
 a history of the gallant Regiment with which it was my lot to be asso- 
 ciated during the War of the Rebellion. The trust was accepted with 
 extreme reluctance, and with many misgivings, for I knew the work 
 would be at once delicate and difficult. After discussing various plans 
 with the members of the Historical Society, and agreeing upon a general 
 outline, I entered upon the work assigned me. and the pages which follow 
 are the result. As the work has progressed I have not unfrequently found 
 my memory in conflict with the letters and diaries of myself and com- 
 rades, written at the time the events here narrated were occurring. In 
 all such cases I have given credence to the written record, believing it to 
 be more reliable than mere recollection. I ask every comrade whose 
 memory contradicts what is here given, in any material respect, to refrain 
 from criticism until he has carefully read again his own or his comrades' 
 letters and diaries, penned when these events were fresh. If, upon a 
 perusal of these records, material errors are found I shall be glad to have 
 them stated. It was impossible that all should have seen events from 
 the same stand-point, or that any one should have known of all the 
 interesting experiences of the various members of the entire command. 
 It is too much to expect of any one person, after a lapse of twenty years 
 in which no thought was entertained of undertaking such a work, to 
 recall from memory, or to gather from the hastily written letters or the 
 brief pencilings in a boy's diary, a tithe of the interesting personal 
 reminiscences that might have been written had their narration been 
 contemplated when the events were occurring. 
 
 The chapters written by myself have been made impersonal ; no 
 statement has been made that is not believed to be strictly truthful ; no 
 event has been too highly colored ; no fact has been so strongly stated 
 that it will not bear the closest scrutiny and investigation. 
 
 In my work I have been fortunate in having the cordial encourage- 
 ment and support of my comrades generally. No committee could 
 have been more kindly critical, or more considerate and cordial toward 
 an editor than has the Historical Society been toward myself. No com- 
 rades could have responded more zealously than have a majority of those 
 to whom I have applied for information or for access to their written
 
 vi HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 matter. While I cannot mention all who have been helpful I should do 
 violence to my own sense of justice did I not name some whose assist- 
 ance has been most frequently given. In addition to the members of the 
 Historical Society, Gen. J. C. Smith, Col. Geo. Hicks and Surgeon F. W. 
 Byers, of the Field and Staff ; Capt. Wm. Vincent and Sergt. C. H. Berg, 
 of Company A ; Captain G. H. Burnett and Lieutenant George Wait, of 
 Company B ; Captain John K. Pollock and Captain W. M. Loughlin, of 
 Company C ; Captain A. Z. Blodgett, Lieutenant J. H. Linklater, A. R. 
 Thain and R. S. Thain, of Company D ; Captain W. F. Taylor and Ser- 
 geant P. Fleming, of Company E ; J. Q. Robinson, William S. Nash 
 and the late Sergeant John C. Lee, of Company F ; Captain B. G. 
 Blowney, of Company G ; Captain J. L Pierce, of Company H ; 
 William M. Perry, William W. McDonald and Moses Rees, of Company 
 I, and Lieutenant George W. Pepoon, of Company K, have each con- 
 tributed materially in assisting to gather necessary data. The material 
 for the closing chapter was mainly collected and compiled by Edwin 
 Drurj r , of the Historical Society, and was the result of much diligent 
 research. 
 
 As I have lived over again the days when the history was made of 
 which I have so feebly written, my feelings have been of mingled sad- 
 ness and pleasure. Forms and faces almost lost to memory have seemed 
 to come again, and events almost forgotten have returned with a vivid- 
 ness that had seemed impossible. 
 
 Although this volume has grown to be almost double the size at first 
 contemplated, it is entirely too meagre to tell of more than a fraction of 
 the heroic deeds of the brave men who marched and fought beneath the 
 banner on which was inscribed the magic figures, " 96." Words cannot 
 fittingly portray the lofty heroism which inspired the gallant soldiers 
 whose valorous deeds are here so feebly told. With a fidelity that I trust 
 all will concede, and with such ability as I could command, the work 
 has been pursued until the three years' service of the Regiment has been, 
 in some measure, covered. Of the reader I ask that what is written be 
 accepted in a spirit as charitable as he would have asked in his own 
 behalf if unexpectedly called to the duty of writing a similar work. 
 
 CHARLES A. PARTRIDGE. 
 Waukegan, 111, July, 1887.
 
 NCINNATI 
 
 H I O 
 
 1M A P 
 SHOWING THE LINES OF MARCH 
 
 (SOUTH OF 1 II K OHIO RIVER) 
 
 NINETY-SIXTH* REGIMENT 
 
 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 Roads over which the Regiment marched one or more times. 
 Routes traveled by Rail or Steamboat. 
 Location of Hattles in which the Regiment participated. 
 Location of Skirmishes in which the Regiment participated.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Events Leading to the War The Slavery (Question The Missouri Compromise 
 Fugitive Slave Law? Enacted The Difficulty of Enforcing Them A Supreme 
 Court Decision Anti-Slavery Literature Lincoln's Election a Pretext for Re- 
 bellion Preparations for War at the South The Great Conspiracy Secession 
 Ordinances Passed The Guns of Sumter Kcho Through the Land The Response 
 at the North Alternate Victories and Defeats Advantages Gained A Crisis 
 Reached in the Summer of 1862 A. Second Grand Uprising at the North A Half 
 Million Enlistments in Two Months 17-26 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 How and Why Lake and Jo Daviess Counties Joined Hands In Camp at Rpckford 
 A Lesson in Obedience to Orders The Formal Muster-in Other Regiments in 
 Camp Early Experiences The Field and Stuff The Companies Lettered- 
 Drawing Arms and Uniforms Battalion Drill and Dress Parade On Escort 
 Duty Visits from Home Friends Major Brown and the "Obstacle" Move- 
 mentThe Sutlers Made Unhappy Incidents of the Last Days at Camp 
 Fuller 27-40 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OfE for "The Front" A Rain-Storm En Route The Trip to Cincinnati A Tedious 
 Night March Happenings at Camp Champion The Tents Erected Episode of 
 the Tall Men A Skirmish with Mules Detachments Sent to the Forts More 
 Presentations A Night Alarm Fresh PorK that Had to be Paid for Unfortu- 
 nate Explosion of a Shell Five Companies Sent to Falmouth and Five to Cov- 
 ington An October Snow-StormVisits From the Father and Son of General 
 Grant 41-51 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Five Companies Start Southward Hard Pikes vs. Tender Feet Marching and Tent- 
 ing in the Snow A Muddy Cut-OffLoyal Whites and Enthusiastic Blacks 
 Five Companies Sent via Williamsburg and Georgetown to Lexington Slaves 
 and Slave-HuntersMilling for the Military A Night's Foraging The Regi- 
 ment Reunited Experiences at Lexington Visit to Henry Clay's Monument 
 The First Death in Camp . '..;. .52-04 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Southward to Harrodsburg Kentucky River Scenery A Halt at Shakertown The 
 Stay at Camp Clarke Visits to Perryville Battle Ground Recovering Federal 
 Property Issuing a Newspaper Marching to Danville In Winter Quarters at 
 Camp Baird Occasional Alarms at Night The First Sergeants Lectured 
 Breaking Camp by Fire-Light The Lebanon March A Terrible Rain Storm 
 The Night at "Camp Wet" The Return to Danville Frequent Deaths Among 
 the Soldiers A Scouting Expedition Close of the Year 1862 65-81 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Negro Question Waiting for News from Stone's River Drilling Resumed 
 Visitors in Camp Pay-day Arrives Eleven Deaths in a Single Month A Heavy 
 Winter Storm Changes' Among the Officers An Eighty-five Mile March to 
 Louisville Aboard the Transports The Arrival at Fort Donelson The Second 
 Battle at that Historic Point Up the Cumberland to Nashville 82-97 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Irrepressible Conflict with Greybacks A Half Dozen Promotions Policing 
 the Camp Grounds A Brigade Dress Parade Resolutions Adopted by the Regi- 
 mentThe Sound of Cannon The Movement to Franklin Disaster to Coburn's 
 Brigade The Duck River Campaign Frequent Alarms, and Fighting Near at 
 Hand Ten Days at Brentwood Heavy Fatigue and Guard Duty A Man in Com- 
 
 Siny F Killed on the Picket Line The Paymaster in Camp Shelter Tents 
 eceived How the Month of May Passed The Nine Months' Fever 98-125
 
 viii HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER vm. 
 
 The Summer of 1863 The March to Triune Lightening the Knapsacks Partial 
 Reorganization of the Corps The Paymaster and the Enemy Arrive Simul- 
 taneouslyAgain Under Fire, but at Long Range Skedaddle, of the Sutler's 
 Clerks Punishment of Sleepy Sentinels The Tullahoma Campaign A Succes- 
 sion of Rainy Days Again Under Fire Guarding Prisoners to the Rear The 
 Advance to Shelbyville The March to Wartrace Close of the Brief Campaign- 
 Good News from Vicksburgand Gettysburg A Day of Thanksgiving 126-148 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Tha Chattanooga Campaign The Difficulties and Delays Attending itg Inaugura- 
 tion Conditions Named but not Complied with Gen. Bragg Outwitted and Out- 
 flanked The " Gateway of the South" Opened with Unexpected Ease The 
 Part Taken by the Reserve Corps in the Campaign The March to Estill Springs 
 Scouting Experiences An Anniversary Celebrated by a Portion of the Com- 
 mandForward Climbing the Cumberland Mountains A Brief Halt at Bridge- 
 portA Forced March over Lookout Mountain to Rossville The Conflict at 
 Hand Preparing for the Sacrifice 149-160 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Chickamauga Preparations for the Impending Battle Collecting the Scattered 
 Forces The Enemy not in Retreat Bragg' s Lost Opportunity The Lines 
 Forming Along Chickamauga Creek A Reconnoissance from Rossville Under 
 Fire with Unloaded Guns Cold Nights in Line of Battle Saturday's Battle 
 The Fighting Renewed on Sunday The Reserves to the Rescue The March to 
 the Right Three Desperate Charges Repulsing the Enemy Desperate Fight- 
 ing and Terrific Losses Both Armies Baffled Again at Rossville The Long 
 Casualty List Companies C and H Captured Arrival at Moccasin Point Official 
 Reports The New York Tribune Letter 161-221 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Personal Recollections of Chickamauga. By Geo. Hicks, Captain Company A, 
 NINETY-SIXTH Illinois Volunteers. Extracts from an Address Delivered in 
 Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies 222-248 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Situation after the Battle of Chickamauga In Camp on Moccasin Point Artil- 
 lery and Skirmish Fire Bragg's Starvation Policy Wheeler's Cavalry Raid 
 Short Rations for Men and Mules Corn The "Wusscr" Arrival of Gen. 
 Hooker Gen. Grant Placed in Command Bridging the River at Brown's Ferry 
 Supporting Hooker in Lookout Valley Corn and Shells The March to Shell 
 Mound NickajackCove Building Winter Quarters Strange Architecture ..249-261 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The March to Lookout Mountain Before the Battle The Colonel's Speech 
 Nature of the Battle Field The Forces Engaged in the Battle Crossing Look- 
 out Creek Climbing the Mountain Rough Nature of the Ground Our Ad- 
 vanceSkirmishingArtillery Fire The Charge The Rebels Fall Back The 
 Battle in the Clouds A Modern Sinai Doubling Point Lookout Cheer* of Vic- 
 tory Steep Charge over the " Nose "Writing on the Wall Last Stand of the 
 Enemy Was it a Battle ? Facts Say Yes Rebel Loss Our Loss Our Captures 
 The Bivouac on Lookout Planting the Flag on Point Lookout Cheering the 
 Flag The NINETY-SIXTH on the Summit Description of the Scenery Battle of 
 Missionary Ridge Return to Nickajack Cove The Winter 262-283 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Good-by to Nickajack A Leisurely March over Historic Ground The Camps at 
 Tyner and Ooltewah Building Houses for a Day Blue Springs Reached Fre- 
 quent Scouting Expeditions Engagement Near Dal ton Sergeant Harrimn 
 Killed More Wounds and Captures Taunts from the Skirmish Line Ten 
 Hours under Fire One Hundred Miles in Six Days An Accidental Shot A 
 Ready-Made Camp Frequent Furloughs Captain Rowan and Lieutenant Earle 
 Return from Prison Drilling Renewed Reading Clubs Formed Vaccinating 
 the Regiment Scurvy and the "Potato Squad" Deserters Drummed Around 
 the Lines The Army Concentrating Waiting for the Order Forward ! 284-301 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Army Concentrating The Atlanta Campaign Inaugurated From Blue Springs 
 to Catooga Springs Obstructions in the Highway Two Partial Sunstrokes Ad- 
 vance on Tunnel Hill The Strong Fortifications Found Empty Looking Acrogg 
 the Valley Early Reveille Brass Guns vt. Brass Bands The Demonstration
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. ix 
 
 Against Rocky Face Ridye The NINETY-SIXTH Unslings Knapsacks and Takes 
 the Skirmish Line Moving Against the Palisades To the Right and into Buz- 
 zard Roost Gap A Gallant Advance The Enemy Mistakes the Regiment for an 
 Army Almost out of Ammunition A Bloody Sunset Night Permits Ketreat 
 and Rest Nearly a Half Hundred Casualties Deserved ComplimtntB Shelled 
 out of Camp The Rebels Evacuate the Dalton Line 302-314 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Approaching Resaca Passing the Cavalry Another Line of Breastworks Built 
 Closing in upon the Enemy Gallant Advance of the Skirmishers Fix Bayo- 
 nets! A Charge Proposed, but Never Made The Enemy Massing on the Left 
 Their Lines Advance Outflanked, the Regiment Retreats Routed ! Fighting 
 in Retreat At the Battery Hooker's Troops to the Rescue Terrible Slaughter 
 of the Enemy Counting up the Losses Hooker's Troops Charge Partial Suc- 
 ceis of their Assaults Two Memorable Days Successful Flanking Movements 
 The Enemy in Retreat The Casualty List 315-330 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 After the Battle Resaca Abandoned "Drawing Sherman On "Looking for Mis- 
 sing Comrades Forward Again A Trio of Wounded Crossing the Oostenaula 
 Pressing the Enemy Daily under Fire Calhoun and Adairsville Passed 
 From Kingston to Cassville Many Miles upon the Skirmish Line The Enemy 
 Pressed Backward An Army in Full Sight More Breastworks A Battle Im- 
 pendingArtillery Duel Corporal Gage's Capture Again they Retreat 
 Wearied SoldiersThree Days of Rest Odd Fellows Outfit Preserved Visit to 
 the Seminary The Boys and the Books Sunday's Experience at Caesville. . .331-342 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A Bold Flank Movement Across the Etowah Gen. Johnston anticipates Gen. 
 Sherman's Plans Pumpkin Vine Creek Late Marches In Reserve Moving to 
 the Front Under Fire Strong Breastworks Terr, fie Artillery Fire New Hope 
 Church Ten Days in the Trenches Sleeping and Eating to the Music of MUSK- 
 etry Casualties Almost Daily Miserably Monotonous The Skirmishers Better 
 Natured Trading Between the Lines Short Rations The Enemy Again Out- 
 flankedThe Union Forces reach the Railroad In Camp at Ackworth The Boon 
 of a Three Day's Rest The Railroad Repaired Rations and Mails brought up 
 Getting Rid of the Grey backs Ready for Kenesaw Mountain 343-353 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 'The Advance from Ackworth The Country Full of Breastworks How the Army 
 was Fed Opposite Pine Mountain Killed by a Falling Tree Bishop Polk's 
 Death Frequent Rain Storms Losses by Capture Approaching Little Kene- 
 saw A Gallant Charge What Civil War Means Terrific Night Fight Heavy 
 Losses of Officers and Men A Trying Position In Close Quarters A Multitude 
 of Engagements Moving to the Right Disastrous Change of Tactics A Flag 
 of Truce Skirmishers' Experiences The Flanking Movement Resumed Ken- 
 esaw Mountain in Union Hands 354-378 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 .Across the Chattahoochie The Rest on the Ridge Peach Tree Creek The General 
 Forward Movement Within Two Miles of Atlanta The Battle on the Left A 
 Visit Interrupted Killed in Camp Four Men Captured Colonel Opdyke's 
 Reconnoissance Regimental Politics Strong Breastworks, and How They were 
 Built Promotions Among the Officers Frequent Demonstrations, One of Them 
 Attended by Heavy Losses An Ominous Quiet Mysterious Movements on Foot 
 What will General Sherman Do 'Casualties about Atlanta 379-392 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Preparations for a Grand Movement A Night March Building Breastworks Again 
 Destroying the Railroad Fairly in the Rear of the "Gate City "Guarding a 
 Wagon Train Hurried to the Front The Battle of Jonesboro The Fight at 
 Lovejoy's Station Four Fatalities Anniversary of the Regiment's Muster-in 
 " Atlanta is Ours, and Fairly Won "Withdrawal of the Forces Burning Cotton 
 In Camp Near the City 393-399 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 'The Gains and the Losses of the Campaign Plans for the Future A Skirmish near 
 Stone Mountain Deaths by Disease Gen. Hood takes the Initiative A Race 
 to the Rear Passing Familiar Ground In Sight of the Rebel Army Allatoona 
 The March to Rome Delays for want of a Little Bridge Calhoun, Resaca and 
 Dalton On the Flank of the Enemy Alternate Brief Rests and Heavy Marches 
 Southward to Gaylesville A Week in Camp with Abundant Rations Last Days 
 with Gen. Sherman 400-408
 
 x HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Parting with Gen. Sherman Abundance of Forage A Rapid March Northward 
 Crossing the Chickamauga Battle Field At liossville and Chattanooga West- 
 ward by Cars The Trip to Athens Anxiety as to the Situation The Rebels 
 Near Fording Elk River The March to Pulaski Ragged but Resolute En- 
 trenching Again Paid Off 409-414 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The Rebels Advance Pulaski Evacuated A Short Sleep Refugees on the Road A 
 Trying Night March A Sombre Thanksgiving Columbia Reached Again Out- 
 flanked Spring Hill Close Proximity to the Enemy A Halt on the Ridge The 
 Battle of rranklin Another Night March Arrival at Nashville Two Nights 
 on the Front Line The Army Reinforced Waiting for the Battle 415-434 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 The Siege of Nashville Reinforcements Arrive Recruits Received Citizens 
 Building Breastworks The Country Anxious Reason of Delay An Ice Storm 
 The Weather Grows Milder The Battle Begins First Day's Work Important 
 Gain? Night on the Battle-field The Second Day's Battle A Charge on the 
 Skirmieh Line Long Hours Under Fire A Gallant Charge Four Guns and 
 Many Prisoners Taken A Glorious Victory Incidents of the Battle The Gains 
 and the Losses The Casualty List 435-44& 1 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 The Pursuit of Hood The Pontoon Train Missent A Halt at Franklin Condition 
 of Affairs in the Village A Stern Chase Delays at Rutherford's Creek and 
 Duck River Lust Volley at the Enemy Floundering in the Muri How Christ- 
 mas passed Waiting for Rations Forward Again The Enemy Escapes Across 
 the Tennessee Results Achieved in the Campaign Gen. Thomas' Congratula- 
 tory Order 450-456 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 New Year's Day Celebrated The March to Huntsville Going into Winter Quarters 
 The Army Dispersed Incidents of the Stay at Hunteville How Brick and Lum- 
 ber were Obtained Drill and Dress Parades Resumed Changes and Promotions 
 Bollenbach's Capture and Escape Music in Camp A Sermon that was not 
 Enjoyed Winter Amusements The Division Reviewed Rumors of a Move- 
 ment 457-461 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Leaving Winter Quarters By Rail to East Tennessee A Glimpse of Parson Brown- 
 low Arrival at Strawberry Plains Russellville Visiting .--chool Dancing 
 Parties Scouting Experiences Captain Sizemore and His Methods Glad News 
 from the East Richmond is Taken Lee and his Army Surrender How the 
 News was Received The Celebration at Shields' Mills A Hush on the Camp 
 The Appalling News of Lincoln's Assassination Its Effect on the Soldiers . 462-469 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Again at Russellville Ordered to Nashville Camp Harker Beside the Cumber- 
 landCamp Rumors The Good News Continues Changes and Promotions 
 Grand Review of the Corps Torch Light Parade Preparing for Muster-Out 
 Gen. Kimball's Congratulatory Order The Recruits Transferred Good Bye to 
 Tennessee The March to New Albany Cattle Cars or Passenger Coaches 1 
 Colonel Smith vs. the Railroad Authorities Arrival in Chicago 470-480 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Chicago's Welcome What the Newspapers Said Reception at the Sanitary Fair 
 George C. Bates' Address Colonel Hicks' Response Gen. Sherman Speaks 
 What Hon. John Wentworth and Judge Bradwell Said Cheers for the So.diers 
 Cheers for the Ladies Cheers by and for Everybody 481-490 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 At Camp Douglas Two Deaths When Almost Home Settling Up Paid Off and 
 Disbanded The Last Good Byes The Receptions At Waukegan At Warren 
 At Galena 491-507 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Prisoners of War Two Men Captured at Franklin Two Captured from Hospital 
 Captain Rowan Attempts to Escape Capture of the Wounded at Chickamauga 
 Companies C and H Surrender on Mission Ridge Fate of the Prisoners Per- 
 onal Narratives of Survivors. . . 508-540'
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. xi 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Captured at Buzzard Roost Narrative of Harrison Memaemer The Captures at 
 Resaca Narratives of Myron J. Brown, Corporal William B. Lewin, First Ser- 
 geant Thomas J. Smith, Richard Spencer, Lewis Miller Captured at Keuesaw 
 Mountain and Atlanta Albert Barney's Narrative Captured at Franklin... 541-585 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Companies C and H on Picket Withdrawal of Army Anxious Moments No Relief 
 Preparations for Defense More Fighting The Capture March to Dalton 
 Trip to Richmond Separation of Officers and Men Libby Prison First Day in 
 Prison Who were There The Early Morning Roll Call Old Ben Rations- 
 Boxes from Home Occupation and Amusements Traitors in our Midst A 
 Night in Prison Attempts at Escape Gen. Morgan in Libby The Conception 
 of the Successful Tunnel The Working Parties Discovery by the Writer 
 The Passage Through the Tunnel In the Streets of Richmond In Company 
 with Rebel Soldiers Experience of Successive Nights Assistance from 
 Negroes Passage of the Chickahominy In Our Lines Reception Home and 
 Regiment 586-452* 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 The Pioneer BattalionCauses Leading to Its Organization Nature of the Service 
 Required A Building Blown Up Building Bridges and Forte A Reconnois- 
 sance How Swan Pond was Crossed The Cumberland Pontoon A Valuable 
 Invention Building Block Houses Formally Transferred The Roster 624-63* 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 Notes from an Old Diary A Middle Tennessee Scouting Expedition How the 
 Scouts were Fooled by a Rebel Jeff Davis' Feat Discounted A Very Tired 
 Man and a Bad Government Mule An Incident at Moccasin Point Corn Doled 
 out in Spoonsful Color Corporal Robison How He Lost an Arm His Hospital 
 Experience The Ambulance Corps Wounded Men, and Who Carried Them 
 Fidelity and Courage of the Stretcher Bearers Poem by A. R. Thain 634-64* 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Letters from Home How the Mail Reached the Army The Mail Carrier's Welcome 
 Dangerous Trips Past the Skirmish Line A Target for Rebel Pickets- 
 Personal Experiences 650-655- 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 The Covington "Can-Can" The Adjutant's Bag A Bugler's Bad Break A Horse 
 Down Cellar Early Potatoes An Unexpected Meeting Corporal Malone's 
 Salute Here, Ring ! The Cleveland Girl 656-C67 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 The Field and Staff Personal Sketches The Officers and Non-Commissioned 
 Officers Who They were ai-d What They Did Whereabouts and Occupations of 
 the Survivors Shoulder Straps and Chevrons 668-678- 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 COMPANY A The First Company Nearly Filled in July Officers Elected Swords 
 Presented The First to Reach Camp Fuller Early Experiences Again in 
 Galena Good-by Again Final Move to Rockford The Letter "A" Detached 
 at Harrodsburg -On the Skirmish Line at Triune The First Anniversary The 
 Battle Casualties A Long List of Killed and Wounded Present Whereabouts 
 of the Survivors Sketches of the Officers and Men 679-703 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 COMPANY B How it was Recruited The Organization at Hainesville Three Times 
 Sworn In Incidents in the Early Days Man Afraid of His Knapsack Fort 
 Mitchell Promotions Ante-Battle Losses Casualties at Chickamauga Subse- 
 quent Losses "Gus" Bollenback's Capture and Esc.-ipc Company Statistics 
 A Proud Record The Complete Roster 704-?28- 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 COMPANY C Can Lake County Fill Another Company ? The Affirmative Answer- 
 Officers Chosen Temporary Rendezvous at Waukegan Sword Presentations 
 Off for Rockford Chosen as Color Company A Promise to be Prompt Sent to 
 Fort Shaler Recruits from Rebeldom Quartered in a Church School-day Ex- 
 periences Revived Terrible Losses at Chickamauga Almost Blotted Out 
 ' Subsequent Casualties Some Statistics 729-752;
 
 xii HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 -COMPANY D How and Where it was Recruited Headquarters in Waukegan The 
 Millburn Ladies' Supper Officers and Soldiers Beechwood Battery A Trip to 
 Camp Chase Deaths and Promotions Eight Men Killed The Wounded The 
 Recruits Company Statistics Biographical 753-773 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 -COMPANY E The Apple River Company How it was Recruited and Organized 
 Officers and Non-Commissioned OfficerH Eleeted A Sword to the Colonel On 
 Provost Duty at Harrodsburg The Terrible Death-Roil at Chickamauga Almost 
 Unparalleled Losses Twelve Men Killed or Mortally Wounded in One Engage- 
 ment Other Losses Moccasin Point Duties Detached on Lookout Mountain 
 Subsequent Casualties Some Statistics Personal Sketches 774-791 
 
 CHAPTER XL VI. 
 
 COMPANY F Rapid Recruiting Where the Men were from Their Age and Nation- 
 ality Officers Chosen Captain Green aspires to the Colonelcy Mustered In 
 The First Man Killed Battle Losses Two Men Die in Prison Ten Deaths in 
 Hospital Forty-five Recruits reach the Company Changes among the Officers 
 Company Statistics The Roster 7952-809 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 -COMPANY G Two Companies where One was Expected The Election of Officers 
 Sworn into the Service "Bully for the Boy with the Glass Eye" In Tents at 
 Rockford Appointment of Non-Commissioned Officers The Captain is Made 
 Lieutenant Colonel An Outsider Chosen to Fill the Vacancy Sword Presenta- 
 tionsA Case of Assault and Battery Thanksgiving Dinner at Harrodsburg 
 Subsequent Changes Among the Officers The Company's Long Casualty List 
 Seven Times Wounded Facts and Figures Answers to the Roll-Call 810-841 
 
 CHAPTER XL VIII. 
 
 COMPANY H Eastern Jo Daviess County's Response Ninety-one Men in Six Days 
 Voting for Officers Parting with Friends Rockford Rations Trading Men 
 with the 92d A Sword for the Captain First Blood for Company H The Chick- 
 amanga Record A Remnant Escape and are Captured Thirty-two Never Again 
 in Ranks The Atlanta Campaign Losses along the Line Nashville Recruits 
 Arrive A Former Lieutenant Returns as a Private Reinforcing Russellville 
 A Worthy Tribute borne Company Statistics 842-868 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 -COMPANY I Ten Days' Recruiting A Change of Plans Full to Overflowing 
 Officers Chosen Elizabeth Leads the Van In Camp at Galena Non-Commis- 
 sioned Officers Appointed Age and Nativity of the Men Their Occupations 
 The Captain made Major Rockford Reached At John's Hill Battery Other 
 Detached Service Losses in Battle The Company Recruited Changes and 
 Promotions The Number at Muster-out Record of the Members 869-887 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 -COMPANY K The Eastern Part of Jo Daviess County Raises Two Companies 
 Warren, Rush and Nora Fill One to Overflowing Officers Chosen Warren the 
 Headquarters Fla Presentations Sent to Rockford The Captain Chosen 
 Colonel A Private Elected Captain "K"' is the Letter Drawn Occupying Fort 
 Shaler First Experience with a Rebel Shell Chickamauga Losses Other 
 Casualties 888-911 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 The Unaseigned Recruits A Few Errors Noted Boys Who Never Reached the 
 Regiment A Roster that must Remain Incomplete Statistical 912-913 
 
 CHAPTER LIT. 
 
 'The National Cemeteries How the Graves of the Dead are Cared for Identifying 
 the Remains Extracts from Official Reports Brfef Description of the Grounds 
 A List of the " Known " Dead, with Place of Interment Losses Sustained by 
 Illinois Regiments Errata 914-923
 
 INDKX TO MAPS, KTC. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Battle Flags of the Regiment. . . . Frontispiece 
 
 On the way to the Right at Chickamauga 17ft 
 
 Escaped Prisoners of War Crossing the Diascon River 608 
 
 Libby Prison 592 
 
 Lookout Mountain, Battle of 272 
 
 Nashville, Battle of 464 
 
 Rocky Face Ridge, Battle of 304 
 
 Ross House 160 
 
 MAPS. 
 
 Chickamauga Battle Field 192 
 
 Frankl in Battle Field 432 
 
 Nashville Battle Field 448 
 
 Marches of the Regiment vi 
 
 PORTRAITS. 
 
 Bangs, Ambrose A 720 Byers, Frederick W 672 
 
 Bangs, George A 368 ,. , 
 
 oen Cadwell, Loyal 416 
 
 Bater, Henrv 352 . ' , 
 
 ~ - Carver, Frank 848 
 
 Barnes, George F 848 ^ ., A ,, -, a nnn 
 
 nKn Castle, Alfred 8 720 
 
 Barney, Albert 752 ~ . -_ 
 
 \tnnt a coo Champion, Myron B 848 
 
 Bean, William S 688 _.. . mi ; -r. 
 
 ri , T i ,,. . AA Champion, Thomas E xvi 
 
 Beck. John K 400 ~. , T 
 
 r> n-io Clarke, Isaac L 32 
 
 Benson, Daniel 912 _. . ' . 
 
 -D m. * u TT Clark, Hiram 496 
 
 Berg, Christopher H. 688 ~, 
 
 T , 'L. nKn Clark, James H 884 
 
 Besley. John W 352 _. ,_ 
 
 , , _ Clark, John M 768 
 
 Biddlecom, Charles 816 ., .' 
 
 Clark, Samuel 352 
 
 Black, James E 896 _., .' _, , ., 
 
 00 - Clarkson, Theodore F 256 
 
 Blackler, John 832 
 
 , oon Cleveland, Manor H 720 
 
 Blackler, Thomas 832 ~. J _ . 
 
 . . , _- Cole, James 784 
 
 Blodgett, Asiel Z 752 _. . 
 
 ,.' , Cole, Perrm P 912 
 
 Blodgett, Edward A 96 _, ... T , TT ne . n 
 
 Collier, John H 752 
 
 Blodgett, Jared 416 _ . .. _ ., 
 
 TJ, TJ o Conkhn, Jeremiah 912 
 
 Blowney, Benjamin G 816 . _ A . 
 
 D 11 u i ^i Cook, Arthur 704 
 
 Bollenback, Gustavus 720 ' T , 
 
 ,, ... Corbm, John A ooo 
 
 Bray, Thomas B 640 ' , . . , 
 
 ,, Cowen, Christopher C 896 
 
 Brown, Myron J 816 
 
 -r, Cruver, John H 920 
 
 Bryant, Lewis H 496 ' . , 
 
 Buck,OttoJ 688 Culen, Richard C 848 
 
 Burge, Albert A 912 Cutler, Henry H 496 
 
 Burnett, Alexander 848 Darby, Joseph 656 
 
 Burnett, George H 368 Davison, Peter 848
 
 XIV 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Davis, Thomas 336 
 
 Dean, Harmon S 896 
 
 Demmon, Leroy 336 
 
 Devlin, Michael 752 
 
 Dimmick, Daniel W 784 
 
 Dittmar, Adam 848 
 
 Doolittle, Leonard S 496 
 
 Dombski, Henry 704 
 
 Donahue, James 416 
 
 Douglas, Isaac M 252 
 
 Douglas, Robert J 256 
 
 Drew, Walter '. 816 
 
 Drury, Edwin 384, 560 
 
 Drury, Walter E 912 
 
 Dwyer, Thomas W 656 
 
 Earle, Charles W 512, 608 
 
 Efinger, Martin 4U6 
 
 Ellis, Charles 768 
 
 Evans, Mo.es 672 
 
 Farnsworth, George M 400 
 
 Farnsworth, Hiram W 400 
 
 Ferguson, George G 768, 864 
 
 Finley, Timothy 736 
 
 Fleming, Peter... 784 
 
 Gage, Henry H , . . .-384, 544 
 
 Garrett, Richard 784 
 
 Gillmore, Evangelist J 368 
 
 Gillmore, Myron 368 
 
 <31eason, Henry 912 
 
 Gleason, Isbon S 640 
 
 Gove, Joel 720 
 
 Grabham, John 784 
 
 Graham, Edward 896 
 
 Granger, Dighton 704 
 
 Gray, Elihu D 920 
 
 Harriman, Henry J 896 
 
 Hastings, Henry F 864 
 
 Hastings, Walter W 752 
 
 Havens, James 384 
 
 Hickcox, James 400 
 
 Hicks, George 80 
 
 Holden, John H 288 
 
 Hooker, Gen. Joseph 240 
 
 Howard, Gen. O. 240 
 
 Irwin, William. 
 
 800 
 
 James, David 336 
 
 James. James Edward 688 
 
 Jeffers, Stephen 672 
 
 Johnson, Andrew 864 
 
 Kimball, Gen. Nathan 240 
 
 Knopf, Christian 656 
 
 Ladd, John 832 
 
 Lamb, Nahum 384 
 
 Lee, John C 640 
 
 Lehmann, George 832 
 
 Lewjn, William B 352 
 
 Liuklater, Jerry H 256 
 
 Lott, Austin E 752, 768 
 
 Loughlin, William M 624 
 
 McClellan, William 480 
 
 McCredie, James G 736 
 
 McDonald, William W 880 
 
 McMillen, Malcolm 720 
 
 Madden, Loughlin 480 
 
 Malone, Edward 656 
 
 Markley, Watson 480 
 
 Marshall, George 880 
 
 Martin, Charles 672 
 
 Mason, Judson A 400 
 
 Miller, Charles J 832 
 
 Miller, Lewis 336 
 
 Miller, Reuben 416 
 
 Montgomery, Caleb 768 
 
 Montgomery, Henry R 368 
 
 Moore, George W 672 
 
 Moore, Thomas E 880 
 
 Morley, William G 640 
 
 Mowers, Peter 416 
 
 Murray, Edward 480 
 
 Murrie, James 480 
 
 O'Hara, Berzelus 768 
 
 O'Herrin, James 816 
 
 Palmer, George 816 
 
 Palmer, Joseph 400 
 
 Partridge, Addison B 64 
 
 Partridge, Charles A 528 
 
 Payne, Henry C 480
 
 INDEX TO MAPS, ETC. 
 
 xv 
 
 Payne, Samuel B 480 
 
 Penwell, Marcellus J 864 
 
 Pepoon, George W 144 
 
 Perry, William M 880 
 
 Phillips, Charles 640 
 
 Phillips, George N 656 
 
 Pierce, Byron G 672 
 
 Pierce, Joseph L 128 
 
 Pocklington, Thomas 832 
 
 Pollock, John K 736 
 
 Pomeroy, Cyrus W 112, 120 
 
 Pooley, John H 784 
 
 Powers, Warren E 704 
 
 Quinn, Francis P. 
 
 880 
 
 Rector, Oscar 736 
 
 Hees, Chester J 864 
 
 Richardson, Halsey H 784 
 
 Rider, William F 352 
 
 Rivenburg, Lovett S 784 
 
 Rix, Edward 7(58 
 
 Robinson, John Quincy 800 
 
 Rose, Deloss 384 
 
 Howan, Charles E 800 
 
 Sallee, James M 864 
 
 Sammons, Charles F 736 
 
 Savage, Joseph 496 
 
 Saulsbury, David 920 
 
 Scace, William B 320 
 
 Schaef er, John G 208 
 
 Scott, Aaron 384 
 
 Scott, William H 800 
 
 Serviss, Beri 896 
 
 Sheffield, Daniel A 672 
 
 Shepard, Benjamin F 816 
 
 .Sherman, Gen. W. T 240 
 
 Shupe, Dennis 336 
 
 Shupe, Levi 912 
 
 Simms, Nelson R 800 
 
 Simpson, Edward 688 
 
 Smith, George E., Jr 256 
 
 Smith, John C 48 
 
 Smith, Mrs. J. C 56 
 
 Smith, Thomas J 880 
 
 Smith, Willard V 752 
 
 Sprague, William E 784 
 
 Stahl, John 800 
 
 Stanley, Gen. D. S 240 
 
 Steedinan, Gen. J. B 240 
 
 Stewart, George L 352 
 
 Swanbrough, John W 416 
 
 Swindells, John 752 
 
 Tarpley, John P 880 
 
 Tate Ebenezer 688 
 
 Taylor, James M 736 
 
 Taylor, John Y 736 
 
 Taylor, William F 224 
 
 Thain, Alexander R 256 
 
 Thain, Richard S 256 
 
 Thomas, Gen. Geo. H 240 
 
 Thrasher, John G 656 
 
 Townsend, Edward E 896 
 
 Triggs, John 832 
 
 Traut, Wallace V 920 
 
 Trumbull, Rollin H 368 
 
 Umbdenstock, Michael, Jr.. . 576 
 
 Van Dervort, H. S 848 
 
 Vincent, John 688 
 
 Vincent, William 688 
 
 Vose, Samuel F 416 
 
 Wait, George 704 
 
 Ward, Norman P 864 
 
 Webb, Chase E 736 
 
 Wells, Thomas E 720 
 
 Wetherly. Hiram 920 
 
 Whaples, William H 336 
 
 Wheeler, William H 656 
 
 Whitaker, Gen. Walter C 240 
 
 Whitcomb, Oscar E 704 
 
 Whitmore, William D 368 
 
 Whitney, Allen B 920 
 
 Whitney, Hamilton C 704 
 
 Whitney, Joseph C 352 
 
 Winfield, George W 920 
 
 Woolsey, Whi ting C 880 
 
 Wright, Josiah H 400 
 
 Young, Orson V. 
 
 256
 
 THOMAS E. CHAMPION. 
 
 COLONEL AND BREVET BRIGADIER GENERAL.
 
 , ***
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Events Leading to the War The Slavery Question The Missouri Com- 
 promise Fugitive Slave Laws Enacted The Difficulty of Enforcing 
 Them A Supreme Court Decision Anti- Slavery Literature 
 Lincoln's Election a Pretext for Rebellion Preparations for War at 
 the South The Great Conspiracy Secession Ordinances Passed 
 The Guns of Sumter Echo Through the Land The Response at the 
 North Alternate Victories and Defeats Advantages Gained A 
 Crisis Reached in the Summer of 1862 A Second Grand Uprising at 
 the North A Half Million Enlistments in Two Months. 
 
 To THE general historian must be committed the task of 
 relating, in detail, the events which preceded and culminated 
 in the War of the Rebellion. And yet. in a work of this 
 character, there seems to be an appropriateness in outlining 
 these events, and also in narrating, briefly, the work under- 
 taken by the armies of the Union during the year and more 
 that intervened between the firing upon Fort Sumter and the 
 organization of the gallant Regiment whose history these pages 
 are intended to set forth. Hence this opening chapter. 
 
 There had grown up in the Nation two civilizations. Be- 
 ginning with the introduction of negro slaves into the Virginia 
 colonies the people of the North and South had grown apart. 
 At the North there was a general adherence to the principles 
 laid down in that clause of the Declaration of Independence, 
 which recites that "All men are created free and equal." In 
 the South the black man was regarded, not merely as a con- 
 venience, but as a necessity as well, and was looked upon as 
 belonging to an inferior race whose province it was to serve. 
 In that section custom came to sanction this idea, and the 
 great majority of the people acquiesced in the laws which were 
 enacted for the protection of Slavery, and which bound more 
 tightly, year by year, the fetters of the black man. True, 
 there was even at the South an undertone of disapproval, many 
 quietly expressing regret that the institution had gained a foot- 
 2 (17)
 
 18 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 hold upon the then new world, but few were bold enough to- 
 ad vocate either an immediate or gradual emancipation of the 
 unfortunate chattels. Indeed there was but little toleration of 
 sentiments of this character, and, for many years, neither the 
 press nor the pulpit in any of the Slave States dared express- 
 other feelings than those of approval of the system. Visitors 
 from the North were not allowed to advocate their anti- 
 slavery principles publicly, and abolition newspapers found 
 little countenance or patronage in any community where there 
 were slaves. 
 
 In Congress there was ceaseless discussion of the vexing 
 problems growing out of this troublesome question. In 1820, 
 there was great excitement over the admission of Missouri as 
 a slave State. Slavery already existed there, being pro- 
 tected under the terms of the treaty ceding to the United 
 States the Louisiana territory, from which Missouri had been 
 carved, and Congress refused to prohibit or abolish it, quiet- 
 ing, in a measure, the consciences of enough of those who had 
 a voice in the matter to secure a majority in Congress for the 
 bill by attaching to it a clause which declared that there should 
 be no extension of slavery into any of the territorial posses- 
 sions of the United States north of latitude 36 30', which was 
 the southern boundary of Missouri. This was known as the- 
 " Missouri Compromise," and timid politicians hoped that it 
 would forever set at rest the slavery question. But such was 
 not to be its effect. Slaves were continually escaping from 
 their masters, and being aided on their way toward Canada by 
 the liberty loving people of the North. Slave-owners com- 
 plained at this, and demanded the enactment of laws for the- 
 protection of their slave "property." Their demands were 
 complied with, and in 1850 the Fugitive Slave Laws were 
 enacted. The enforcement of these laws was a difficult matter, 
 however, as public sentiment at the North did not sustain 
 them, and the Supreme Courts of some of the States gave 
 decisions in favor of persons who were sought to be prosecuted 
 for their violation. These enactments were the theme of 
 almost constant discussion in the halls of Congress, and in the 
 newspapers of the day. In 1854 Kansas and Nebraska were
 
 THE DRED SCOTT DECISION. 19 
 
 organized as territories, and, notwithstanding the terms of the 
 Missouri Compromise, the bill by which they were created 
 declared that they might be admitted as States, with or without 
 slavery, as the people should determine. Immediately the 
 slave-holders attempted to colonize this western region. A 
 counter movement was undertaken, hundreds of men going 
 West from New England, resolved to rescue these territories 
 from the grasp of the devotees of Slavery. The excitement 
 was intense, and numerous personal encounters resulted. In 
 the home of every man sent to Kansas from the East there was 
 understood to be a Bible and a Sharpe's rifle, provided at the 
 expense of a Massachusetts society organized for the purpose, 
 it was said. At length freedom won, the people of Kansas 
 voting, by a large majority, that the State should be "free." 
 But so strong was the opposition of the slave-holders, that it 
 was several years before Congress would permit it to become 
 a full-fledged State. 
 
 The Dred Scott decision, which came, a few weeks follow- 
 ing the exciting Presidential campaign of 1856, heaped ready 
 fuel upon the political fires. Dred Scott was a slave who had 
 been taken to Illinois and Minnesota and held in bondage for 
 two years in each State. He had married a free woman of 
 color, and two children had been born to them. At the sug- 
 gestion of his anti-slavery acquaintances, Scott brought suit 
 for his own freedom. Judge Taney, of Maryland, then Chief 
 Justice of the Supreme Court, rendered a decision in which he 
 enunciated the doctrine that the negro "had no rights which 
 the white man was bound to respect," and declared him still 
 a slave, notwithstanding his involuntary residence in a free 
 State for a period of four years or more. Not only this : he 
 declared that the right of property in human beings was dis- 
 tinctly affirmed in the Constitution of the United States, and 
 that there was no authority whatever by which slavery could 
 be prohibited in the territories. He went even further, and 
 declared that Scott had been lawfully held as a slave in the free 
 States, and would have been so held had his master gone there 
 with the intention of taking up a permanent, instead of a tem- 
 porary, residence. No decision from the Supreme Bench ever
 
 20 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 before caused such intense excitement throughout the country 
 or led to such universal discussion. The people of the South 
 saw in it an opportunity to make slavery National, and were 
 highly elated. Throughout the North it was very severely 
 criticised, and quite generally condemned. James Buchanan 
 had just been elected President, and both branches of Con- 
 gress were overwhelmingly Democratic. But public sentiment 
 at the North was being roused to an extent not anticipated by 
 the upholders of slavery. In the newspapers, in the debating 
 societies, in church conferences, everywhere, this remarkable 
 decision was made the theme of discussion. 
 
 Meantime, " Uncle Tom's Cabin " and other works of kin- 
 dred character, in which the horrors of human slavery were 
 painted, had been gaining wide circulation at the North, and 
 the anti-slavery sentiment was growing stronger and stronger 
 day by day. In 1858 occurred the memorable contest between 
 Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, who were candi- 
 dates for the office of Senator of the United States from 
 Illinois. The former argued, not for immediate emancipation, 
 but for curtailing the slave power by forbidding the extension 
 of slavery into the territories. The latter claimed that the 
 people of the territories should decide for themselves whether 
 or not they would have slaves, and argued that the Dred Scott 
 decision was well grounded and should be sustained. Joint 
 debates between these rival statesmen were had at many 
 points in Illinois, and great crowds gathered to hear the all- 
 absorbing questions of the day discussed. The speeches of 
 these able debaters were published and sent broadcast through- 
 out the land, attracting wide attention. At the election in 
 November of that year a Democratic Legislature was chosen 
 in Illinois, and Mr. Douglas secured the Senatorship. But 
 the speeches of Abraham Lincoln and other anti-slavery ora- 
 tors were having their effect. At the same time the Southern 
 leaders became more confident, nay more, defiant, and 
 seemed to think that they had obtained a hold upon the 
 Nation that could not be thrown off. Viewing it from the 
 standpoint of these later years, however, it would seem that 
 they were merely acting a part in a great conspiracy, for in
 
 EVENTS FOLLOWING LINCOLN'S ELECTION. 21 
 
 1860 they not only permitted, but actually planned, a divi- 
 sion of the Democratic party, going into the canvass with 
 two candidates for the Presidency Stephen A. Douglas, of 
 Illinois, and John C. Brecken ridge, of Kentucky. The nomi- 
 nee of the Republicans was Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois. 
 The contest was a most exciting one, and resulted in the elec- 
 tion of the Republican candidate. 
 
 The Southern leaders, or a majority of them, made the 
 election of Abraham Lincoln the pretext for rebellion, not 
 even waiting for his inauguration or attempting to ascertain 
 what his policy would be. Militia companies took forcible 
 possession of arms and ammunition in the Government 
 arsenals in several of the slave States. Cabinet officers and 
 Congressmen vacated the seats to which they had been chosen, 
 returning to their homes and making violent disunion speeches. 
 Even before the close of the month in which the election 
 occurred both of the United States Senators from South Caro- 
 lina resigned, and a call was issued for a convention, at 
 Charleston, to consider the question of seceding from the Union. 
 The Virginia and Louisiana Legislatures were speedily con- 
 vened to discuss the same question. The Georgia Legislature 
 appropriated a million dollars to arm the militia of that State. 
 In December, South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Seces- 
 sion, and demanded the removal of the United States troops 
 from the forts in Charleston harbor. This demand was not 
 acceded to, but President Buchanan went so far as to send a 
 formal- message to the Secession Convention, promising that 
 no reinforcements should be sent. 
 
 On the 26th of December Fort Moultrie was abandoned, 
 Major Anderson taking the 111 men under his command to 
 Fort Sumter, and two days later South Carolina troops took 
 possession of the abandoned fortress. Early in January, 
 1861, numerous other forts on the southern and southeastern 
 coast were taken possession of, and on the ninth of the month 
 the steamer " Star of the West" was fired on by the South 
 Carolina forces while approaching Fort Sumter with provisions 
 for Major Anderson's little band, and forced to return without 
 accomplishing its mission. Before the month closed Jefferson
 
 22 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Davis resigned his seat, as a United States Senator, and 
 numerous other Senators, as well as Representatives in 
 Congress and members of the Cabinet, did the same. Mis- 
 sissippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas 
 followed the example set by South Carolina, and they in turn 
 were patterned after by other slave States. 
 
 February was fruitful of exciting events. In every South- 
 ern State the militia was carefully organized and systematically 
 drilled. From every Southern city came notice that debts due 
 to Northern creditors were being repudiated. Ships, forts, 
 arsenals, navy yards, mints and custom houses were seized, 
 and their contents turned over to the authorities of the so- 
 called Confederacy, which had been formally organized at 
 Montgomery, Ala., February 4, with Jefferson Davis as its 
 recognized head. The South was terribly in earnest, and all 
 through that memorable winter went forward with the most 
 stupendous preparations for war. 
 
 At length Inauguration Day arrived, and Abraham Lincoln 
 became President of the United States. But even the pacific 
 utterances which his inaugural address contained had little 
 effect in stilling the tempest rising all about him. There was 
 treason in the Army and in the Navy, in the Departments and 
 in Congress, at the Capital and throughout almost one-half of 
 the States. The North, slow to believe that the extreme 
 threats of Southern orators would be carried out, waited and 
 wondered, hoping, almost confidently, that war would be 
 averted. 
 
 But it was not so to be. The authorities at Charleston, 
 South Carolina, claiming to act for the Confederate authorities, 
 refused to allow the Federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter 
 to be reinforced or provisioned, and demanded that they 
 evacuate the works. The commander of the fort declined to 
 leave his post, whereupon its bombardment was ordered by 
 the Southerners, and begun on Friday, April 12, 1861. A 
 gallant defense was made, but in vain, for in a few hours the 
 position of the Federal troops became untenable, and on Sunday 
 capitulation followed. This event aroused the nation. Public 
 meetings were held in every city and village of the North, and
 
 EARLY ENGAGEMENTS OF THE WAR. 23 
 
 the patriotic sentiments uttered gave President Lincoln assur- 
 ance that the people of the free States would stand by him in 
 sustaining all attempts at enforcing the laws and preserv- 
 ing the Union. A call was issued for 75,000 troops for 
 three months' service. There was an immediate response, 
 and within forty-eight hours many more had tendered their 
 services than could be accepted. Neither the General Gov- 
 ernment nor any of the Northern States had any considerable 
 number of arms, and there was much difficulty in procuring a 
 supply. It was speedily evident that additional troops would 
 be needed, and as soon as they could be equipped 300,000 men 
 were called into the field for three years, the quotas of the 
 several States being filled with little difficulty or delay. 
 
 The early engagements of the war were rather disastrous 
 than otherwise. Bull Run was a crushing defeat, the Union 
 troops falling back upon the National Capital in sore disconr 
 iiture. At Wilson's Creek, Mo., the army was obliged to 
 retreat, after the loss of their gallant leader, General Lyon, 
 and many men. The advantages gained at points in Missouri 
 and in West Virginia were not decisive. The battle of Bel- 
 mont, Mo., fought in November, 1861, served to give the 
 Western troops confidence in themselves, although the results 
 achieved were not of great magnitude. The late Winter and 
 the early Spring witnessed some striking victories in the West, 
 and were greatly encouraging. At Mill Spring, Ky., the 
 Union forces achieved a handsome victory, the rebels being 
 driven southward with the loss of their commander, Gen. 
 Zollicoffer, and many men. They were also driven from 
 Missouri and defeated at Pea Ridge, Ark. Fort Donelson 
 was captured with 15,000 prisoners and an immense number 
 of cannon. Pittsburg Landing, fought in April, 1862, was a 
 pronounced victory, though dearly won, and Corinth was occu- 
 pied by the National forces in the early summer. Missouri, 
 Kentucky and Tennessee were now reclaimed. New Orleans 
 had been occupied by the National forces. On the Atlantic 
 coast important points had been captured. 
 
 But with the Summer of 1862 came reverses. The Western 
 armies, decimated by frequent and severe engagements, and
 
 24: HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 i 
 
 weakened by the enervating influences of climatic and other 
 diseases, and the severe strain in maintaining their long lines of 
 communication, were barely holding their own. The Eastern 
 armies, which had been expected to capture the Confederate 
 Capital, had come to a halt, and were being rapidly thinned 
 by disease in the Chickahominy swamps. Their gallantly 
 fought battles had been but half victories at best, and it became 
 apparent that retreat was possible, if not probable. Evidently 
 a crisis had been reached, and it was a question whether the 
 Union armies were not to be forced backward, the scenes of 
 strife transferred to the States north of the Potomac and Ohio 
 rivers, and free soil watered with the blood of the heroes who 
 should fall in battle. 
 
 In this emergency, a letter, breathing the highest patriot- 
 ism, and pledging the most earnest support to the Government 
 in all efforts to suppress the rebellion and restore the Union, 
 was drawn up and signed by the Governors of all the loyal 
 States. This letter was dated July 1, 1862. Upon its receipt, 
 President Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 additional troops, 
 to be mostly infantry. The people seemed to appreciate the 
 situation fully, but there was some delay in assigning quotas 
 and providing quarters, so that but little recruiting was 
 attempted until July had nearly closed. It should be remem- 
 bered that because of the heavy enlistments which had 
 occurred but a few months previously there was an actual 
 scarcity of men to do the work in the large shops and manu- 
 factories and upon the farms. The haying was not com- 
 pleted, and a golden harvest was just maturing. How could 
 the men be spared ? But by the time the recruiting machinery 
 was in readiness volunteers were responding in large num- 
 bers. The closing week of July and the early days of August 
 witnessed large enlistments. On the 4th of August the Presi- 
 dent issued another call for 300,000 men in addition to the 
 300,000 called out in July, and directed an immediate draft. 
 The second call stimulated enlistments to such an extent that 
 the draft was temporarily postponed, and in Illinois and some 
 other States the quotas under both calls made up by volunteers. 
 A bounty of one hundred dollars was offered by the General.
 
 THE RESPONSE TO THE CALL FOR TROOPS. 25 
 
 Government to eacli recruit, but on the condition that only 
 twenty-five dollars should be paid in advance and the remainder 
 at the close of service of the soldier, providing the period of 
 service should be not less than two years. In addition to this 
 from forty to sixty dollars county bounty was given recruits 
 from most of the counties in Illinois. These bounties, although 
 meager as compared with the amounts subsequently given, 
 encouraged some men with families to enlist, as they were 
 thus assured of a small fund of ready money to leave with 
 their dependent ones. However, a great majority of the vol- 
 unteers of that year would have enlisted without one dollar of 
 bounty. 
 
 The State authorities authorized recruiting officers to say 
 that men enlisted in Northern Illinois would be allowed to 
 remain at home until toward the close of the month, in order 
 that the harvest might be secured. That month of August. 
 1862, was one that will be long remembered by those who 
 shared in its exciting events. Recruiting went forward 
 with great rapidity. Meetings were held almost nightly, not 
 alone in every city and village, but in every township and in 
 almost every school district, churches and school-houses as 
 well as public halls and court-rooms being used for these 
 gatherings. Men of every profession and occupation took the 
 stump, and plead with those of military age to respond to the 
 call of their country in its hour of need. And the response 
 was a wonderful one, recruits thronging from the shops and 
 the farms, from the offices and from the business houses, all 
 through the North. Business of every ordinary kind was 
 almost wholly suspended, men and women gathering to wit- 
 ness the drilling of the newly organized commands at their 
 places of temporary rendezvous, and to bid good-bye to loved 
 ones who had placed their names upon the muster-rolls, and 
 were preparing to leave for the larger camps of instruction. 
 To the casual observer the cities and villages might have been 
 said to wear a pleasant aspect, as the great throngs moved up 
 and down the streets ; but the firm, set lips of the younger 
 men, the undertone in conversation, the dewy eyes of maids 
 and matrons, the severe, determined look of men of maturer
 
 26 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 years, and the great pain tugging away at the heart-strings of 
 all, of either sex and every age, as the hour of parting drew 
 near, told plainly that these were by no means holidays. The 
 people of the North were fully resolved that the Nation should 
 lack neither men nor means in its efforts to suppress the great 
 Rebellion and uphold the National authority, and their young 
 men, to the number of more than half a million, responded to 
 the call of their country within the brief period of two months, 
 and the closing weeks of August and the early days of Sep- 
 tember, 1862, saw them hurrying forward to the aid of the 
 Union army whose depleted ranks they were to reinforce.
 
 WHAT WAR MEANS. 27 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 How and Why Lake and Jo Daviess Counties Joined Hands In Camp 
 at Rockford A Lesson in Obedience to Orders The Formal 
 Muster-in Other Regiments in Camp Early Experiences The 
 Field and Staff The Companies Lettered Drawing Arms and 
 Uniforms Battalion Drill and Dress Parade On Escort Duty 
 Visits from Home Friends Major Brown and the "Obstacle" 
 Movement The Sutlers Made Unhappy Incidents of the Last Days 
 at Camp Fuller. 
 
 AMID the stirring events to which the closing paragraphs 
 of the preceding chapter allude THE NINETY-SIXTH HEGIMENT 
 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY had its birth. Recruited at a 
 :gloomy period of the war and when a high grade of patriotism 
 was required to nerve men to enlist, composed of excellent 
 material, carefully organized and admirably commanded, it 
 was given opportunity to bear a conspicuous part in the great 
 drama of war, and its record, forged in the white heat of con- 
 flict and under the heavy hammers of oft-recurring battles, is 
 one to which its members have ever been able to refer with 
 pride. To the recital of some of these events and to the nar- 
 rative of the doings and whereabouts of the command from 
 day to day during its three years in camp and field the follow- 
 ing chapters are devoted. 
 
 Without instituting comparisons with "our brothers gone 
 before," this much may at least be said : The novelty had 
 passed away. The pomp and circumstance of glorious war 
 had now but few attractions. All knew that war meant, not 
 only wounds and death, but hunger and hardship and priva- 
 tion ; that it meant a surrender of personal liberty, on the part 
 of the enlisted men at least, that was a sacrifice to the son 
 of America, in whom the spirit of independence was strong, 
 and who was entirely unused to the restraints which military 
 life imposed.
 
 28 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 But the men who composed this organization had con- 
 sidered all of these matters and resolved to make the sacrifice. 
 Not in response to a passing impulse had they written their 
 names upon the muster rolls, but deliberately and from a deep 
 sense of personal duty. They would help their brothers at the 
 front who had gone out to battle in the months gone by. They 
 would aid in turning back the tide of treason and rebellion that 
 was threatening to engulf their homes. They would be among 
 those to stand as a living wall between the Nation and its 
 enemies, and bear honorable part in bringing to a close the 
 conflict that was to determine whether or not the Union of the 
 States was a rope of sand, and, as all knew, although at that 
 period not all were free to admit as much, to determine 
 whether, in a land of boasted freedom, there should be a race 
 enslaved. 
 
 In subsequent chapters will be found somewhat detailed 
 statements as to the enlistment and organization of the several 
 companies which entered the service with the command. In 
 making up the several regiments recruited in Northern Illinois 
 many questions arose as to which companies should be put 
 together. In nearly every county there were men ambitious 
 to become field officers, and they were generally ready to form 
 combinations or make alliances that would further their per- 
 sonal interests. Neither the four Companies from Lake 
 county nor the six Companies from Jo Daviess county were 
 able to make up with Companies in counties immediately 
 adjoining them without conceding to these other counties the 
 major part of the Field and Staff. It happened that Hon. 
 E. B. Washburne, of Galena, then a Representative in Con- 
 gress, and Hon. H. W. Blodgett, of Waukegan, then a State 
 Senator, were warm personal and political friends, and through 
 their interposition the Companies from the two counties in 
 which they resided, and which, although one was the extreme 
 northeast and the other the extreme northwest county in the 
 State, were then in the same Congressional District, were 
 brought together. As some one facetiously remarked : It was 
 the marriage of Miss Issippi and L. Michigan, Esq., a union- 
 that proved congenial to those most directly interested, and, it
 
 THE RENDEZVOUS AT CAMP FULLER. 29 
 
 may be truthfully said, fortunate for the cause in which they 
 were engaged. 
 
 Before this result was brought about several conferences 
 were had, prominent men in each county visiting the other to 
 arrange the details of the organization and secure the consent 
 of the State authorities to the proposed union. 
 
 On Wednesday, September 3, 1862, the six Companies 
 from Jo Daviess county went by train to Rockford, Winne- 
 bago county, 111., and marched out one and one-half miles to 
 Camp Fuller, where quarters in barracks, which had been 
 recently erected in a grove near the banks of Rock river, 
 were assigned them. On Friday, September 5, at 2 o'clock 
 p. M.. the four Companies from Lake county arrived by train, 
 and joined them in this camp. Heavy rains had occurred 
 during the week previous, and the entire camp ground was 
 very muddy, water standing in many places. Indeed, the 
 building assigned to what afterward became Company G was 
 almost entirely surrounded by water, which even came into 
 and partially covered the lower bunks. The members of the 
 Company were entirely disgusted with the outlook, and their 
 commander, on reporting to Headquarters the condition of 
 affairs, was given a half dozen Sibley tents, and the barracks 
 ^assigned to them were left unoccupied. Next day, however, 
 drains were dug, and the condition of affairs considerably 
 improved, although the grounds remained very muddy. 
 
 There were in Camp Fuller at this time three other regi- 
 ments, the 74th, 92d and 95th Illinois, all of whom were 
 formally mustered in September 4, although the 74th and some 
 companies of the other regiments had been in camp for a fort- 
 night or more. The rendezvous had been named in honor of 
 the Adjutant General of the State, whose home was at 
 Belvidere in an adjoining county. 
 
 On their arrival in camp, the Lake county boys were given 
 an immediate lesson in prompt obedience to orders, and made 
 to know that an officer's wish outranked a soldier's appetite. 
 It was long past the dinner hour, and they were thoroughly 
 hungry, but as the aroma of boiling coffee and the odor of fry- 
 ing meat were just giving evidence that the meal was nearly
 
 30 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ready there came the noise of the rattling drum and the rather 
 unwelcome order to fall in. And so, because the mustering 
 officer wished to finish his day's work, the hungry men were 
 marched out a half mile or so to join their Jo Daviess county 
 comrades and be mustered in. 
 
 It was a memorable meeting as that body of nearly one 
 thousand gallant men gathered for the first time and became 
 a Regiment. With little delay a hollow square was formed 
 and an inspection held, a few men being rejected, in nearly 
 every instance because of being under eighteen years of age. 
 The inspection completed, the process of muster-in was pro- 
 ceeded with. 
 
 As these stalwart men stood there, and, with hands upraised 
 to Heaven, swore to serve their country for "three years 
 unless sooner discharged," it was indeed an impressive spec- 
 tacle, and one that will never be wholly forgotten by the 
 participants who still survive. Hon. Allen C. Fuller, of 
 Belvidere, then Adjutant General of the State, acted as chief 
 mustering officer, and, as he put it, introduced the giants of 
 Jo Daviess county to the sturdy farmer boys of Lake. Spec- 
 tators and participants alike agreed that the "material" of the 
 Regiment was admirable, that officers and men averaged high 
 as regarded intelligence and avoirdupois, and that the organ- 
 ization was one that gave promise of excellent work whenever 
 opportunity offered. The unusual proportion of very tall men 
 and of large men was the cause of considerable comment. 
 Officers and men from the two counties eyed each other 
 closely, but each seemed pleased, and from that moment it is 
 doubtful if there was ever a regret expressed or felt that the 
 combination of Lake with Jo Daviess had been formed. 
 
 The inspection and muster-in occupied considerable time, 
 and it was nearly six o'clock when the men were marched to 
 camp, the Lake county boys at least being exceedingly hungry, 
 not having had any food since early morning except a few 
 nick-nacks purchased on the train. It was to them a foretaste 
 of after fasts amid more stirring scenes. 
 
 After a hearty meal the boys began the work of preparing 
 for the night. Their quarters were fairly comfortable. The
 
 SELECTION OF THE FIELD AND STAFF. 31 
 
 barracks were partitioned off so that each Company had one- 
 large room in which were about fifty bunks, and the line 
 officers of each Company a smaller room designed to be used 
 as an office and sleeping room. Nearly all of the men had 
 provided themselves with blankets before leaving home, and 
 with very little trouble the officers were able to find covering 
 for those who had come without. The bunks were built in 
 two tiers, and where men could not readily agree as to which, 
 should have the upper and which the lower berth "cuts " were 
 drawn. Each bunk was designed for two persons, and it 
 was necessary that the soldiers should pair off. There were a 
 few who seemed to have no mates, and for a night or two 
 there being a few absentees in each Company, so that there 
 were extra bunks these odd ones slept alone. As a rule, 
 however, each soldier had some one companion nearer to him 
 than any other, and the matings made those first nights in 
 camp continued for months, and in many instances until the 
 close of the war. 
 
 In the evening the officers met to complete the organiza- 
 tion of the .Regiment. It had been conceded from the first 
 that to Jo Daviess county should be given the positions of 
 Colonel and Major, and the men composing the Companies- 
 from that county had decided, by ballot, whom they would 
 have. Thomas E. Champion, of Warren, who had recruited 
 Company K, was chosen as Colonel ; and John C. Smith, who- 
 had recruited Company I, as Major. No election was held by 
 the members of the Lake county Companies, but to Isaac L. 
 Clarke, who had recruited Company G, was conceded, by 
 common consent, the position of Lieutenant Colonel. These 
 selections were ratified at this evening meeting. Some progress 
 was also made in the selection of Staff Officers, but the list was 
 not completed for some days. The following is the list, a& 
 finally made up, of 
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF : 
 
 Colonel : THOMAS E. CHAMPION, of Warren, Jo Daviess County. 
 Lieutenant Colonel : ISAAC L. CLARKE, of Waukegan, Lake 
 County. 
 
 Major : JOHN C. SMITH, of Galena, Jo Daviess County.
 
 32 ' HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Adjutant : EDWARD A. BLODGETT, of Downer's Grove, Du Page 
 County. 
 
 Quarter- Master : STEPHEN JEPPERS, of Hanover, Jo Daviess 
 County. 
 
 Surgeon : CHARLES MARTIN, of Warren, Jo Daviess County. 
 
 First Assistant Surgeon : MOSES EVANS, of Waukegan, Lake 
 County. 
 
 Second Assistant Surgeon : DANIEL A. SHEFFIELD, of Court- 
 land, Jo Daviess County. 
 
 Chaplain: JONATHAN M. CLENDENNING, of Warren, Jo Daviess 
 County. 
 
 NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF. 
 
 Sergeant Major : FRANCIS P. QUINN, of Company I. 
 Quarter- Master Sergeant : WILLIAM S. BEAN, of Company A. 
 Commissary Sergeant : MORRIS S. HILL, of Company B. 
 Hospital Steward : HARVILLAH CooLEY, of Company C. 
 Principal Musician : NILES CARVER, of Companj- H. 
 
 After some discussion, it was decided that the letters A, 
 B, C, etc., should be written on slips of paper, these slips to 
 be placed in a hat and each Captain be permitted to draw one 
 of the slips from the hat, his Company to be assigned in 
 accordance with the letter drawn by him. Before this plan 
 was adopted, there was a suggestion that Captain Hicks' Com- 
 pany, being the first recruited and organized and having pre- 
 viously been in camp at Rockford for quite a period, was by 
 right entitled to be considered Company A. The reasons 
 given were deemed sufficient, and the suggestion was adopted 
 without dissent. The letters of the other Companies were 
 designated in the manner mentioned. 
 
 When the line was first formed the Company letters, run- 
 ning from right to left, were as follows : A, F, D. I, C, H, 
 E, K, G, B, Company A thas becoming the right Company, 
 Bthe left Company, C the center Company, D the right center 
 Company and E the left center Company, so that when column 
 was formed by Division each of the five ranking Captains had 
 command of two Companies. This formation was continued 
 throughout the service. 
 
 The first night in camp was a somewhat trying one. The
 
 ISAAC L. CLARKE, 
 
 LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
 
 NJ**
 
 EARLY EXPERIENCES IN THE CAMP. 33 
 
 boards upon which the soldiers slept, covered by a single 
 blanket, were not as soft and comfortable as the mattresses 
 and feather beds to which they had been accustomed. The 
 surroundings were all new. The boards creaked as the sol- 
 diers turned from one side to the other, and as they turned 
 pretty often and there were somewhere near one hundred men 
 in each room, this creaking was almost continuous. As a 
 rule, each Company had one or two men who were persistent 
 snorers, and between the creaking and the snoring, and the 
 noises of the camp and the heavy rainfall which prevailed 
 throughout the night, the sleep of all was more or less dis- 
 turbed. Those first nights in camp were not always restful, 
 although the men soon became accustomed to their surround- 
 ings and slept comparatively well. 
 
 Saturday, September 6, dawned gloomy enough, the 
 weather being lowery and the camp almost flooded. At an 
 early hour the drums beat reveille, and there was roll-call by 
 Companies. Immediately thereafter the men, actuated by a 
 common impulse, started for the river, and, being provided 
 with soap and towels, in a few moments the river bank was 
 thronged with men engaged in the laudable undertaking of. 
 washing their hands and faces. Tin cups were used, one com- 
 rade pouring water upon the hands of another in school-boy 
 fashion. Pocket combs and pocket mirrors were brought into 
 requisition, and the men soon completed their toilets and 
 returned to their barracks. This experience was repeated 
 morning, noon and evening during the stay at Rockford, and, 
 for that matter, during the entire period of service. The 
 breakfast that morning was rather an informal one. Coffee 
 had been made in the big, sheet-iron camp kettles, and was 
 served out to the men in tin cups. There was an ample sup- 
 ply of genuine hard-tack and both salt and fresh meat. The 
 meal ove'r, the men set about making tables and seats, to be 
 used when future meals were served. The forenoon was 
 largely occcupied in procuring Quarter-Master's stores, and in 
 distributing cooking and eating utensils. In the afternoon 
 there was Company drill, lasting for an hour and a half. At 
 3
 
 34 HlSTOEY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 this time only the officers were in uniform, the enlisted men 
 being in citizens' clothing, except that here and there a mili- 
 tary cap appeared. 
 
 Sunday, September 7, was quite unlike the usual Sunday 
 at home. A large portion of the men were permitted to go 
 to the city and attend church, and in a few Company quarters 
 sermons were read in the afternoon and prayer meetings held 
 in the evening ; but still there was more or less necessary 
 work, for rations had to be issued and wood provided, and in 
 the afternoon each Company was marched to Headquarters 
 and $13 paid to each member by Lieutenant Tibbitts, of the 
 Regular Army. It had been agreed that the men should each 
 receive a month's pay in advance, and this payment was a 
 carrying out of the promise. 
 
 Monday, September 8, there was the usual routine of camp 
 duty, and a detail was made from each Company for fatigue 
 duty, the men thoroughly policing, or sweeping, the grounds 
 about the barracks. Muster rolls for bounty and premium 
 were made out. Company and squad drill occupied a con- 
 siderable part of the day. In the evening the officers had a, 
 " School, " where they undertook the task of mastering the 
 intricacies of military text-books. Few of them had had pre- 
 vious military experience, and Major Brown, a resident of 
 Rockford, was employed to instruct them. This evening 
 school for officers was continued with considerable regularity 
 for two or three weeks. 
 
 Tuesday, September 9, the Regiment was called upon for 
 its first detail for guard duty, five men being asked for from 
 each Company ; during the day two hundred gray army 
 blankets were issued to the Regiment, and given to the men 
 most needing them. In the early evening the Regiment had 
 its first dress parade. The Adjutant and Sergeant Major, 
 having had previous military experience, readily formed the 
 line, and the parade was gone through with quite creditably, 
 albeit somewhat awkwardly. 
 
 Wednesday, September 10, there were many visitors to the 
 camp, and on Thursday a picnic was had which was sadly 
 interrupted by an almost continuous rain. A few of the
 
 ARMED WITH ENFIELD RIFLED MUSKETS. 35 
 
 visitors thought it would be a nice thing to share the experi- 
 ences of the soldiers, and so remained in camp for the night. 
 But it was noticeable that very few cared to repeat the experi- 
 ence, most of them preferring hotel fare and hotel beds to 
 hard-tack and the soft side of an unplaned pine board. 
 
 Friday, September 12, and weekly thereafter, quite a num- 
 ber of the officers and men were given furloughs for five days> 
 and permitted to return to their homes. In the afternoon 
 occurred the first battalion drill, which, by the aid of the 
 Adjutant, Major Brown, Lieutenant Johnston, a former 
 officer of the 51st Illinois, and others, was gone through 
 with quite creditably. Saturday, September 13, was full of 
 hard work, there being squad drill, company drill, battalion 
 drill and dress parade. 
 
 Sunday, September 14, was spent rather quietly. There 
 was Company inspection at ten o'clock, and in the afternoon 
 there was preaching in the grove by the Chaplain of the 74th 
 Illinois, nearly the entire encampment attending. In the early 
 evening there was considerable excitement all through the 
 camp with regard to the Sutlers. It was alleged that these 
 Sutlers had issued checks which they refused to redeem, and 
 also that they had passed counterfeit money in making change. 
 Not a few of the soldiers were disposed to take the law into 
 their own hands, but wiser counsels prevailed and quiet was 
 restored. The excitement was renewed and increased next 
 day and evening, and there was danger that the Sutlers' tents 
 would be demolished. As a result, the men were ordered to 
 quarters at eight o'clock, and all found outside after that hour 
 were taken into custody by the patrol guards. 
 
 Arms and accoutrements were received by the Regiment 
 on the 16th, and issued to the Companies the following day. 
 The arms were the Enfield rifled muskets, and were as good 
 a weapon as was then in general use. Many Regiments at 
 that time had to put up with old Austrian or Belgian muskets, 
 and the NINETY-SIXTH was regarded as fortunate in securing 
 new Enfields. Some of the guns needed to have their sights 
 filed down and their locks adjusted. Fortunately there was a 
 practical gunsmith in the command, in the person of Sergeant
 
 30 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 Geo. H. Burnett, of Company B, and he was detailed for this 
 work, so that in a few weeks all were in admirable condition. 
 About this time it came to the knowledge of the officers that 
 there was more or less gambling in camp. Very strict orders 
 were issued prohibiting all games of chance, and in some of 
 the Companies even card playing was forbidden in the bar- 
 racks. On the 16th Colonel Champion for the first time took 
 sole charge of the Regiment during Battalion drill, conducting 
 it admirably considering that this was his first attempt. On 
 the 18th the Regiment had its first drill and dress parade 
 with arms. 
 
 On the 19th some of the men were given permission to 
 attend the agricultural fair, then in progress at Rockford. 
 During this and succeeding days drill was kept up according 
 to the following order : Officers' drill from eight to nine, and 
 guard mount at the same hour ; Company drill from nine to 
 eleven ; Battalion drill from two to four ; Dress parade at half 
 past five ; Officers and non-commissioned officers' drill and 
 recitations in the evening. 
 
 On the 20th, clothing, received direct from the Assistant 
 U. S. Quarter-Master at Philadelphia, was issued, each soldier 
 receiving a dark-blue dress coat, sky blue pants, woolen shirts 
 and socks, cotton drawers and felt hats ; such as had not been 
 previously supplied were provided with blankets, and all who 
 wished drew shoes. The clothing was of good quality, except 
 the pants, which were shoddy enough. With the hats were 
 sent brass bugles, eagles, tassels, letters, numbers and feathers. 
 Some of the experiences with the new uniforms were ludicrous 
 enough. Often tall men found themselves the possessors of 
 very short pairs of pants ; large men had coats with sleeves 
 reaching but little below the elbows, and small men were pro- 
 vided with coats the sleeves of which reached far below the 
 finger tips. But by dint of considerable swapping the majority 
 found themselves fairly fitted. In nearly every Company was 
 someone who had worked at tailoring. These men, being 
 excused from other duty, set about with needle and scissors 
 making the clothing fit, and in a day or two, all made a very 
 presentable appearance. The guns and equipments were
 
 THE PRESIDENT'S PROCLAMATION. 37 
 
 bright and clean, and the clothing new, so that the transforma- 
 tion in the appearance of the Battalion was complete. 
 
 September 21st brought with it the usual Sunday morning 
 inspection, and in the evening there was dress parade. Large 
 numbers of men visited the churches in the city, and others 
 attended the religious services held on the grounds. 
 
 On Monday, the 22d, light blue overcoats were issued. 
 They were of regulation pattern, with capes, and a great com- 
 fort in cold weather, in the afternoon the Regiment was 
 drilled for the first time in the manual of loading, Major 
 Brown acting as drill-master. 
 
 Tuesday, the 23d, the Regiment marched to town and 
 escorted a large picnic party to camp. Most of the visitors 
 were from Jo Daviess county, but there were quite a number 
 from Lake county as well. Next day The Rockford Register 
 published the following very complimentary notice : 
 
 THE NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT. This fine Regiment have received 
 their uniforms, and were down town on Tuesday on parade under corn 
 mand of Major Brown, and presented a splendid appearance. With the 
 Major as drill-master, who has seen service, the Regiment has made 
 rapid proficiency in its drill, doing credit to themselves and Major B., 
 who has shown himself an excellent officer. It is composed of a splendid 
 looking set of men, of whom Jo Daviess and Lake counties may well be 
 proud. We acknowledge the compliment of a military salute while pass- 
 ing the office. 
 
 The newspapers of the 23d contained the Proclamation of 
 President Lincoln, in which he gave warning to the rebels that 
 unless hostilities ceased within one hundred days he should 
 declare the slaves free. This proclamation provoked much 
 discussion, and, strange as it may seem at this day, not a little 
 criticism, a few men in every Regiment declaring that they 
 would not light in what they termed a " nigger war." As a 
 rule, however, the action of the President was most heartily 
 endorsed, and officers and men alike " thanked God and took 
 courage." 
 
 The 24th and 25th were passed without incident of especial 
 note. Major Brown continued to assist at the Regimental 
 drills each afternoon. Like many other men, the Major had a 
 hobby; his was what he termed the "obstacle movement."
 
 38 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 The Regiment would be marching in line of battle when he 
 would call out : "Fourth Company, obstacle ! By the right 
 flank to the rear into column, march ! " At this command the 
 Fourth Company, or whatever Company had been designated, 
 would break files to the rear, leaving a gap in the line, and 
 when the imaginary obstacle had been passed would double 
 quick back to its place. So far as can be remembered this 
 movement was never executed after Major Brown left ; but 
 this much can at least be said, that long before leaving Camp 
 Fuller every Company in the Regiment had been through the 
 movement and knew how to pass around an obstacle. 
 
 On the 26th, knapsacks were issued to the men, and the 
 little keepsakes which had occupied the corners of the bunks, 
 or been carried about in pockets, were safely stowed away in 
 these receptacles. 
 
 Sunday, the 28th, the Regiment escorted the 74th Illinois 
 to town, the latter Regiment embarking for Louisville. In 
 the afternoon there were religious services in the camp, con- 
 ducted by Rev. J. M. Clendenning, who had enlisted as a 
 Private in Company K, but had been appointed Chaplain of 
 the Regiment. 
 
 " Monday, the 29th, there was a large party of visitors in 
 the camp from Lake county. The Regiment received haver- 
 sacks and canteens, which completed its outfit. 
 
 Tuesday, September 30, there was a formal sword pres- 
 entation to Lieutenant Colonel Isaac L. Clarke, the sword 
 being the gift of the members of Company G. A large bay 
 saddle horse had been purchased by his Lake county friends, 
 and was received about the same time. The Lake county 
 boys received one-half of the $40 county bounty which had 
 been voted them in cash, and a county order for the remainder 
 which was soon redeemed. The Jo Daviess county soldiers 
 had been paid $60 each before leaving their county. It being 
 the last day in the month, the First Serge ants of the several 
 Companies were called upon for their monthly reports. 
 
 Up to this time a few furloughs had been granted to mem- 
 bers of each Company every week, but on the 1st of October 
 the commander of the Regiment, having been notified to hold
 
 THE LAST DAYS AT ROCKFORD. 39 
 
 his command in readiness to proceed to the front, sent tele- 
 grams to the local papers in Lake and Jo Daviess counties, 
 notifying absentees to return immediately to camp. The 
 early days of October were very busy ones, both Regimental 
 and Company commanders seeming determined to put their 
 men in the best possible condition for field service. The 
 officers were already gaining confidence in themselves, and 
 the men were becoming quite proficient in their drill. 
 
 Sunday, October 5, there was a careful inspection of the 
 barracks and grounds with a view to promoting the utmost 
 cleanliness, and the following day Major Smith, Captain Hicks 
 and Lieutenant Loughlin made a very careful examination of 
 the clothing of the men, the shoddy pants being declared an 
 imposition on the soldiers. 
 
 Tuesday, October 7, the Paymaster again came to camp, 
 and each man was given $25, that being the amount of Gov- 
 ernment bounty allowed them. The same day marching 
 orders were received, the Regiment being notified that they 
 were to leave for Louisville, as it was then understood. The 
 following day the destination was changed to Cincinnati. 
 During the evening some difficulty arose between members of 
 the NINETY-SIXTH and 92d Illinois, in attendance upon a party 
 in the city of Rockford, which resulted in a personal encounter 
 between several enlisted men and a bitterness of feeling which 
 caused a renewal of the difficulty on two occasions after the 
 Regiments had reached Kentucky. Subsequently these diffi- 
 culties were explained, and the Regiments became the best 
 of friends. 
 
 On the whole, the stay at Camp Fuller brings up few but 
 pleasant memories. The Regiment made rapid progress in 
 drill and obedience to orders, and when it left for the front, 
 after nearly five weeks in its camp of instruction, it was much 
 better fitted for field service than the average regiment which 
 had been in camp for so short a period. Nearly all had suf- 
 fered to some extent from colds, the result of sleeping in the 
 damp barracks, and the entire change of diet had affected 
 many unfavorably. However, but very few had been sent to 
 the large brick building outside the camp grounds, over which
 
 40 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 waved the yellow hospital flag, and but two or three from a 
 Company were left behind because of sickness when the com- 
 mand started for the front. 
 
 There were many sad leave-takings on the grounds during 
 the last day or two at the camp. All knew that the war was 
 to be fought in earnest from that time forward ; that it was 
 no holiday affair upon which they were entering, and that 
 only stern duty awaited them. How well they bore their part 
 in the years succeeding that October day when they took up 
 their line of march for the South, the following chapters will 
 attempt to tell.
 
 OFF FOE THE FRONT. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Off for "The Front" A Rain-Storm En Route The Trip to Cincinnati 
 A Tedious Night March Happenings at Camp Champion The Tents- 
 Erected Episode of the Tall Men A Skirmish with Mules Detach- 
 ments Sent to the Forts More Presentations A Night Alarm 
 Fresh Pork that Had to be Paid For Unfortunate Explosion of a 
 Shell Five Companies Sent to Falmouth and Five to Covington 
 An October Snow-Storm Visits From the Father and Son of 
 General Grant. 
 
 AT about nine o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 
 October 8, 1862, THE NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOL- 
 UNTEER INFANTRY bade adieu to Camp Fuller and marched to- 
 the depot of the Chicago & North- Western Railway. The- 
 morning was not a pleasant one, and on the march a drench- 
 ing rain set in which dampened the persons but not the ardor 
 of the troops. The people of Rockford were thoroughly 
 patriotic, and, notwithstanding the rain, flags were waving 
 everywhere, while men, women and children came out to cheer 
 the soldiers and add their " God bless you, boys, 1 " to their 
 good-byes. At the depot there was some delay, so that it was- 
 eleven o'clock or a little later when the two trains required to 
 convey the Regiment finally started. The trip was not a 
 rapid one, and it was about five o'clock when Chicago was 
 reached. Many friends of members of the Regiment had 
 been advised of their coming, so that on arriving at the depot 
 in that city the soldiers were accorded quite a reception. 
 Numerous packages containing dainty lunches were brought 
 to the cars by the visitors, and these gifts were highly prized. 
 Officers and men availed themselves of the brief stay in the 
 city to purchase such articles as were needed to complete their 
 outfits, or to write hurried letters to loved ones at home. The 
 two trains wece finally consolidated, three engines attached, 
 and at half-past nine o'clock in the evening a start made for 
 Cincinnati. There were eighteen passenger coaches and four
 
 42 HISTORY or THE 96-m REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 or five baggage cars, the latter filled with mess chests, officers' 
 horses and other necessaries. With so heavy a train the run 
 was a slow one. The trip was without incident or accident of 
 especial note. Lafayette, Indiana, was reached at about eight 
 o'clock next morning, and Indianapolis at noon. At the latter 
 city there was a large camp, embracing infantry, cavalry and 
 artillery. As this rendezvous was passed lusty cheers were 
 given by those in camp and responded to by the Regiment. 
 At every station where the train stopped the citizens came out 
 and watched the soldiers with much interest, and often there 
 was a waving of flags and a cheer from the patriotic people. 
 At eleven o'clock on Thursday night, October 9, Cincinnati 
 was reached. The men were thoroughly tired with their long 
 ride in the crowded cars and glad of the order to "fall in," 
 for they were at least sure of a change, if not of a rest. Few 
 had slept at all the previous night, as there were two in every 
 seat, and not all were disposed to be entirely quiet. Some had 
 lain down in the aisles and dozed for an hour or two, but 
 there had been little restful sleep since leaving Camp Fuller. 
 The arrival at Cincinnati was apparently unannounced, for 
 there was no one at the train to receive the Regiment or give 
 orders what to do or where to go. The men marched out 
 upon the street, and as soon as the column halted stretched 
 themselves upon the sidewalks, where many slept a little, 
 although the autumn air was cool and there was no protection. 
 At last the officers' horses were unloaded, and a start made 
 for headquarters. There another delay occurred, and then, 
 definite orders having been received and a guide provided by 
 Gen. Granger, then in command at that point, the march was 
 resumed. The guide proved to be no other than the father 
 of Major J. C. Smith of this Regiment, who was at that time 
 a member of the Second Kentucky and on duty at Gen. 
 Granger's headquarters. He piloted the Regiment to carnp, 
 .and remained with it for some hours. 
 
 Going down the bank to the long, pontoon bridge that 
 spanned the Ohio river orders were given to break step, so as 
 not to strain the frail, floating structure, as might be done 
 should all continue to step together. The river was wide, and
 
 FIRST EXPERIENCES IN DIXIE. 43 
 
 this bridge, being the first one of the kind ever seen by a great 
 'majority of the command, attracted close attention, and it 
 would not be untrue to say that a few, at least, were slightly 
 timid as they stepped upon it, and felt relieved when solid 
 ground was again reached. 
 
 As the column passed up the southern bank of the river the 
 soldiers assumed that, notwithstanding Kentucky's alleged 
 .neutrality, they were in Dixie, and despite the lateness of the 
 hour and the severe fatigue to which they had been subjected 
 they made the night air ring with shouts for the Union and 
 the old flag beneath whose folds they marched. Passing 
 through a portion of Covington they crossed Licking river to 
 Newport, and, with an occasional brief halt for rest, made 
 their way to the Two-Mile House, an ancient tavern whose 
 .name indicates its distance from Newport. The entire march 
 did not exceed five miles, but as the roads were very hilly and 
 terribly dusty, and the men not only greatly fatigued but gen- 
 erally pretty heavily loaded, it seemed much longer, and all 
 were heartily glad when the head of the column filed to the 
 .right into an open field, and word was passed along the line 
 that this was to be their camming ground. 
 
 One incident of this night march may be of interest. 
 Adjutant Blodgett, who had already served for nearly a year 
 with the 37th Illinois, halted beside the road, and in reply to 
 some remark made by a tired soldier as the column passed, 
 said: "Boys, you are only just beginning to die for your 
 country." There were many longer marches made by the 
 Regiment, and often over worse roads than this Kentucky 
 turnpike, but for many months there were none more fatiguing 
 than this night trip. A few fell out by the way and did not 
 come up until long after the main body of the Regiment had 
 halted. 
 
 It was four o'clock, and the gray of morning was almost 
 upon them, when the camp was reached. The lines were 
 speedily formed, guns were stacked and ranks broken. Officers 
 .and men quickly threw aside their equipments, and, without 
 .tents or other protection than their light blankets, sought 
 .repose. It was their first experience in Dixie, their first night
 
 44 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 beneath the stars. And they slept soundly, as only tired 
 soldiers can, upon the Southern sod, dreaming, perchance, of 
 homes and friends from whom they had so recently parted, or 
 of the future and the more stirring events upon which they 
 were just entering. 
 
 The rest was not a long one, for in two hours the rattling 
 drums aroused the camp and orders were given to "fall in for 
 roll-call," after which preparations were made for breakfast. 
 The meal was prepared under difficulties. The company- 
 cooks scrubbed from the big camp-kettles a portion of the dust 
 that had accumulated on the march, found water at the well, 
 in the tavern yard, and " foraged " for wood in the neighbor- 
 hood. Coffee, hard-tack and bacon constituted the bill of fare. 
 To the epicure this would not have been a dainty repast, but 
 to the soldier who had for two days lived principally upon this 
 diet, minus the coffee, and who had slept but little for two 
 nights, this was a meal over which thanks might be returned, 
 and one which was certainly partaken of with keen relish. 
 
 The main incidents of the day were the drawing of the- 
 tents and the naming of the camp. What were known as 
 44 wedge tents" were provided for the enlisted men. They 
 were small and not so numerous but that all were crowded, 
 six men being placed in each. Two wall tents of comfortable 
 size were issued to the officers of each Company, one to each 
 of the field officers and three to the commissioned and non- 
 commissioned staff and musicians. The tents provided for the 
 enlisted men were not what were expected, but, while disap- 
 pointed in their size and quality, there was little complaint, 
 and all seemed determined to make the best of them. The 
 work of putting them up, although promptly begun, was not 
 very quickly accomplished, for very few were experienced in, 
 this branch of soldiering. Men laughed at each other's 
 awkwardness, but upon responding to the suggestion to "try 
 it yourselves, then," were quickly entangled, and found the 
 task one not as easy as it looked. Many a good laugh w as- 
 had, but progress was made, and in time all were up. Some- 
 were askew or out of line and had to be reset, but it was a 
 lesson not soon forgotten, and the experiences of that day were-
 
 THK DANGER THREATENING CINCINNATI. 45 
 
 often alluded to in after months when the putting up of tenth 
 had come to be so much of a science that in ten minutes from 
 the time the wagons containing them arrived in camp all would 
 foe in place. 
 
 " Camp Champion " was the name given to this temporary 
 rendezvous, the intention being to thus honor the Colonel, who 
 was even then winning the high regard of his men. This 
 camp was a gently sloping but dusty field, and fairly well 
 adapted for all of the purposes of a camp, and a drill and a 
 parade ground. There were numerous and rugged hills all 
 about it, many of them seamed with rifle-pits or surmounted 
 with huge forts or heavy earth-works, in which were cannon 
 of varying sizes. Most of these earth-works and forts were 
 occupied by detachments from the 13th Regulars, which, as it 
 transpired, THE NINETY-SIXTH was to relieve. There was 
 much to interest the men who had come from the prairies of 
 Northern Illinois, for the hills were more steep and. numerous 
 than many of them had ever seen before. The vineyards 
 .along the hill-sides, the heavy forests prostrate in front of the 
 forts, having been cut to give the artillery a wider range 
 when it was believed that the Confederates had Cincinnati for 
 their destination, only a few weeks before, the heavy thirty 
 #nd sixty-pound guns, all were novelties to the newly arrived 
 soldiers. It should be remembered that this was a trying time 
 in this section. The Confederates were making a desperate 
 effort to force the National troops north of the Ohio river. 
 But three weeks before had occurred the disastrous battle 
 and surrender at Mumfordsville, Ky., and on the very day 
 the Regiment left Rockford the battle of Perryville was 
 fought, but about one hundred miles away. Kirby Smith, with 
 a large force of rebels, had recently approached within a few 
 miles of this very point, and it was even then feared by many 
 that his troops, united with those of Gen. Bragg, would 
 defeat or, possibly, pass the flank of Gen. Buell and make a 
 .rush for Cincinnati. The expense incurred in the construction 
 of these earth-works was enormous, Beechwood Battery alone 
 ihaving cost about $200,000, it was said. 
 
 An incident which occurred the morning after the arrival
 
 4:6 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 of the command at Camp Champion is worthy of narration- 
 here. As has been stated before, there were an unusual num- 
 ber of tall men in the Regiment. On the morning in question, 
 before the tents arrived, and while the men were in the open 
 field, some discussion arose as to the comparative height of 
 two or more of them, and a wager was made. Considerable 
 talk resulted, and finally about all of the tall men in the com- 
 mand were brought together. The wager settled, such of the 
 crowd as were convivially inclined marched over to the 
 tavern, arriving there just as a sleepy bar-tender, who barely 
 knew that a new regiment had arrived during the night, was 
 preparing for his day's work. As the crowd entered the bar- 
 room, the taller ones ducking their heads as they passed 
 through the low door-way, the bar-tender eyed them, first with 
 astonishment, then with trembling, but managed to gasp out : 
 "Where did you-uns all come from?" Being told that they 
 were all from Northern Illinois, he asked: "Be the whole 
 regiment as tall as you uus?" He was solemnly assured that 
 this was only a fair sample of the command, and also informed 
 that the Minnesota and Wisconsin troops were even taller. A 
 further suggestion was added that if he sympathized with the 
 Confederacy he might do it a service by sending word to Jeff 
 Davis of what the rebels might expect when these regiments 
 of giants got into the field. The bar-tender was awe-stricken, 
 arid tremblingly set out the drinks, even forgetting, it is said, 
 to collect his pay. 
 
 During the day many visited the forts and batteries, 
 strolled among the large vineyards in the neighborhood, or 
 visited the cemetery and entertained themselves by reading 
 the quaint inscriptions on the tombstones. After the first day 
 a camp-guard was established, the line closely encircling the 
 grounds. The sentinels were each given a beat, and required 
 to walk back and forth upon it after the style of the Regular 
 Army. None of the enlisted men were allowed to go in or 
 out without passes, signed by the Colonel, unless accompanied 
 by a commissioned officer. Troops farther toward the front 
 did the picket duty. The sentinels were required to call out 
 the hour after taps, and so, at regular intervals all through
 
 DRAWING Six-MuLE TEAMS. 47 
 
 the night, the cry would be taken up : "Post No. 1, twelve- 
 o'clock, and all is well ; Post No. 2, twelve o'clock and all is 
 well," and so on, taking up the different hours as they came. 
 This was all very well in theory, but the practice was aban- 
 doned when more active duties came. 
 
 The Regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, Third 
 Division, Army of Kentucky, Col. P. T. Swayne, of the 99th 
 Ohio, being placed in command of the Brigade. The other 
 Regiments of the Brigade were the 92d Illinois, 115th Illinois- 
 and 14th Kentucky. 
 
 On Saturday, October 11, a large detail of men was sent to 
 Cincinnati for mules and wagons. Their experiences were 
 novel, and, at times, exciting. The mules were in a large 
 corral. Many of them were but three years old and entirely- 
 unbroken. They had to be lassooed and drawn up to a post 
 or tree by main force, and were harnessed with much diffi- 
 cult}' 'and not a little danger. Hitching six of them to a large 
 army wagon was not an easy task. The animals were afraid 
 of the wagons, of the harnesses, of the men and of each other. 
 Usually two or three that bore harness marks or gave other 
 evidence of being at least partially broken, were selected- and 
 put into each team ; but it was with great trouble that a start 
 was made. When a team had been hitched up the wagon 
 wheels were locked and a man stationed at the head of each 
 mule. Then the driver, armed with a rawhide whip, mounted 
 the near wheel mule, and grasped the single line leading to- 
 the bit of the near leader. With most of the men this was an 
 entirely new way of driving, and some of the teamsters were 
 scarcely less awkward than their mules. By dint of some 
 daring and considerable swearing the train was made ready, 
 and the procession started. There were some thrilling adven- 
 tures on the way, and a few incipient runaways, but no serious 
 accidents. The crossing of the river was accomplished with 
 much difficulty, the timid mules being induced to step upon 
 the pontoon bridge only by considerable persuasion. But the 
 trip was finally made, and some time after dark the motley 
 procession reached the camp. The teams were unhitched and 
 unharnessed with only a little less difficulty than had attended
 
 48 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 the hitching up. The mules were then tied to the wagons and 
 fed, and the detail dismissed. The men comprising that 
 detail were a tired lot, and some of them declared that they 
 would prefer to charge a battery rather than to repeat the day's 
 experiences. The mules were a wiry set, and for many days 
 thereafter those who wanted a little genuine excitement could 
 .find it by visiting the wagon train and assisting in harnessing 
 and hooking up the long-eared but exceedingly useful animals. 
 One team was allowed to each Company, and seven teams in 
 addition for the use of the Regimental officers, and the trans- 
 portation of ammunition and rations. Besides these there 
 were two ambulances, with a pair of horses to each. 
 
 Companies D, I and K were detached from the Regiment 
 on the llth and sent to guard forts in the vicinity, all of these 
 detachments being under the command of Major Smith. 
 Oompany D was sent to Beechwood Battery, Company I to 
 John's Hill Battery, and Company K to Fort Shaler. A few 
 days later fifty men of Company B were sent to Fort Mitchell. 
 Several of the Companies had their first experience in target 
 shooting on the llth. 
 
 Sunday, October 12, was spent rather quietly. There 
 was Company inspection in the forenoon, and in the evening 
 one or more prayer meetings in the vicinity of the camp. An 
 elegant sword was presented to Colonel Champion by the 
 members of Company E, Captain Black making the presenta- 
 tion address. 
 
 October 13 the Companies took up their regular drill, and 
 one or more of them began the skirmish drill. On the 14th 
 there was a sword presentation to Sergeant Major Quinn, and 
 a saddle presentation to Colonel Champion. On the 15th 
 there was an inspection by Major Flint, and, while the Regi- 
 ment was on dress parade in the early evening, Brig. Gen. 
 Absalom Baird, who was commanding the Division to which 
 the Regiment was attached, rode up and watched the proceed- 
 ing, complimenting both officers and men upon their soldierly 
 bearing, and expressing surprise on being told that the Regi- 
 ment had been in the service less than six weeks. Forty
 
 J. C. SMITH. 
 
 LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND BREVET BRIGADIER GENERAL.
 
 Hi*
 
 THE FIRST LONG ROLL. 49 
 
 rounds of ammunition were issued to each man, and the First 
 Sergeants had a light sword added to their outfit. 
 
 News came at this time of the death, from typhoid fever, 
 of Henry W. Ostrander, of Company G. He was taken sick 
 at Camp Fuller, and went to his home at Rockland, in Lake 
 County, and died October J2. This was the first death in the 
 Regiment. 
 
 The principal incident of the 16th was an alarm at night. 
 The "long roll " beat at about eleven o'clock. The Companies 
 were hastily formed, and the command proceeded to the parade 
 ground. There was some excitement and not a little mixing 
 up of boots, hats and equipments in the haste to fall in, but 
 the line was formed in a surprisingly short time and with as 
 little confusion as was to be expected. The alleged cause was 
 the tiring upon an outpost in front of Fort Shaler. It was not 
 so accepted by the citizens and civil authorities at Covington 
 and Cincinnati, however, for they believed it to be a mere 
 ruse on the part of the Colonel to test the promptness and 
 coolness of the officers and men of his Regiment. It hap- 
 pened that the alarm was taken up by other camps in the 
 neighborhood, reaching the city and causing intense excite- 
 ment there. Few knew it at the time, but it afterward leaked 
 out that this little episode came near costing the Regiment its 
 commander, and losing to the army the splendid services 
 afterward performed by the gallant Colonel Champion. The 
 civil authorities were so exercised that they demanded the 
 head of the officer who started the alarm, and were pacified 
 with the utmost difficulty. The Regiment was kept in line for 
 about an hour, and then sent to camp. On the whole it was a 
 good lesson, for the men afterward made it a rule to know 
 where their boots and hats were when they retired for the 
 night. 
 
 About this time some of the troops that had been forced 
 to retreat from Cumberland Gap arrived and went into camp 
 in the neighborhood. They were a tired, ragged and foot- 
 sore lot of men, having made a long and rapid march. 
 
 An event that will be remembered by the line officers of 
 Company C happened on one of the days while at Camp 
 4
 
 50 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Champion. A fine hog was missed by a loyal farmer, and" 
 the presence of bristles and the odor of fresh pork was deemed 
 sufficient to warrant a strong suspicion that certain members 
 of the Color Company had sought to vary the monotony of 
 army rations. The hog was estimated to be worth $30, an 
 amount that the officers quietly paid ; but the affair leaked out, 
 and for a time the boys of Company C were the butt of 
 numerous jokes. They learned one important lesson, how- 
 ever, which was that when it was impracticable to burn or 
 bury hogs' bristles, they should at least take them into the street 
 of some other Company. 
 
 On one occasion a detail was sent out to cut wood, going 
 several miles from camp. A roadside booth attracted them, 
 and finding that botli beer and cider could be bought, some of 
 the men indulged in a glass or two of their favorite beverage. 
 That night two of the men were terribly sick, with every 
 symptom of having been poisoned, and their lives were saved 
 only by the most strenuous exertions of the Surgeon of the 
 Regiment. Investigation revealed the fact that these two men 
 were the only ones who had drank cider, and it was confi- 
 dently believed that some Rebel, too cowardly to fight, had 
 sought their lives. A scouting party visited the locality at 
 daylight, but the man who sold the cider could not be found, 
 although the booth was watched for several days and nights. 
 He had probably gone South, or concealed himself in Cincin- 
 nati to await the removal of the Regiment. 
 
 On Sunday, October 19, a few members of Company K were 
 sent out in front of Fort Shaler on a reconnoissance. Finding 
 a percussion shell, but supposing it to be an ordinary cannon 
 ball, they were examining it, when, being carelessly dropped, 
 it exploded with terrible effect, wounding five of the Com- 
 pany, some of them quite seriously, and fatally injuring a 
 citizen who stood by. The wife of the citizen was also seri 
 ously injured. A more circumstantial account of this accident 
 may be found in the sketch of the Company in another part 
 of this work. 
 
 The same day five Companies of the Regiment were- 
 ordered to guard a wagon train about starting for Falmouth.
 
 THE COMMAND DIVIDED THE GRANTS' VISITS. 51 
 
 Ky. They were Companies A, , F, G and H, and were 
 under command of Lieutenant Colonel Clarke. These Com- 
 panies marched to Covington, but, as the train was not ready, 
 returned to Camp Champion for the night, and on the follow- 
 ing day, Monday, October 20, made a final start, having in 
 charge one hundred or more wagons loaded with supplies for 
 troops in that region. The same day Company K returned 
 to camp from Fort Shaler, Company C taking its place. 
 
 Wednesday, October 22, Companies JB, C, D, I and K 
 marched to Covington, and on reporting at headquarters were 
 directed to commodious barracks just vacated by the 33d 
 Indiana, remaining until the 29th. Detachments were left at 
 several forts, but joined the command during the week. On 
 the 24th occurred a rain to partially relieve the terrible drouth 
 that had prevailed for two months or more, and on the night 
 of the 25th there was a snow-storm which was quite heavy, con- 
 sidering the latitude and the time of year, some three or four 
 inches remaining on the ground at daylight, but all disappear- 
 ing within a few hours. There was some brisk snow-balling 
 while it lasted, the men enjoying the sport with keen zest. 
 
 During the stay at Covington Barracks, Jesse Grant, Esq., 
 of Cincinnati, and Master Fred Grant, of Galena, the father 
 and the son of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, called once or twice, 
 spending some hours with their Jo Daviess county acquaint- 
 ances. Fred's first visit was made alone. A boy, mounted 
 on a pony, came riding up to the gateway leading to the 
 grounds surrounding the barracks. The entrance was guarded, 
 and the soldier on duty asked the visitor for his pass. The 
 boy replied that he had none, whereupon the Sergeant of the 
 Guard was called. This officer chanced to be Sergeant 
 Thomas J. Smith, of Galena. As he came to the gate he 
 recognized the visitor, and remarked : " Why. that is a son of 
 Gen. Grant, and doesn't need a pass. Let him in." The boy 
 was rather quiet and modest than otherwise, although quite 
 a hero in the eyes of the soldiers owing to the distinguished 
 achievements of his illustrious sire.
 
 52 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Five Companies Start Southward Hard Pikes vs. Tender Feet March- 
 ing and Tenting in the Snow A Muddy Cut-Off Loyal Whites and 
 Enthusiastic Blacks Five Companies Sent via Williamsburg and 
 Georgetown to Lexington Slaves and Slave-Hunters Milling for 
 the Military A Night's Foraging The Regiment Reunited 
 Experiences at Lexington Visits to Henry Clay's Monument 
 The First Death in Camp. 
 
 MONDAY, October 20, Companies A, E, F, G and H again 
 took up the line of march, with Falmouth as their supposed 
 destination. They were under command of Lieutenant Colonel 
 Isaac L. Clarke. Lieutenant Samuel H. Bayne, ol Company 
 H, was assigned as acting Adjutant, and Lieutenant William 
 Vincent, of Company A, as acting Quarter-Master. First 
 Assistant Surgeon Moses Evans accompanied the battalion and 
 cared for the health of the men. This was not to be a march 
 in the cars or on boats, but on foot, the men carrying well- 
 filled knapsacks, haversacks containing from one to three days' 
 rations, canteens of water, forty rounds of ammunition, 
 bayonets, accoutrements and heavy muskets. Many of the 
 officers had taken trunks with them to Kentucky, but strict 
 orders were issued that they must not be put in the wagons, 
 and, as there was no other method of transportation, they were 
 sent back to Cincinnati and stored, most of them being subse- 
 quently returned by express to Illinois, although a few were 
 again in camp in Central Kentucky. Doubtless some of them 
 are still in Cincinnati. 
 
 A start was made about eight o'clock A. M., Companies 
 A and F taking the lead of the train as an advance guard. 
 Company H was placed near the center of the train and Com- 
 panies E and Gr in the rear. The distance traveled that day 
 was about eleven miles over the Alexandria turnpike. This 
 macadamized road was excellent so far as the wagons were
 
 MARCHING TOWARD CENTRAL KENTUCKY. 53 
 
 concerned, but decidedly hard on the feet of the men, and, as 
 a result, many were very sore and lame when the final halt 
 was made. The camp that night was in the fair grounds at 
 Alexandria. The men were made very comfortable, although 
 the water at this place was not agreeable to the taste, being 
 taken from a huge cistern. However, it was an improvement 
 on the water taken from ponds at other points, and the camp 
 was pleasantly remembered. 
 
 Tuesday, October 21, an early start was made, the order 
 of march being the same as on the previous day, except that 
 the position of the Companies was changed. The distance 
 traveled was fifteen miles. As there were a few empty wagons 
 in the train the knapsacks of the men were carried, thus reliev- 
 ing them greatly. A part of the way the column marched 
 upon the dirt road, which was much easier for the sore and 
 tired feet than the pike had been. About four o'clock in the 
 afternoon there was a riffle of excitement growing out of the 
 report sent to the commander of the detachment by the 
 advance guard that several horses were tied in a ravine a little 
 off from the pike, indicating the presence of rebel cavalry in 
 the vicinity. Captain Clark and about a dozen men of Com- 
 pany G volunteered to reconnoitre. Once away from the 
 column and finding that there was no truth in the report, the 
 Captain concluded to indulge his inclination to roam over the 
 country, and so led off' on a long detour. After a tramp of 
 four or five miles the party returned to the column without 
 having found either horses or soldiers. Their trip was a hard 
 one, and they were pretty /well fagged out when they returned 
 to the train. Many of the farmers along the route through 
 that part of the State treated the soldiers quite liberally with 
 apples, and often provided meals for those who left the 
 column. The camp that night was on Flour Creek, and was 
 a very comfortable one. 
 
 Wednesday, October 22, the column started at about nine 
 o'clock, passing over a very hilly and stony road and reaching 
 Falmouth about noon, camping near a branch of the Licking 
 river where was an abundance of good water. On the march 
 quite a percentage of the men were employed in chaining the
 
 54 HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 wheels of the wagons, so that the train might safely proceed 
 down the long and steep hills. 
 
 At Falmouth the wagons were unloaded, and the men gen- 
 erally supposed that they would remain in camp for several 
 days. Such proved not to be the case, however, for on 
 Thursday at about noon, to the surprise of all, the wagons 
 were again started out and the battalion ordered to accompany 
 them. They made about sixteen miles, camping at Robin- 
 son's Station near the railroad. The roads were quite hilly, 
 requiring considerable chaining of wagon wheels, and this 
 afternoon's march proved a very severe one. 
 
 Friday, October 24, was a day of rest, the soldiers improv- 
 ing it by washing their clothing and cleaning up generally. 
 Notwithstanding that strict orders had been issued to the con- 
 trary, there was considerable foraging ; but, as a rule, only 
 known secessionists suffered. About 100 men were at work 
 rebuilding the trestle bridge burned by the rebel Gen. Morgan 
 a few weeks before. During the day the wagons were again 
 loaded, and on Saturday, October 25, the command marched 
 to Cynthiana, where several other regiments were camped. 
 The day was an unpleasant one, some rain falling, and after 
 going into camp a corn-field was visited and a large amount 
 of fodder appropriated, the men spreading it on the bottoms 
 of their tents to keep them oif the wet ground. In the even- 
 ing it began to grow cold, and by bedtime snow was falling. 
 In the morning the ground was covered to the depth of nearly 
 six inches, but the snow had piled up around the bottom of the 
 tents, keeping out the wind, and the men slept more comfort- 
 ably than on any previous night. The snow rendered the 
 work of preparing for the march quite slow, and it was ten 
 o'clock when the column started out on Sunday morning. On 
 the pike arms were presented to the 19th Michigan and 115th 
 Illinois as they passed to take the advance, the battalion then 
 falling in the rear of the line. Passing through Cynthiana 
 the column had proceeded about ten miles when Gen. Baird 
 ordered this detachment and the 92d Illinois to take the dirt 
 road to Paris, as it would save some two or three miles in 
 distance. It was a great mistake, for the snow had wet
 
 CAMPING IN THE SNOW. 55 
 
 up the clay to the depth of two or three inches, making it ter- 
 ribly sticky and unpleasant. Not unfrequently the men lifted 
 their feet from their shoes, and in some instances were 
 -obliged to march barefoot or go back to the wagons and ride. 
 A soldier wrote : "Every time we lifted our feet from the clay 
 it awaked.an echo not unlike the sound of a pop-gun." The 
 -entire distance traveled that day was sixteen miles, one-third 
 of which had been over this clay road. The day was cold and 
 unpleasant, the march a very severe one, and the stragglers 
 from the ranks, owing to the great fatigue caused by the 
 muddy roads, were more numerous than on any previous day. 
 Arrived in camp somewhat late, the men had a most disagree- 
 able task before them. The snow still lay deep upon the 
 ground, and they were obliged to clear it away and pitch their 
 tents. They did not then know as well as they learned after- 
 ward how to make themselves comfortable, and to many the 
 night was a most cheerless one. However, they set about 
 imost diligently to fix up their temporary quarters and prepare 
 for supper. Huge fires were built in front of the tents to dry 
 the ground ; straw was procured from neighboring planta- 
 tions for beds, and at least a portion of the command passed 
 the evening and night quite pleasantly. 
 
 Monday, October 27, a start was made at nine o'clock, the 
 expectation being that the evening would find the detachment 
 in Lexington, but the column only marched about four miles, 
 going into camp before noon. At Paris, which was passed 
 early in the day, there was a profuse display of flags, indi- 
 cating a strong Union sentiment. 
 
 Tuesday morning, October 28, the command started at 
 seven o'clock, passing through a beautiful country. The 
 column halted for quite a time in the city of Lexington while 
 waiting to be assigned to camp. The citizens, and especially 
 the colored people, watched them with much interest, coming 
 to talk with the men, and, in some instances, bringing "hoe 
 cake " and other edibles, and also pails of water, with gourd 
 dippers, which they passed along the lines. 
 
 Moving to the outskirts of the city the female seminary was 
 passed, and the young lady students came out, waved their
 
 56 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 handkerchiefs and hurrahed for the Union. It was interest- 
 ing to note the instant change that came over the soldiers as- 
 the ladies made their appearance. The martial band struck 
 up a lively air. The scattered column immediately closed to 
 the center of the highway, elbows were touched, the step was 
 taken, the limping gait of those whose feet had been blistered 
 by the long march over the hard pike disappeared, the shoul- 
 ders that had been stooping through the wear} 7 miles were 
 quickly straightened, heads were thrown back, the carelessly 
 carried muskets were brought to a "right shoulder shift," and. 
 everj'thing in the army regulations strictly obeyed, unless it 
 be that all eyes were not directly toward the front. There was 
 an inspiration in the presence and approval of the loyal beauties- 
 that caused all to forget their weariness and nerved every man 
 to do his best. Could the battles of the war have been fought 
 with such surroundings, instead of in gloomy forests or amid 
 tangled swamps, it is easy to believe that there would have 
 been no cowards ; indeed, it is probable that absolute extinc- 
 tion of one side or the other would have resulted. The column, 
 kept well closed up until a halt was made and a camp ground 
 selected at a point where the guide-board read: "George- 
 town 10 Milles." 
 
 Wednesday, October 29, the camp ground was changed to a 
 point about one and a half miles from Lexington. The location, 
 was a fine one, water being abundant and of good quality, and 
 only about a quarter of a mile distant from camp. The colored 
 people in the neighborhood showed great joy at the arrival of 
 Union troops. An old "aunty" standing by the roadside 
 cried out, "O Lor bless me, I wish I had some thing to gib 
 em ;" and an aged colored man was repeating, as rapidly as 
 he could speak it, ' ' Hurrah for de Union ! Hurrah for de 
 Union ! " and once in a while sandwiching the remark, " The- 
 Unioners is come." There was a large camp in the neighbor- 
 hood, not less than 20,000 troops being stationed near by. 
 The men assumed that they were to make this a permanent 
 camp, and proceeded to construct fire-places in their tents by 
 digging holes in the ground about one foot square and eight 
 inches deep, with a flue leading to the outside for the smoke-
 
 -,.J* fiM
 
 NICKAMCK, 1863-4. 
 
 ROBERT A. SMITH, ' SAMUEL H. SMITH, 
 
 RIGHT GENERAL GUIDE. 
 
 LEFT GENERAL GUIDE.
 
 MRS. J. C. SMITH.
 
 **
 
 THE CAMP AT LEXINGTON. 5T 
 
 to pass off. A few sheet-iron stoves were procured, and a 
 number of brick or stone fire-places were built. The regular 
 rations were supplemented with corn-meal, bought by the 
 soldiers at the rate of fifty cents per bushel, flour at three 
 cents a pound and molasses at $1.40 per gallon. There was 
 often a surplus of coffee and rice, which was sold to citizens 
 or exchanged for the articles mentioned. Near the camp was- 
 a large grist mill and jeans factory. From these the rebels 
 had taken some $80,000 worth of goods, only a few weeks 
 before, compelling the owners to accept Confederate scrip in 
 payment. The factory was not only a thing of interest to the- 
 troops, but a great convenience, for the soldiers were permitted 
 to take warm water from the pipes for the purpose of washing 
 their clothing, a privilege which they availed themselves of 
 with alacrity. 
 
 The remaining days, until the arrival of the detachment 
 under Colonel Champion, were passed without incident of 
 especial note. The camp regulations were strict, and drilling 
 was vigorously begun. Colonel Clarke was a strict discipli- 
 narian and disposed to see that all orders issued for the gov- 
 ernment of troops were literally obeyed. He had been a 
 school-master through all the early years of his manhood, and 
 some of the men thought him too strict. This criticism came 
 to his knowledge, and he was frank to talk with his offi- 
 cers and such of his men as he knew best personally about 
 the matter, so that a pretty good understanding was reached. 
 Later on, officers and men came to know each other better, 
 and the soldiers learned that it was absolutely necessary in 
 order to discipline that the soldier should subject himself to 
 the officer. This much can certainly be said, that long before 
 his death those who had been disposed to criticise him came 
 to see that his orders were, after all, best for the men. They 
 learned that he was a man of high character and fixed princi- 
 ples, and that he meant to do just what was right and honorable 
 by those under his command, and by the citizens near the 
 camp or on the line of march. 
 
 It is now necessary to turn back and see what the other 
 five Companies of the .Regiment, under Colonel Champion*
 
 -58 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 had been doing since Colonel Clarke's command left Camp 
 Champion. 
 
 On Wednesday, October 29, at a little before nine o'clock, 
 Companies B, C, D, I and K, under the command of Colonel 
 Champion, left their comfortable quarters in Covington Bar- 
 racks, where a week had been so pleasantly spent, and started 
 -on the trip to Lexington. Already the radical change of diet 
 and mode of life was beginning to tell on the men, and each 
 Company left a half dozen or more of their number in the 
 various hospitals in the neighborhood. Marching to head- 
 quarters, definite orders were received, and the column passed 
 out through Covington and near Fort Mitchell, where a rest 
 of half an hour was taken. Two miles further on there was 
 a stop for dinner, after which the command marched to the 
 fair grounds near Florence, halting about half-past three 
 o'clock in the afternoon and occupying the amphitheatre. The 
 distance made was about ten miles, and the trip a rather leis- 
 urely one. There was plenty of wood and water, and the 
 Battalion had a delightful camping place. 
 
 Thursday, October 30, the column started about 7 A. M., 
 and made sixteen miles, passing through Walton and camping 
 near Crittenden at a little after 5 P. M., in an open field. 
 Wood and water were scarce and had to be carried about a 
 mile. The march was through a beautiful country a part of 
 the way, there being many fine plantations. Many of the 
 people showed their loyalty by coming out and waving flags or 
 cheering. At other places they stood sullenly and silently, 
 their looks indicating a displeasure they dared not voice. It 
 was amusing to witness the actions of the negroes at these 
 latter places. Keeping partly in the rear of the buildings so 
 as to be out of sight of their masters, they would swing their 
 hats and dance or otherwise manifest their joy, but without 
 daring to shout. This second day's march was quite severe 
 on the men, and many were lame and foot-sore when camp 
 was reached. 
 
 Friday, October 31, the column started at 8 A. M., and 
 passed through Crittenden, Dry Ridge and other hamlets, and 
 camped near Williamsburg, making about twelve miles. At
 
 ARMY RATIONS SUPPLEMENTED BY FORAGING. 59 
 
 this latter place a beautiful young lady, dressed in a costume 
 made up of the stars and stripes, came out to cheer the 
 soldiers on their way. It was a pretty tableau, and heartily 
 was the beautiful and loyal lady cheered in return. There 
 were but few springs along the route, and most of the wells 
 were deep but dry. At some points details were sent ahead 
 and teams impressed to draw to the roadside barrels of. water 
 taken from springs or ponds. Some of the men quietly 
 left the ranks and "drew" sweet potatoes from the fields or 
 gardens along the route. There was a suggestion at many 
 points of the poet's dream of heaven, when he said : 
 
 " Of the women there seemed an innumerable throng, 
 But the men you could count as they passed along." 
 
 .For while there were from six to ten women at about every 
 house there was hardly a white man to be seen. Just at night 
 two men, believed to be Confederate soldiers or bushwhackers 
 belonging to Morgan's command, were captured and sent 
 under guard to the Provost Marshal at Williamsburg. The 
 regular army rations were somewhat low, but there was a good 
 variety of fresh meat in camp next morning, and a few 
 "secesh" rails were burned to cook it with. Water was not 
 -only very scarce but very muddy, being drawn from cattle 
 ponds. The men came into camp in much better condition 
 than on the previous day. 
 
 Saturday, November 1, the command started at 7 A. M., 
 and marched seventeen miles, camping near Jones' Tavern. 
 The day was quite warm, and the men pretty well used up 
 when a final halt was made. An incident of the evening was 
 the enlistment of the two deserters from the rebel army men- 
 tioned in the sketch of Company C. Many criticised the 
 action, but the officers concluded to take the risk, and after 
 events fully vindicated them. 
 
 Sunday, Novembers, the Battalion broke camp at 7 A. M., 
 and marched six miles, camping on Eagle Creek. As but five 
 days' supplies had been taken, the regular rations were about 
 exhausted. The Quarter-Master purchased beef, corn and 
 wheat in the neighborhood, and a mill near camp was set in 
 motion by some of the men in charge of Sergeant Schooley,
 
 60 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 an experienced miller, Corporal John Lee acting as engineer, 
 and by evening four hundred pounds of flour and a like amount 
 of corn meal had been ground out and issued. The steam 
 whistle at the mill was sounded repeatedly, and soon all of the 
 colored people of the neighborhood and of Georgetown vil- 
 lage seemed to be approaching the camp, apparently thinking 
 that the whistle proceeded from a fleet of Lincoln gunboats 
 that must be coming up the diminutive creek. Many of the 
 young colored men desired to accompany the command, and, 
 as a natural result, more or less trouble ensued. Most of the 
 Generals in the department at that time were in partial sym- 
 pathy with the "peculiar institution," and strict orders had 
 been given requiring officers to surrender any negroes who 
 might be found in the camp whenever their alleged owners 
 demanded them. The fugitive slave laws were at least nomi- 
 nally in force, and commanders of regiments who refused to 
 obey these laws not unfrequently found themselves the princi- 
 pals in vexatious law suits. Some of these suits were not 
 concluded until long years after the war was over, occasioning 
 considerable personal expense and trouble to those involved. 
 But with the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment officers there was never 
 litigation, Colonel Champion being too good a lawyer to 
 allow himself or his officers to be involved in law suits. 
 Nearly all were radically opposed to slavery, and the negro 
 who sought refuge in the camp was protected, but in such a 
 manner as not to involve any one in a legal way. Usually a 
 camp guard was established whenever the Regiment went into 
 bivouac, often, as it seemed, more for the purpose of excluding 
 citizens from the camp than to prevent the soldiers from going 
 outside. Not unfrequently citizens would come to the guard 
 line and ask, or even demand, to be admitted to headquarters, 
 but whenever it was suspected that they were negro hunting 
 they were excluded and compelled to return to their homes 
 without taking the negroes who had sought their liberty. A 
 few negroes followed the command from Eagle Creek, most 
 of them being employed as cooks for the officers. 
 
 On the second, learning that the plantation of a Confederate 
 Major was but two miles distant, about forty men, in charge of
 
 ADMINISTERING THE OATH OF AXLEGIANCE. 61 
 
 Lieutenant Montgomery, of Company D, set out in the early 
 -evening on a foraging expedition. Arrived at the house, the 
 soldiers quietly deployed about the buildings, while the Lieu- 
 tenant and a half dozen men who had brought their muskets 
 with them rapped at the front door. Some ladies came to the 
 door, and, in response to the officer's inquiry, asserted that 
 there were no men in the house. Unfortunately for the truth 
 of this assertion, a man appeared at the head of the stairway 
 just at that moment and demanded to know what was wanted. 
 The Lieutenant asked him to come to the door, which he did 
 with manifest reluctance. They told him that they were 
 a detachment from the command encamped on Eagle Creek, 
 and that, being short of rations, they had come for a few 
 bushels of potatoes, at the same time saying that if he was a 
 loyal citizen a receipt would be given so that he could collect 
 pay. He pretended that there were no potatoes on the planta- 
 tion. It happened, however, that a negro who had previously 
 been interviewed, and who accompanied the expedition as its 
 pilot, had assured them that in a field adjoining the buildings 
 were numerous "pits" of potatoes. The Lieutenant asked 
 the man to remove his hat, raise his right hand and .repeat 
 after him the oath of allegiance, which he did. The oath was 
 a very lengthy one, the Lieutenant injecting numerous excerpts 
 from the Declaration of Independence, Webster's orations and 
 such other literature as he could call to mind, in apparent good 
 faith, but really to gain time for the boys who were reconnoit- 
 ering. Before he was half through there was a loud outcry 
 from the poultry, and the citizen was becoming very anxious. 
 As soon as the extended oath was concluded he appealed for 
 protection, and begged the officer not to allow the men to take 
 his poultry. The officer, leaving the man under guard, ran to 
 the outbuildings, and in loud tones demanded that the forag- 
 ing should stop, saying that they had come for potatoes, not 
 for poultry ; but, seizing a grain bag, called in an undertone 
 to the men to hand him some chickens and turkeys, which he 
 crammed into the sack. As soon as the noise ceased he turned 
 his game bag over to some of the men, returned to the citizen 
 and told him that he had better go in the house for the night,
 
 62 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 but that, having taken the oath of allegiance, he could come 
 to the camp next morning, bring two or three reputable citi- 
 zens of known loyalty to establish his identity and character, 
 and get pay for his potatoes. The citizen quickly made his 
 way to the house, but never came to camp for his pay, and 
 inquiry revealed the truthfulness of the first information that 
 the entire family were notorious secessionists. Meanwhile 
 the potato field had been visited and the men were on their 
 way to camp. A soldier, in writing of the affair, said : "The 
 men from Company C brought in thirty chickens, ten turkeys, 
 a lot of ducks, four bushels of potatoes, a churn full of syrup 
 and twenty quarts of honey, which, considering that it was the 
 only Company in the Regiment that ever laid claim to being 
 especially 'good,' must be considered a pretty fair showing." 
 As the other four Companies each had an equal number of men 
 in the expedition, it can be judged that the affair was a pretty 
 successful one. 
 
 It may be mentioned here that the colored man who acted 
 as pilot was James Joyce, who remained with the Regiment 
 until Nashville was reached, and then went North with Lieu- 
 tenant A. B. Partridge, living in Lake county until his death,, 
 which occurred about 1875. 
 
 Monday, November 3, the Battalion was called in line 
 early, fired off their guns by volley, and marched fourteen 
 miles, camping at two o'clock p. M. on Elkhorn Creek, near 
 the residence of ex-Gov. Robinson. The village of George- 
 town was reached early in the day, and the country passed 
 through was the most beautiful portion of the Blue Grass 
 Region. Several negroes were following the Regiment, and 
 at Georgetown citizens undertook to stop them, but failed in 
 their efforts. 
 
 Tuesday, November 4, reveille sounded at half-past four, 
 the column filing out of camp at six A. M., and marching to 
 Lexington, ten miles, arriving about eleven o'clock A. M. The 
 other five Companies came out to meet Colonel Champion's 
 command, and escort it to camp. 
 
 It was a very pleasant meeting when the two battalions 
 came together at Lexington, and the Regiment was again con-
 
 TROUBLE IN THE REGIMENTAL KITCHEN. 6 
 
 solidated. For many days the boys compared experiences, 
 and related to each other the incidents that had happened 
 during their two weeks' separation. There had been consid- 
 erable irregularity about the mails up to this time, but here 
 the accumulated letters were received, and an immense mail 
 distributed. 
 
 The Regiment remained at Lexington until November 13. 
 It was not a time of leisure, but rather of hard work, for drill- 
 ing was pushed with great vigor, the men being out for many 
 hours every day when the weather would permit, either in 
 squads, companies or as a regiment, and perhaps at no other 
 point was more rapid progress made in acquiring military 
 knowledge. The weather was cold much of the time, and one 
 or two light snow-storms occurred, but this did not interfere 
 very materially with the every day drill. At dress parade the 
 men were required to wear overcoats. Rations were abun- 
 dant, and of very good quality, but there was much trouble 
 concerning the matter of cooking them. Up to this time the 
 plan had been for each Company to keep its coffee, beans, 
 rice and some other articles together, and men were detailed 
 to serve as Company cooks. There were usually two for each 
 Company. Many of these cooks were not experts in their 
 line, and much of the cooking was simply execrable. Three 
 times out of four the beans or rice would be burned. The big 
 black kettles had to be used for cooking both meat and coffee, 
 and often there was a film of grease upon the top of the kettle 
 of coffee, the sight of which was not well calculated to serve as 
 an appetizer. The matter was discussed by officers and men, 
 and finally permission was given to break up each Company 
 into messes, the men to take turns in cooking. This arrange- 
 ment proved more satisfactory, although too many cooks 
 spoiled many a broth. However, a few developed into excel- 
 lent cooks in every Company, and when the Regiment was 
 in camp as a rule it fared pretty well. During the stay at 
 Lexington there were frequent reviews of the Brigade and 
 Division, and dress parades were held almost every evening, 
 large numbers of people coining out from the city to witness 
 the evolutions of the battalions.
 
 <t> HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 There were few in the Regiment, and probably but few in 
 the army then encamped in the neighborhood, who did not 
 visit the tomb and monument of the great statesman, Henry 
 Clay, and no doubt hundreds of soldiers copied the inscription 
 upon the coffin, which reads: "I can, with unshaken con- 
 fidence, appeal to the Divine Arbiter for the truth of the 
 declaration that I have been influenced by no impure purpose ; 
 no personal motive ; have sought no personal aggrandizement, 
 but that in all my public actions I have had a sole and single 
 eye, and a warm, devoted heart directed and dedicated to what, 
 in my best judgment, I believed to be the true interest of my 
 country." This monument is 55 feet square at the base and 
 considerably more than 100 feet in height, and is surmounted 
 by a statue of the man whose memory it is intended to 
 perpetuate. 
 
 The first death in the camp, and the second among the 
 members of the Regiment, occurred at Lexington, George 
 Bryan, aged ] 9 years, and a member of Company H, dying 
 from typhoid fever.
 
 ADDISON B. PARTRIDGE. 
 
 FIRST LIEUTENANT COMPANY C.

 
 FROM LEXINGTON TO HARRODSBURG. 65 
 
 CHAPTKR V. 
 
 Southward to Harrodsburg Kentucky River Scenery A Halt at Shaker- 
 town The Stay at Camp Clarke Visits to Perryville Battle Ground 
 Recovering Federal Property Issuing a Newspaper Marching to 
 Danville In Winter Quarters at Camp Baird Occasional Alarms at 
 Night The First Sergeants Lectured Breaking Camp by Fire-Light 
 The Lebanon March A Terrible Rain Storm The Night at "Camp 
 Wet" The Return to Danville Frequent Deaths Among the Sol- 
 diers A Scouting Expedition Close of the Year 1862. 
 
 Thursday, November 13, the Regiment struck its tents, 
 packed its knapsacks, loaded its wagons, left its fire-places 
 and straw beds, and again started out upon the march, breaking 
 camp at seven o'clock or a little later, and taking position at 
 the rear of the column. It was a beautiful day, and the road 
 lay through an attractive and highly cultivated region. The 
 distance traveled was fourteen or fifteen miles, and the camp 
 for the night near Nicholasville. A large number of men had 
 to be left at Lexington, owing to sickness, and others were 
 really too unwell for so long a march, although, with com- 
 mendable pluck, they persisted in remaining with the Regi- 
 ment. As a consequence the ambulances were crowded before 
 the day's march was ended. Field and staff officers walked a 
 considerable part of the time, allowing those who were foot- 
 sore or unwell to ride their horses. Some of these officers 
 carried one or two muskets for tired members of the command, 
 a favor that was fully appreciated. The camp that night was 
 in a pretty grove near a spring, and as there was an abund- 
 ance of straw in the neighborhood the men made themselves 
 very comfortable. Next morning the column passed through 
 Nicholasville. making their start at eight o'clock. Toward 
 noon, on nearing the Kentucky river, the country became more 
 broken. The pike lay along a deep gorge or ravine, descend- 
 ing for a mile or more until the river bottom was reached. 
 On one side of the roadway, at a point where the column 
 5
 
 66 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 halted, the rocks rose precipitately to a great height, and on 
 the other side was a deep chasm, down which the waters dashed 
 themselves into a spray and disappeared beneath the over- 
 hanging boulders. Even those who had visited the Rocky 
 Mountains grew enthusiastic at the unexpected scene, and 
 admitted that the view was one of true grandeur. Great 
 layers of rock surmounted each other to the height of hun- 
 dreds of feet, and here and there little white cedars, so beau- 
 tifully green, cropped out from the crevices in the rocks, while 
 all about icicles were pendant from the vines, greatly enhanc- 
 ing the beauty of the surroundings. Fifty feet above the 
 road a horse was drinking from a spring, and it was a question 
 with many as to how he reached the place or in what way he 
 was to leave the spot without falling. 
 
 The river was reached at noon, and the command went 
 into bivouac until its turn came to be ferried across the stream. 
 There were two boats, each of which would accommodate 
 about one company, and in these the crossing was made with- 
 out mishap, except that once a boat ran aground, causing a 
 little excitement and some delay. The distance traveled that 
 day was about eight miles, and the camp for the night was 
 made at Brooklyn, on the river. The scene from the camp 
 was a most beautiful one, and will not pass from the minds of 
 those who witnessed it until memory fails. Looking across 
 the river the tall cliffs rose precipitately for hundreds of feet, 
 giving the impression, as night came on, of a vast thunder 
 cloud rising up against the sky. 
 
 Saturda} T , November 15, the command marched ten or 
 twelve miles, halting at Harrodsburg. The first few miles 
 lay through a broken country, emerging from which Shaker- 
 town was reached. This village, inhabited by the sect whose 
 name it bears, was a novelty. The houses were not especially 
 numerous, but all were large and substantial, and some of 
 them bore dates, 1811, 1814 and later years, indicating con- 
 siderable antiquity. The apparel of both men and women 
 was drab or gray material, made up in the plainest manner 
 possible. The women all wore shaker bonnets. It was notice- 
 able that nearly all the inhabitants were either 'quite old or
 
 VISITS TO THE PERRYVILLE BATTLE-FIELD. 67 
 
 quite young. The column halted for a time in the village 
 streets, and the soldiers talked with the citizens, the latter 
 answering all questions freely, it was learned that no mar- 
 riages were allowed among the people, and that the population 
 of the village was kept up by the adoption and education of 
 orphan children from all parts of the country. Upon arriving 
 at mature years these wards were given permission to go else- 
 where and adopt a different mode of life if they saw fit, a 
 privilege of which nearly all availed themselves, scarcely live 
 per cent, consenting to remain and take upon themselves the 
 vows of celibacy. These people took no part in the stormy 
 scenes attending the rebellion, being opposed to war on prin- 
 ciple, but it was a well established fact that all of them were 
 opposed to the institution of slavery, and in hearty sympathy 
 with the North. A few weeks before, the Rebel forces had 
 levied heavy tribute upon them, taking considerable live stock, 
 some goods, and, it was even said, more or less money. 
 
 The command arrived at Harrodsburg about one o'clock, 
 and camped a few rods from a large hospital filled with Rebels, 
 wounded at the battle of Perryville. This being the first lot 
 of uniformed Rebels with which the Regiment had come in 
 contact, there was much curiosity on the part of the men to 
 see and converse with them. Many of the prisoners were 
 quite defiant and saucy, and as quick to enter into an argu- 
 ment on behalf of "Southern rights" as were their Yankee 
 visitors. There were about 1,500 Confederates in town, most 
 of them being quartered in buildings or barracks. 
 
 Perryville was about ten or eleven miles from Harrods- 
 burg, and not only many public buildings, but numerous pri-- 
 vate residences were filled with the sick and wounded of both 
 armies, left there immediately following the battle of the 
 8th of October. Before the command had been there many 
 hours, men starting out from the camps found muskets, tents, 
 saddles and other articles quite numerous among the citizens, 
 some of them being secreted and others openly displayed as 
 relics. This coming to the knowledge of the officers, detach- 
 ments were sent out, in some instances remaining for a day or 
 two, and gathering up large quantities of camp and garrison
 
 68 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 equipage, several wagon loads of muskets, many horses and 
 mules and a few tents being the more valuable articles recov- 
 ered. On these expeditions many got their first glimpse of 
 the horrors of the battle-field. In some instances the dead 
 remained unburied, and at many places the rain had washed 
 the dirt from the bodies of those buried in the shallow 
 graves, leaving feet, arms and heads exposed to view. There 
 were many dead horses here and there through the woods, 
 and the stench arising from their decaying carcasses was terri- 
 bly sickening. The enemy had occupied a portion of the battle 
 ground for the night, and had made an attempt at burying 
 their dead, but the work was not very thoroughly done. 
 Nearly all the Union dead had been carefully buried, and their 
 graves plainly marked with wooden head-boards. 
 
 On one of the trips to Perryville the soldiers encountered 
 a somewhat unusual experience. When five miles from camp 
 they learned of a shooting affair that had just taken place, 
 and, on going to a house pointed out by a guide, found a 
 woman greatly excited because of threats made against her 
 life. It transpired that the woman had shot a citizen, and the 
 neighbors were threatening revenge. The facts, as developed, 
 were, that her husband, who was a Union man, had been 
 engaged to run a grist-mill. The proprietor of the mill was a 
 Secessionist. Some controversy had previously arisen, and was 
 not settled at once. On this occasion the owner of the mill 
 had ridden to the house on horseback, and inquired for the 
 miller. Something in his language or actions convinced the 
 woman that his mission was not a friendly one, and, seizing a 
 gun, she ran toward the mill to warn her husband. The man 
 spurred his horse, and was apparently attempting to ride over 
 lier, when she pluckily turned and shot him dead. The case 
 was investigated sufficiently to convince the officer that the 
 statements of the woman were true, and the couple were given 
 a guard to accompany them to a place of safety. This was 
 but one of very many tragedies among citizens growing out of 
 those troublous times, and but for the timely arrival of the 
 soldiers it is probable that a half dozen lives might have been 
 required to settle the existing feud.
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE STAY AT HABRODSBUKG. 69 
 
 The Regiment, with the exception of Companies C and I, 
 remained at Harrodsburg about a fortnight. Sunday, the first 
 day in this camp, there was inspection in the forenoon and 
 dress parade in the evening. During the afternoon religious 
 services were held in an old church, Chaplain Clendenning 
 preaching to the large congregation, composed mainly of sol- 
 diers. It was said that nearly all the members of the congre- 
 gation who formerly worshipped there were in actual sympathy 
 with the rebellion. The church had been cleared of its pulpit 
 and a portion of the seats, so that it could be used as a store- 
 room by the army quartermaster. The pulpit, therefore, had 
 to be improvised, and it was somewhat suggestive when the 
 men piled up boxes of ammunition upon which the Chaplain 
 could lay his Bible and unroll his manuscript. 
 
 The drought, which had been very severe all through this 
 region, having been interrupted by only one or two light 
 showers and two or three snow-storms, was now thoroughly 
 broken. A rain-storm set in on the seventeenth, which pre- 
 vailed for many hours, and was supplemented by frequent 
 heavy showers during succeeding days. The camp became a 
 sea of mud, and the surroundings were most gloomy. - On 
 one occasion a citizen came into camp, and on his invitation 
 SL member of Company H accompanied him to the village and 
 drank a glass of wine. Soon after returning to camp the 
 soldier became alarmingly ill, and it was believed that he 
 had been poisoned. The surgeons succeeded with much diffi- 
 culty in saving his life. One day a couple of men having in 
 charge about twenty horses passed through the town, going 
 southward. The officers became suspicious afterward that the 
 horsemen might be Rebels, and the Colonel, with five men, 
 started in pursuit, bringing them back to camp. They pro- 
 tested their loyalty and were allowed to go for witnesses, but 
 never came back, and their horses were turned over to the 
 Government Quartermaster. There was occasional firing on 
 the picket lines at night, but no casualties occurred, unless it 
 may have been to stray porkers or poultry. 
 
 On the eighteenth Colonel Swayne was relieved from the 
 command of the Brigade. He was an admirable soldier,
 
 70 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 and did excellent service, but was not at this time very popu- 
 lar among the officers of the command, probably more because 
 of the fact that his own regiment was not in the Brigade than 
 for any other reason. He was succeeded by Col. Cochran, of 
 the Fourteenth Kentucky. 
 
 Thursday, November 20, Colonel Champion was directed 
 to send two Companies to Danville, ten miles distant. Com- 
 panies C and I were chosen, and on reaching their destination 
 were assigned to quarters in the Baptist Church. During the 
 following week or more they were given pretty heavy duty, 
 large details for provost guard and funeral escorts being 
 required daily. There were many sick and wounded of both 
 armies in the city, and to preserve order among the convales- 
 cents, prevent escapes of Rebels who had so far recovered as- 
 to be able to travel, and furnish escorts for from two to six 
 funerals daily, would have kept them busy ; but in addition 
 to these duties they were obliged to scout and picket outside 
 the city, and more than once were called out, expecting an 
 attack from Rebel cavalry hovering in the vicinity. 
 
 The main body of the Regiment was kept busy at Harrods- 
 burg, scouting, doing guard duty and drilling. The Confed- 
 erate prisoners were accustomed to watch the drill, and mani- 
 fested much interest, heartily applauding any especially well 
 executed movement, and laughing at the occasional errors of 
 commanders or their men. One night there was some excite- 
 ment because of the firing of two shots from the Rebel hos- 
 pitals, the bullets whistling past some of the camp guards. 
 An investigation was made, but no arms could be found in the 
 hospitals. 
 
 The camp at Harrodsburg was known as Camp Clarke,, 
 being named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Isaac L. Clarke. 
 Captain J. P. Black, of Company E, was assigned to duty as 
 Provost Marshal of the post, remaining on duty in that capac- 
 ity for several weeks. 
 
 On the 24th the resignation of Captain Thomas A. Green, 
 of Company F, was accepted, and he returned home. First 
 Lieutenant Charles E. Rowan succeeded to the Captaincy of 
 the Company, Second Lieutenant Nelson R. Simms was pro-
 
 THE REGIMENT PUBLISHES A NEWSPAPER. 71 
 
 moted to First Lieutenant, and Sergeant William Dawson to 
 Second Lieutenant. This was the first change among the com- 
 missioned officers after the organization of the Regiment, 
 
 On the 25th occurred the death, in hospital, of Hiram 
 Hollister, of Company B ; and on the 30th, at the residence 
 of J. W. Card well, Esq., Frank Fool, of Company E, died 
 from pneumonia. The latter was a brother of Lieutenant 
 Pool, of Company A. 
 
 During the stay at Harrodsburg some of the members of 
 the Regiment took possession of the office of The Kentucky 
 Press, and set themselves at work to publish a newspaper, 
 issuing The Soldier's Letter. It was a five-column paper, and 
 2,500 copies were issued. Captain George Hicks, of Com- 
 pany A, had editorial charge of the publication. His assist- 
 ants were Corporals Christopher H. Berg, of Company A, 
 Edmund S. Stevens, of Company 1), and John A. Boothby, 
 of Company H, and Privates John W. Connor, James Ed- 
 ward James and Anderson S. Allison, all of Company A. 
 These men were all practical printers. The paper contained a 
 complete Roster of the Regiment, a sketch of the organiza- 
 tion, camp experiences and marches of the command up to 
 that time ; also brief biographies of the field oificers, a sketch 
 of Colonel Daviess, for whom Jo Daviess County was named, 
 a description of Harrodsburg, several patriotic poems, some 
 humorous communications, several illustrations, including 
 the Williamsburg lady with the flag wrapped about her, 
 more or less local news, and an apology because the paper 
 was not larger so that other articles, ready for the press, might 
 be given to the world through its columns. The issue was 
 speedily exhausted, the boys purchasing the paper -at five 
 cents a copy to send to their friends at home. In Ib85 several 
 members of the Regiment living in the vicinity of Galena, 
 111., issued a duplicate edition, and numerous copies of the 
 original and the duplicate are to be found among the posses- 
 sions of the soldiers of the Regiment. 
 
 Thursday, November 27, the Regiment was ordered to 
 Danville, but in view of the fact that it was Thanksgiving Day 
 permission was given to defer the move until Friday. Quite
 
 72 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 liberal preparations were made for Thanksgiving, and nearly 
 all fared sumptuously. The Ninety-second Illinois were not 
 as fortunate, being compelled to inarch, instead of celebrating 
 the day in camp. 
 
 At eight o'clock on the morning of Friday, November 28, 
 the main body of the Regiment took its leave of Harrodsburg 
 and marched to Danville, ten miles, in two and one-half hours. 
 Companies A and E were left on duty at the former place for 
 a short time, Captain Hicks being in command of the post, 
 and Captain Black continuing to act as Provost Marshal. The 
 next day Companies C and I, which had been quartered in a 
 church at Danville, joined the Regiment in camp, a half mile 
 from the village. About fifty men were left in the hospital at 
 Harrodsburg, quite a percentage of them having measles. 
 Most of the men rejoined the Regiment within a few weeks. 
 Danville was really a very pretty city at that time, having 
 numerous large business blocks, churches and seminaries, and 
 was a stronghold of Union sentiment. 
 
 From the 28th of November until the 26th of December 
 the Regiment made no general movement, but lay in what 
 was named "Camp Baird," in honor of the General command- 
 ing the division. Company and battalion drill was kept up 
 with as much regularity as the weather would permit, and 
 inspections and dress parades were frequent. There was a 
 snow storm early in December, and some of the officers impro- 
 vised a sleigh, found some sleigh-bells in town, and enjoyed 
 a ride about the camp and in the city. Enlisted men con- 
 tented themselves with snow-balling. A few days after the 
 arrival at Danville, Colonel Champion called the men together 
 and stated his wish to make the guard details lighter, closing 
 a short address by saying that if they would promise not to 
 leave the camp without permission he would reduce the camp 
 guard from 64 to 27. The boys quickly agreed to it, and gave 
 three rousing cheers for the Colonel. 
 
 The shoddy pants before alluded to had not been replaced 
 up to this time, except in a few cases where the wearers were 
 exposing too much of their anatomy, but on the eleventh all 
 who needed trousers were supplied. There was much atten-
 
 THE WINTER QUARTERS AT DANVILLE. 73 
 
 tion given to the personal appearance of the command all 
 through the winter, perhaps all the more because of the fact 
 that a number of ladies, wives and mothers of the soldiers. 
 visited Camp Baird, some of them remaining several weeks. 
 
 There was keen disappointment when news came of the 
 disaster to the Union forces under Gen. Burnside at Freder- 
 icksburg, on the Rappahannock, and the want of success on 
 the part of the expedition under Gen. Sherman, sent against 
 Yicksburg. Up to this time hopes had been entertained that 
 the war might be brought to an honorable close within a few 
 months after the calling out of the 600,000, but these reverses 
 convinced all, or nearly all, that the war was to be prolonged. 
 All eyes were now turned toward the Army of the Cumber- 
 land, then mainly in the vicinity of Nashville, and under the 
 command of Gen. Rosecrans. It was understood that they 
 -would soon make a forward movement, and there were strong 
 hopes that with them it would be victory and not defeat. 
 
 The little wedge tents were used up to the 18th of Decem- 
 ber, at which time Bell tents were drawn, five or six being 
 allowed to each Company. Prior to this, Company K had 
 obtained some large Sibley tents, found near the battle-field 
 of Perry ville. The men had by this time learned to make 
 themselves quite comfortable in camp. Walls of various ma- 
 terials, such as boards, rails, stone and brick, were built to 
 the height of from two to four feet, and good fire-places 
 with chimneys were constructed in nearly all of the tents. 
 A few sheet-iron stoves were used. Sometimes excavations 
 two or three feet in depth were made, the dirt thrown out 
 being used to bank up the tents. This latter arrangement 
 was deemed unhealthy, however, and was discouraged by the 
 officers and surgeons. 
 
 The large tents proved very pleasant and convenient. 
 In the evening each one was a most cheerful place. Bright 
 fires blazed in the improvised fire-places, and bayonets, stuck 
 in the ground, were used as candlesticks. From the center- 
 poles hung the accoutrements, and on racks built for the pur- 
 pose lay the shining Enfield muskets. The men, lounging on 
 their blankets spread upon the clean straw, told stories, pro-
 
 74 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 pounded conundrums, read, sang, or played cards, checkers, 
 or chess, as their humor dictated, until tattoo and taps sent 
 them to bed. Thousands of letters were written and received, 
 and the arrival of the mail each day was the signal for a gen- 
 eral turnout of the command. Many daily papers were taken, 
 and the soldiers, during that winter at least, knew what was 
 going on throughout the country almost as well as their friends 
 at home. In the evening the camp, as viewed from a little 
 distance, was a pretty scene. The tents, standing in regular 
 rows, and each lit up from within, were a pleasant study. 
 
 Early in the month Lieutenant C. A. Montgomery, of 
 Company D, was detailed on the staff of Col. Cochran, as 
 Brigade Commissary, and Lieutenant George W. Pepoon, of 
 Company K, as Aide de Camp. 
 
 Almost daily details were sent into the country, often for 
 five or six miles, to cut wood, which was hauled to camp in 
 army wagons. This duty was quite severe, as the choppers 
 were required to walk one way, and sometimes both ways. 
 A heavy picket line was established all about the camp, but as 
 there was no large force of Rebels in the neighborhood the 
 reserve posts were allowed to keep up good fires, although 
 heavy screens of evergreen were placed in front of them so 
 that they should not be too plainly visible from points outside 
 the lines. On a few occasions, when an attack was appre- 
 hended, these fires were extinguished, to the great discomfort 
 of the men, the long winter nights passing most drearily. 
 
 On the night of December 10 a rumor reached camp that 
 a portion of Morgan's command was in the near vicinity, and 
 Company C was hastily sent down town to guard a building 
 where ammunition was stored. The picket lines were doubled 
 and every preparation made to give the noted cavalryman a 
 warm reception should he see fit to pay the camp a visit ; but 
 he did not come, and next day all was quiet. There was 
 frequent firing on the picket lines at night, cattle and horses 
 wandering near the outposts being frequently mistaken for 
 cavalrymen by the zealous guards, and sometimes even trees 
 and stumps being tortured into imaginary enemies. Undoubt- 
 edly more or less of this shooting was purely wanton, the
 
 THE KOUTINE OF DAILY DUTIES. 75 
 
 men firing their guns as much for their own amusement as 
 because they thought a real enemy was approaching. It 
 should be remembered, however, that many of the soldiers 
 were mere boys, from sixteen to eighteen years of age, and as 
 it was known that there were numerous bands of cavalry in 
 the neighborhood, it is hardly to be wondered at that in the 
 long and weary watches they became a little over-anxious and 
 imagined any object they might see outside the lines a scout 
 or spy attempting to reach the camp. As a rule, one-third of 
 each guard detail was kept on outpost, one-third kept awake 
 and under arms at the reserve post, and one-third allowed to 
 sleep beside the fires. 
 
 All through the winter the camp regulations were very 
 strict, no one being allowed to pass the limits of the camp 
 without written permission. Reveille sounded every morning 
 at half-past five o'clock. Roll-call followed immediately,, 
 every man being required to take his place in line in the Com- 
 pany street, those failing to respond being placed on extra 
 duty. Then followed preparations for breakfast, after which 
 the grounds were thoroughly policed. At half-past eight 
 came guard-mount, a part of the detail being assigned for 
 picket duty, a part for camp guard, and a part for provost 
 duty in the city. These latter men were required to arrest all 
 citizens and soldiers found without written passes in the day- 
 time or the countersign at night. At half-past nine Company 
 drill was begun, continuing from one to two hours. In the 
 early afternoon there was Battalion drill, and at half-past four 
 came Dress parade. At half-past seven occurred the final 
 roll-call, and at eight o'clock came taps, which was the signal 
 for all lights to be out. After a time the First Sergeants be- 
 came a little careless as to the manner in which the evening 
 roll-call was responded to. It was not that they meant to be 
 willfully negligent, but rather because of their real kindness 
 of heart. At first those who had been on guard the night 
 before were excused from coming out arid forming in line ; then 
 some soldier answered to the name of another ; a stormy 
 night came, and the Sergeants made the usual noise in the 
 streets, while the men answered from the tents ; next night
 
 76 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 the same form was gone through with, although there was no 
 storm. A week passed in this way, but one evening the First 
 Sergeants were summoned to Regimental Headquarters. 
 When all had arrived Colonel Champion made a little speech, 
 which ran about as follows: "I understand that there has 
 '' been some deviation from the prescribed rule in the matter 
 4 'of the evening roll-call. I have only this to say: If the 
 *' present First Sergeants are unable or unwilling to obey the 
 " orders heretofore made, I have no doubt that I shall be able 
 "to find men in each Company who can and will. Good 
 "evening, gentlemen." 
 
 The abrupt termination of the Colonel's address fairly 
 dazed his auditors, but it was not many seconds until all had 
 filed out of the tent into the darkness, each feeling very much 
 as if he would like to find a very small hole somewhere into 
 which he could crawl. The rolls were called in due form 
 from that time until active campaigning and thinned ranks 
 rendered it unnecessary. 
 
 Christmas was spent quite pleasantly in the camp, with 
 ample rations, and was indeed with many quite a merry day. 
 Just after the evening dress parade, orders were received to 
 march at daylight next morning. The men who were thought 
 to be unable to march were sent to the hospitals in town, 
 extra rations were issued, and everything put in order for the 
 start. Between three and four o'clock next morning reveille 
 was sounded. Then followed breakfast, after which the tent 
 stakes were all drawn, except barely enough to hold the can- 
 vas houses in position, and at a given signal every tent went 
 to the ground and was rolled up and placed in the wagons. 
 It was a weird sight as that canvas village disappeared. All 
 about were blazing camp-fires, which served to make the out- 
 side darkness more intense. The huge army wagons standing 
 here and there, the men moving around in the uncertain light, 
 the braying of the mules, the shouting of the drivers, the 
 sounding of the bugles, the rattling of the drums, the merry 
 faces of the eager soldiers, as they piled the boxes and tables 
 and heaped the floors of the tents high on the blazing fires, 
 destroying all the little camp conveniences not caring to
 
 THE MARCH TO LEBANON AND RETURN. 7T 
 
 leave them for the enemy, and not dreaming that they would 
 again occupy the same ground within thirty-six hours formed 
 a strange spectacle, and one not easily described. 
 
 At a quarter before six o'clock, and while it was yet quite- 
 dark, knapsacks were slung and the men filed into line by 
 Companies and marched to the parade grounds. There was a 
 little delay, but at half-past six the column moved forward. 
 All were eager to know the destination of the Division, but 
 those who could tell would not. The column, embracing 
 nearly the entire Division, moved out toward Lebanon, over 
 a good macadamized road. The weather was mild, and in the 
 early morning not unpleasant. About nine o'clock, however, 
 a drenching rain set in, increasing in violence and making the 
 march a most severe one. General Granger and his staff 
 were riding at the head of the column. They had good, fresh 
 horses, and were no doubt in a hurry to get to the end of the 
 march, it seemed then as if they had little regard for the 
 comfort of the men, for through that drenching rain, when 
 every moment made overcoats and knapsacks heavier, they 
 plodded on at a fast walk, for miles together, without giving 
 them an opportunity for rest. Rumor had it that Morgan 
 was in the front, and that this body of troops was to reinforce 
 the garrison at Murnfordsville. Plainly there was great 
 haste, for rarely have men been so o verm arched. It was as 
 if infantry was trying to keep up with cavalry. Through 
 long miles the men cheered and sang to keep up their spirits, 
 but as their loads grew heavier, their limbs tired, their feet 
 sore, and their judgment confirmed their impression that they 
 were being imposed upon, many of them became moody and 
 marched in silence. The General at last took the hint, and 
 made several stops. At half-past two or three o'clock, the 
 rain, which had been coming in torrents, began to abate 
 somewhat, and when, at four o'clock, after traveling fifteen or 
 sixteen miles, the column filed to the right into a muddy 
 cornfield, and ft was announced that this was to be the camp, 
 it had entirely ceased for the time being. That was a camp 
 to be remembered. At every step the men sank into the 
 ground to their shoe-tops. Strict orders were issued by Gen.
 
 78 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Granger against taking the rails composing the fence for fuel, 
 but the officers commanding the Regiment very properly told 
 the men to take the top rails and that they would be responsi- 
 ble. Fuel was actually essential to the comfort of the troops 
 after such a march and in such a camp-ground. Gen. Granger 
 ordered details to be sent out to chop wood, and a score or 
 more of tired soldiers followed the wagons to the timber and 
 cut and loaded wood to be brought to camp. They worked 
 hard and returned late with their green fuel, that was not to 
 be burned, for the "top rails" had been used long before the 
 wagons arrived. The General used some "cuss" words in 
 his discussion of the Volunteer officers, but evidently con- 
 cluded that discretion was the better part of valor, and re- 
 frained from having any prolonged contest over the little 
 matter of a few fence rails. A stack of hay, a pile of straw, a 
 large quantity of cornstalks, and, these failing, a stack of oats, 
 were carried into the tents of the soldiers, all disappearing 
 within twenty minutes. In this way the men kept themselves 
 out of the mud, and it was really surprising to see how com- 
 fortable they had made themselves within an hour after their 
 tents were up. Hardly was the camp established before the 
 rain again began to fall in torrents, continuing for some hours. 
 At ten o'clock in the evening two regiments and a battery 
 were ordered forward to Lebanon without baggage and in 
 great haste, but before they had started the order was coun- 
 termanded, and they returned to their tents. 
 
 In the morning the weather was colder. There was an 
 early reveille and breakfast. Plainly the commanding officers 
 were uncertain what to do, for there was much marching and 
 countermarching, but within an hour or two the column was 
 headed for Danville and made the march over the ground 
 passed by them the day before, camping at four o'clock in 
 the afternoon on the identical grounds they had vacated so 
 recently. How the boys wished then that they had not burned 
 their boxes and gun-racks and tables and tent* floors ! How- 
 ever, they made the best of the situation, and fitted up their 
 tents in good order. This trip was very severe upon the men, 
 and following it many were sjck. For a time it was supposed
 
 Two COMPANIES SENT TO HICKMAN BRIDGE. 7J> 
 
 tluit the movement was intended as a diversion to hold the 
 Rebel force in Kentucky, and prevent their reinforcing Gen. 
 Bragg, then contending with the Army of the Cumberland at 
 Stone's River. It afterward became known that the Rebel 
 Gen. Morgan had tapped the telegraph wires and sent bogus 
 dispatches to Gen. Granger, hurrying him forward to Lebanon, 
 himself marching off' toward Kentucky River at his leisure, 
 picking up more or less horses and gathering in a few recruits. 
 A day or two later two Regiments of the Division repeated 
 this march to Lebanon and return. 
 
 Tuesday, December 30, Companies B and I were sent out 
 on a scout to the Kentucky River, a battery of artillery accom- 
 panying them. There were also several infantry companies 
 from other regiments, their destination being Hickman 
 Bridge, about fifteen miles away. They had a most disagree- 
 able march in the cold rain storm. They were absent from 
 the Regiment for some days, but did not find any organized 
 enemy. On the night of December 31, there was a rumor of 
 trouble on the picket lines, and the men were required to 
 sleep under arms all night. Next day the teams were kept 
 harnessed and the men under orders to be ready to fall in at 
 a moment's notice, but still no trouble came. 
 
 On the thirtieth Captain James H. Clark, of Company 
 G, resigned and returned home, whereupon First Lieutenant 
 David L. James was made Captain, and Second Lieutenant 
 Benj. G. Blowney was promoted to First Lieutenant. An 
 election was held for Second Lieutenant, First Sergeant Hiram 
 W. Farns worth and Sergeant James O. Havens being the 
 principal rivals. The latter received the most votes and en- 
 tered upon the duties of the position ; but within a few days, 
 and before a commission had been issued, a contest occurred 
 in Company B which resulted in a tie vote, whereupon the 
 vote in each Company was disregarded, and, upon the recom- 
 mendation of the Colonel, the Governor of the State issued 
 commissions to the next in rank, and First Sergeant Farns- 
 worth became Second Lieutenant, Sergeant Havens being 
 -appointed First Sergeant. 
 
 Following these severe winter expeditions many were
 
 80 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 prostrated by sickness. From the very organization of the 
 Regiment there had been frequent cases of measles, men being 
 left sick with this disease at almost every stopping place. 
 Mumps, pneumonia and typhoid fever were also common, and 
 deaths were very frequent. 
 
 Those dying during the month were, Henry H. Swan, of 
 Company C, December 3 ; John Chope, of Company D, De- 
 cember 8 ; Richard Wilton, of Company D, December 19 ;. 
 Robert Pollard, of Company K, December 19 ; Terhan 
 Shaffer, of Company E, December 29 ; the latter at Harrods- 
 burg ; all of the others at Danville. In several instances the 
 parents and near friends of sick soldiers came to attend them, 
 but in two or three cases arrived too late to find their loved 
 ones living. In most cases the remains were taken North for 
 burial. It was an invariable custom to provide a military 
 escort to the grave in case of local burial, and to the express 
 office when the bodies were sent home. Religious services 
 were held, and a quartet or choir always furnished music- 
 The selection most frequently sung was : 
 
 OB, WRAP THE FLAG AROUND ME, BOYS. 
 
 Oh, wrap the flag around me, boys, 
 
 To die were far more sweet 
 With Freedom's starry emblem, boys, 
 
 To be my winding sheet. 
 In life I loved to see it wave 
 
 And follow where it led, 
 And now my eyes grow dim, my hands 
 
 Would clasp its last bright shred. 
 
 CHORUS. Then wrap the flag around me, boys, 
 
 To die were far more sweet 
 With Freedom's starry emblem, boys, 
 To be my winding sheet. 
 
 Oh, I had thought to greet you, boys, 
 
 On many a well-won field, 
 When to our starry banner, boys, 
 
 The trait'rous foe should yield. 
 But now, alas ! I am denied 
 
 My dearest earthly prayer ; 
 You'll follow and you'll meet the foe, 
 
 But I shall not be there.
 
 GEORGE HICKS. 
 
 MAJOR AND BREVET COLONEL.
 
 r,'
 
 1 'On, WRAP THE FLAG AROUND ME, BOYS." 81 
 
 But though my body moulder, boys, 
 
 My spirit will be free. 
 And every comrade's honor, boys, 
 
 Will still be dear to me. 
 There, in the thick and bloody fight, 
 
 Ne'er let your ardor lag, 
 For I'll be there, still hov'ring near, 
 
 Above the dear old flag !
 
 82 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Negro Question Waiting for News from Stone's River Drilling 
 Resumed Visitors in Camp Pay-day Arrives Eleven Deaths in 
 a Single Month A Heavy Winter Storm Changes Among the 
 Officers An Eighty-five Mile March to Louisville Aboard the 
 Transports The Arrival at Fort Donelson The Second Battle at 
 that Historic Point Up the Cumberland to Nashville. 
 
 UP to the close of the year 1862 the slavery question con- 
 tinued to be a fruitful theme of discussion ; indeed, for some 
 time following that date the subject was the occasion of 
 numerous orders by both the civil and the military author- 
 ities, and a fruitful source of argument with both citizens and 
 soldiers. On one or more occasions at Danville there was a 
 public sale of negroes, which was quite largely attended by 
 soldiers. Not all of the spectators were impressed alike by 
 the strange spectacle of a human being on the auction block, 
 although to the majority there came a feeling of indignation 
 that was not attempted to be concealed. But the time was at 
 hand when the Emancipation Proclamation was to settle some 
 of the problems of the war, and to destroy the value of the 
 negro as "property." Meanwhile there were more or less 
 incidents occurring that served to show the terrible spirit of 
 the hateful institution. On one occasion, at Danville, Ky., 
 Captain Rewan and Sergeant Lee, of Company F, went to the 
 hotel to take dinner. The Captain's waiter, or servant, a col- 
 ored man whom he had hired, accompanied them, for the pur- 
 pose of carrying some supplies back to camp, and waited out- 
 side while they ate dinner. On returning to the office at the 
 close of the meal the Captain looked in vain for the colored 
 man. The office, or bar-room, was filled with citizens, who 
 seemed rather amused than otherwise at the Captain's in- 
 quiries as to the whereabouts of the missing "contraband." 
 After some delay the Captain drew a revolver and suggested
 
 How CAPT. ROWAN RESCUED A COLORED MAN. 83 
 
 that he proposed to secure the information requested without 
 delay. Seeing that the officer meant what he said, some of the 
 bystanders vouchsafed the information that a "nigger" had 
 been seen there, but as he did not seem to have any owner, 
 and, moreover, as that office was intended for ' ' gentlemen " 
 and not for "niggers," the intruder had been treated precisely 
 as a stray animal would be at the North, and was in the 
 "pound." Rowan was a resolute fellow, and demanded that 
 the "gentleman" who had caused the servant's imprisonment 
 should immediately take steps looking to his return to the 
 hotel. Very little attention was given to this demand, al- 
 though it was evident that the visitors were somewhat troubled 
 over the situation. There was a moment of painful silence, 
 which was broken by the sound of a scuffle in the hall leading 
 from the dining room. The guests had not noticed that Ser- 
 geant Lee, a powerfully built man, several inches over six feet 
 in height, and as strong and resolute as he was large, had 
 disappeared from the scene, until the Captain bade them a 
 pleasant "good day," and passed into the hall and out 
 through the front door. In a moment the crowd followed. 
 Arriving on the street they were somewhat taken back to see 
 Lee and the Captain walking toward camp with the head- 
 waiter of the hotel safely in their clutches, the white apron 
 fluttering in the wind, and the bare-headed servant making a 
 feeble show of resistance. Instantly the hotel man started in 
 pursuit, remonstrating against their taking his most valuable 
 "nigger." "Bring back my servant and you can have yours," 
 was Captain Rowan's reply. It did not take long for the 
 boniface to make up his mind that he could not trifle with his 
 Yankee guests, and an exchange was speedily arranged and 
 quickly carried out. This was but one of several incidents 
 that had amusing features in them. 
 
 In a certain temporary camp in Kentucky, in the autumn 
 of 1862, a couple of citizens approached two soldiers of the 
 Regiment, and, after some parleying, made an offer of $100 
 if the soldiers would deliver two colored men who were in the 
 camp into their custody. The proposition was, that at a given 
 hour the negroes should be brought to a designated spot in the
 
 84 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 woods not far from a certain spring. The soldiers agreed to- 
 consider the matter and let them know. Once away from their 
 tempters the boys began to reason concerning the matter. 
 The inducement was certainly a strong one. One of the boys 
 suggested that, as pay-day had been long deferred, it would be 
 very handy just then to be able to send $100 to his mother, 
 who really needed the money, and remarked that the negroes- 
 would have no trouble in running away again if they cared 
 much for their freedom. Still they were a little loth to sur- 
 render these escaped slaves into bondage, and had some com- 
 punctions of conscience. But they reflected that it was not 
 much worse for them to force the citizens into a contract that 
 might be advantageous to the soldiers than it had been for the 
 citizens to force the negroes to labor through long years with- 
 out compensation. As the result of their deliberations they 
 concluded to demand $200 of the citizens, and at the same 
 time secure the liberty of the escaped slaves. In accordance 
 with the plan formed, they took two comrades into the secret, 
 told the negroes of what they proposed to do, and notified the 
 citizens that for $200 they would surrender the fugitives. 
 This proposition was accepted and the plan carried out. After 
 the $200 had been received by the soldiers the citizens started 
 off with their slaves, the latter apparently feeling greatly dis- 
 tressed. They had gone but a short distance when the soldiers 
 who had been taken into the secret suddenly sprung out from a 
 clump of bushes, confronted the citizens with a pair of revolv- 
 ers, demanded that they raise their hands and stand perfectly 
 still, and called to the colored men to run for camp. All of 
 the orders were obeyed, and the negroes, in accordance with 
 previously arranged plans, left that part of the country in the 
 early evening, and were not seen again until the Regiment took 
 up its line of march the next morning and had proceeded for 
 some miles. 
 
 The writer does not seek to justify this action, but, as a 
 faithful historian, can hardly omit to mention the circum- 
 stance. 
 
 New Year's Day, 1863, was bright and pleasant, and there 
 was considerable jollity in camp. Col. Atkins, of the 92d
 
 PAY-DAY AND THE PAYMASTER. 85 
 
 Illinois, was serenaded and responded with a pleasant speech, 
 which was listened to by a large portion of his own command 
 and the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment. At this time there were a 
 number of visitors to the camp from both Lake and Jo Daviess 
 counties, several ladies among the number, most of the latter 
 being the wives of officers. On the third, Companies I and 
 B came in from their Kentucky River scout. From that time 
 until January 26 there was no move on the part of the Regi- 
 ment. There was considerable drilling, the men taking up 
 the bayonet exercise. 
 
 It was the understanding that pay-day in the army should 
 come once in two months. However this may have been 
 the paymaster did not come as frequently as that. He had 
 been long expected and once had arrived in camp, but as it 
 was just at the time of the Lebanon expedition he did not 
 remain to pay off the troops, going to another camp, and 
 returning to Danville January 15. Pay-day had been so long 
 deferred that it was hoped and expected that he would pay 
 the men up to December 31. The Government had been 
 very heavily taxed, however, and, being short of funds, 
 instructed the paymasters to settle up all accounts to October 
 31, 1862. Most of the men had overdrawn their clothing 
 accounts, so that the amount received by the privates was 
 generally about twenty dollars, a very small sum for men 
 with families at home dependent in any considerable measure 
 upon their wages for support. 
 
 There 'was quite a heavy storm prevailing throughout a 
 considerable part of the 15th and 16th of January, a severe 
 rain being succeeded by sleet and snow. The trees were 
 coated with ice for several days, and the ground thickly cov- 
 ered with snow. As a consequence the camp was left in bad 
 condition, and there was but little drilling during the remain- 
 der of the stay at Danville. 
 
 The unfavorable news from the Army of the Potomac, in 
 December, when the Union forces were obliged to retire from 
 Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock, after sustaining a loss 
 not compensated for in direct results, had been a great disap- 
 pointment to all, for it was confidently hoped that with the
 
 86 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 heavy reinforcements that had been sent to Gen. Burnside 
 from the troops enlisted during the summer and autumn, that 
 oft-baffled army would be able to overcome all obstacles and 
 make its way to Richmond. The disappointment over, all 
 eyes were turned toward Gen. Rosecrans and the Army of the 
 Cumberland, who were reported to have moved out from 
 Nashville in search of the enemy, determined to drive him 
 to a less threatening position than that which he had occu- 
 pied for some months. But the news was slow in coming y 
 while anxiety deepened as the days went by. At last word 
 came that the advance had been entirely successful, and that 
 the advantages gained had been very decided. About the 
 same time the report gained currency that the armies under 
 Gens. Grant and Sherman had captured Vicksburg, and there 
 was great rejoicing, but the latter report proved untrue. 
 
 The First Sergeants again became a little lax in their 
 duties, and for a night or two some of the Companies turned 
 out for evening roll-call without arms. The eyes of the 
 officers at Regimental Headquarters were open, however, and 
 the Orderlies were summoned to the Adjutant's tent, and that 
 official gave those who had violated the rule of the camp a 
 little time for reflection, placing them under arrest, but sub- 
 sequently releasing them without punishment. Another time 
 they were given a lecture upon the subject of reporting their 
 Companies on dress parade as "all present or accounted for," 
 when, as a matter of fact, more or less of those who should 
 have been present were not in line. However, the relations 
 between the Adjutant and the First Sergeants were never 
 strained or unpleasant, but the latter learned that they must 
 not trifle with their superior officers or neglect their full duties 
 in matters of this kind. 
 
 A part of the time flour was issued to the men in lieu of 
 bread, but the results were not entirely satisfactory. Some of 
 the Companies effected an exchange with a local bakery, and 
 were fairly pleased, while others detailed men to do the 
 baking. Later on these men became experts, and many a 
 brick oven was constructed, excellent ' ' soft bread " being made 
 by the Company cooks.
 
 FREQUENT DEATHS. RESIGNATIONS AND PROMOTIONS. 87 
 
 Toward the close of the stay at Camp JBaird the weather 
 was so cold and disagreeable, and the camp ground became 
 so wet and muddy, that the camp guard was dispensed with 
 for a night or two. The men were obliged to remain inside 
 their tents and keep up rousing fires in order to have any 
 comfort. Fortunately the mails, which had been missent to 
 Cairo and Memphis for some weeks, were returned about this 
 time, and as a result almost every man had a handful of 
 letters and a bundle of papers with which to while away the 
 otherwise tedious hours. Cards were also used a great deal, 
 and an occasional game of "chuck-luck" was indulged in, 
 particularly during the week following the visit of the pay- 
 master. 
 
 Sickness continued to weaken the Regiment all through 
 the month, and deaths among members of the command were 
 very frequent. Not all died at Danville, for a few had been 
 sent to hospital elsewhere, or had been left at points where the 
 Regiment had previously camped. James M. Beall, of Com- 
 pany A ; James Brown, Alfred Collins and George Rix, of 
 Company B ; Corporal Edwin A. Bartles and Samuel Clem- 
 ents, of Company C ; William Hubbard and Brainard E. 
 Strong, of Company E ; Leroy Demmon and Freeman James, 
 of Company G, and James D. Lester, of Company K, all died 
 in January, or during the early days of February. The 
 remains of nearly all were taken North for burial, but a few 
 were interred in the public cemetery at Danville. 
 
 Chaplain Jonathan M. Clendenning resigned on the twen- 
 ty-third, and his place was not filled for several weeks. 
 Owing to the protracted illness of Surgeon Charles Martin 
 and Second Assistant Surgeon Daniel A. Sheffield, Captain 
 David Salisbury, of Company B, who was a physician, was 
 detailed to assist First Assistant Surgeon Evans in the care of 
 the sick. First Lieutenant Rollin H. Trumbull, of Company 
 B, resigned, and Second Lieutenant Allen B. Whitney suc- 
 ceeded to the place thus made vacant. An election was ordered 
 for Second Lieutenant, which resulted in a tie between Cor- 
 porals Wait and Folsom, whereupon the Colonel recommended 
 to Governor Yates that First Sergeant Evangelist J. Gilmore
 
 88 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 be commissioned, which was done. Colonel Champion was 
 quite ill for a time, and took up quarters in town, leaving the 
 Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Clarke. 
 A number of the line officers were also sick, and took up quar- 
 ters at private houses. 
 
 Sunday, January 25, marching orders were received, the 
 destination being Louisville, Ky. All soldiers not able to 
 march were sent to the hospitals in the city, and the usual 
 preparations made for breaking camp. Six days' rations were 
 issued, a considerable part of the provisions being loaded 
 upon the wagons. Many were the regrets at leaving Danville, 
 for during the two months in which the Regiment had been 
 camped there most of the officers and a few of the enlisted 
 men had formed pleasant acquaintances among the loyal 
 people of the town. 
 
 Monday, Januarj^ 26, reveille sounded at half-past three 
 o'clock in the morning, and the camp speedily became full of 
 activity. A start was made at half-past six, the column pass- 
 ing out through Danville and Harrodsburg, the latter place 
 being passed about noon. As the Division was to march 
 toward, and not away from, its base of supplies, there was an 
 abundance of transportation for all baggage, and the knap- 
 sacks of the men were loaded upon the wagons belonging to 
 the Brigade supply train. This was a great relief to the men, 
 and enabled them to march more comfortably and more rapidly 
 than they otherwise could have done. It was understood that 
 Louisville must be reached by Saturday night, and as the dis- 
 tance was about eighty-five miles, this would make the daily 
 average a little more than fourteen miles. The time was 
 shortened, however ; the first day's march being about seven- 
 teen miles, the column going into camp at a little after two 
 o'clock, near Salvisa. The day was thoroughly disagreeable, 
 a rain-storm prevailing much of the time, and lasting through- 
 out the night, turning into snow next day. The pikes were 
 in good condition, so that the mud was not deep, but the road 
 was wet and slippery, and covered to the depth of an inch or 
 two with a limestone paste about the consistency of thin mor- 
 tar. The camp ground for the night seemed to have been
 
 THE MARCH TO LOUISVILLE. 89 
 
 strangely selected, for, in a region full of meadows, and where 
 the ground was broken so as to admit of abundant drainage, 
 the Regiment was halted in a plowed field so badly drained 
 that water was standing on many parts of the ground. For- 
 tunately there were some oat stacks near at hand, which 
 were speedily taken into the tents, and the men were able to 
 make themselves comfortable beds. 
 
 Tuesday, January 27, found the camp early astir, and at 
 seven o'clock a start was made. The teams had a trying time 
 in getting from the camp ground to the pike, and large details 
 of men were required to lift upon the wheels, or unload the 
 wagons that were hopelessly stalled in the mud. This occa- 
 sioned some delay, but once fairly started the march was 
 rapid, and by three o'clock seventeen miles had been reeled 
 off. The day being cold and snowy a ration of whisky was 
 issued about noon. This was the first occurrence of this kind 
 in the Regiment's experience. That night there was consider- 
 able forage in camp, the men ascertaining from negroes who 
 of the residents in the vicinity were disloyal, and then levying 
 contributions from the poultry houses and sweet potato bins. 
 
 Wednesday, January 28, the Second Brigade had the 
 advance, the 14th Kentucky leading, and the NINETY-SIXTH 
 being next. The Kentuckians were veterans, and had made 
 many long marches. As they left camp in the morning they 
 declared their intention of leaving their Illinois comrades 
 long before night. Taking a long, swinging gait that well 
 befitted the immediate posterity of Daniel Boone, they counted 
 oft the miles so rapidly that it soon began to tell upon their 
 own number, for the stragglers were quite as numerous from 
 the leading regiment as from the one immediately following. 
 The grit of the NINETY-SIXTH was up, and they crowded hard 
 upon the heels of their leaders, ever and anon calling to them 
 to go faster. But such work was senseless, and, after a time, 
 the officers used their authority to check the speed somewhat, 
 but by two o'clock, at which time the head of the column went 
 into camp, a distance of eighteen miles had been traveled. 
 The men were thoroughly tired and heartily glad when camp 
 was reached. The principal towns passed during the day were
 
 90 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Hardinsville and Clayville. During the march whisky was 
 again issued. The snow had fallen to a depth of three or 
 four inches, and it was necessary to scrape it from the ground 
 before the tents could be made comfortable. To those who 
 were strong and well marching in the mud and camping in the 
 snow was hard and tiresome enough, although many were in 
 excellent spirits and made the camp merry with song and 
 shout ; but in each Company were a few who were weak and 
 ill, and for such these experiences were very trying. 
 
 Thursday, January 29, the Second Brigade was at the rear 
 of the column, the NINETY-SIXTH leading the Brigade. There 
 was no foolish racing, but a leisurely march of seventeen 
 miles, camp being reached at four o'clock. The villages 
 passed were Shelbyville and Boston, the former the reputed 
 home of the hero of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." 
 
 Friday, January 30, the NINETY-SIXTH had the rear of the 
 entire column, and did not leave camp until eight o'clock. 
 The day was pleasant, and for the first time since leaving 
 Danville the command had the sunshine in which to march. 
 Middletown was passed early in the day, and the outskirts of 
 Louisville reached at three o'clock, where a halt was made for 
 the night, the command having made about fifteen miles. 
 The entire trip was made in a day less than had been antici- 
 pated. The artillery did not halt, but went immediately to 
 the boats. The 14th Kentucky was here detached from 
 the Brigade, Col. Cochran being assigned to an independent 
 command in his own State. This necessitated a change of 
 Brigade Commanders, and Col. Smith D. Atkins, of the 92d 
 Illinois, being next in rank, assumed command. Colonel 
 Champion, who had come from Danville by stage and rail, 
 here rejoined the Regiment. Word was received of the death, 
 at Danville, of Lieutenant Montgomery, of Company D, who 
 had been left ill, but who had not been regarded as in a criti- 
 cal condition until two days before the Regiment started. The 
 announcement caused universal sorrow, for he had from the 
 first been one of the most popular officers in the line. In his 
 last hours he was attended by his wife, who on the first intel- 
 ligence of his illness .had started for the South. The vacancy
 
 THE REGIMENT EMBARKS FOR NASHVILLE. 91 
 
 occasioned by the death of Lieutenant Montgomery was filled 
 by the promotion of Lieutenant Hastings; First Sergeant 
 Theodore F. Clarkson being commissioned Second Lieutenant. 
 Saturday, January 31, the command marched some three or 
 four miles to the landing and halted. After some consultation 
 the Regiment was divided, the right wing Companies A, F, 
 D, I and C going upon the steamer "R. B. Hamilton;" and 
 the left wing Companies H, E, K, G and B going upon 
 the steamer "Nashville." Colonel Champion and Adjutant 
 Blodgett accompanied the right wing, and Lieutenant Colonel 
 Clarke and Major Smith the left wing. Then began the work 
 of loading the camp equipage. There were large details to take 
 the wagons to pieces and stow them away, together with the 
 tents, mess-chests, extra ammunition and rations, in the holds 
 and upon the decks of the vessels. The mules and horses 
 were placed upon the lower decks, and the soldiers, packed 
 as thickly as they could well be, occupied such space as 
 was not filled with baggage. The work of loading required 
 nearly the entire day. Fires were built on shore, and the cooks 
 spent the time in boiling the rations of meat, it being under- 
 stood that there would be little or no opportunity to cook any- 
 thing but coffee on the trip. How tired the men became of 
 "cooked rations." Everything was "boiled," usually until 
 overdone or scorched, and the rations became terribly dis- 
 tasteful, especially to men who were half sick or homesick, 
 and there were many of either kind. The homesickness 
 seemed to have increased as the troops neared "God's coun- 
 try, " as the soldiers were ever wont to call the region north 
 of the Ohio River. Those who were seriously unwell were 
 taken to hospitals ; others were allowed in the cabin, such 
 staterooms as were not required by the officers being assigned 
 to those regarded by the Surgeons as least able to endure the 
 rigors of the deck passage. So great was the discontent, that 
 in every regiment in the Division there were a few desertions. 
 When the rolls were made out, February 1, the NINETY-SIXTH. 
 was ten men short, that number having left between Danville 
 and Louisville, or while passing Smithland ; several others 
 leaving on the trip a few days later, at or near Fort Donelson.
 
 92 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Strict orders had been given that no negroes be taken 
 aboard the boats, but the officers assumed that they had a 
 right to take their hired employes, regardless of color, and set 
 them at work to help in carrying the baggage aboard. Once 
 on the boat, few of the negroes left, and those who did were 
 not compelled to, but acted as they chose in the matter. 
 Other regiments had a great deal more trouble with the 
 negro than the NINETY-SIXTH, but it is doubtful if many regi- 
 ments aided more slaves in escaping from bondage. 
 
 During Saturday and Sunday all the troops in the Divis- 
 ion were loaded on the large fleet of transports. The steam- 
 ers took on coal, filled up any unoccupied space in their holds 
 with government stores, and during the night dropped down 
 the Ohio River about ten miles, and tied up on the Indiana 
 shore until morning, when a large amount of baled hay was 
 taken aboard, the bales being set up on end to protect the 
 boilers in case of an attack from the shore. The pilot houses 
 were protected by boiler iron. During Monday more coal 
 was taken on, at Cannelton, Ind. The weather at this time 
 was thoroughly disagreeable, rain and snow alternating, and 
 the wind blowing fiercely. Those who had been assigned 
 to quarters upon the upper decks found their positions well 
 nigh unendurable ; indeed, most of them gave up trying to 
 keep warm there, and sought refuge in the holds of the 
 steamers, where they could at least be out of the wind. 
 
 On Tuesday Evansville and Shawneetown were passed, 
 .and early in the afternoon the mouth of the Cumberland 
 River was reached. Up to the time of leaving Louisville 
 there had been much speculation as to the destination of the 
 -command, some thinking that the Division was to be sent to 
 reinforce Gen. Grant or Gen. Sherman, then operating on the 
 Mississippi, and others firm in the opinion that Nashville and 
 the Army of the Cumberland were to receive this substantial 
 reinforcement. But at Smithland all doubt was set aside. It 
 had been announced that the boats would tie up for the night 
 at the last-named point ; but the sullen sound of distant can- 
 non could be heard, and they kept on through the night up 
 the Cumberland, for word had been received that the enemy,
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND. 93 
 
 in large force, was in the vicinity of Fort Donelson. Only 
 meager particulars could be learned, for the wires were cut 
 almost as soon as they had begun their report, and refused 
 to give up the story of the unequal contest. All through the 
 long night the fleet kept on its way up the river. The tiring had 
 ceased, but there was considerable apprehension as to the fate 
 of the Union troops. At the first dawning of the morning 
 there were many on deck, watching the precipitous bluffs that 
 formed the river bank. The wind was still cold and bleak, 
 but at many points these bluffs were so high and the river so 
 narrow that there was some protection from the chilling blasts. 
 Those so fortunate as to have money treated themselves to a 
 good "square "meal in the cabin at occasional intervals on 
 the trip, but the great majority were obliged to content them- 
 selves with cold boiled meat, hard bread and coffee. On -the 
 morning of the third, James Shay, of Company E, was mis- 
 sing. As there had been a number of desertions, he was 
 supposed to have left the boat voluntarily, but those who 
 knew him best felt certain that he was not a man who would 
 desert, and there can be little doubt that, unobserved, he fell 
 overboard during the night and met death by drowning. 
 
 Wednesday, February 4, as the boats steamed up the river 
 many bales of hay were noticed floating about. A mule 
 jumped overboard from one of the boats and swam to the 
 shore, his struggles in the water being watched with keen 
 interest. The soldiers concluded that he must be a " deserter. " 
 The men were kept ready for a fight, standing at arms ail 
 day. It was expected that the boats would be fired on from 
 the shore, as it was known that Wheeler's Cavalry had started 
 out with the intention of cutting off the fleet and preventing 
 its passage to Nashville, if possible. The landing at Dover, 
 a little above Fort Donelson, was made at about four o'clock 
 in the afternoon. Before this point was reached there was 
 considerable anxiety as to the outcome of the engagement of 
 the day before. The cannon had been heard plainly at Smith- 
 land, and as it was known that Wheeler had a heavy force, 
 while there was but a single regiment at Fort Donelson, it 
 was feared that this point might be found in possession of the
 
 "94 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 enemy. Proper caution was observed, however, a portion of 
 the 92d Illinois being landed from one of the advance boats, 
 and moved forward until a house was reached and reliable 
 information obtained to the effect that Gen. Wheeler had been 
 badly defeated, and that Fort Donelson was still in possession 
 of the Federals. This fact ascertained, the fleet moved on, 
 and tied up at the landing near which, just a year before, the 
 first substantial victory of the war had been achieved by the 
 Union forces. The soldiers scrambled from the boats as soon 
 as the gang planks were lowered, to learn the news and ascer- 
 tain how the troops had fared in the battle of Tuesday. The 
 particulars of that second battle of Fort Donelson are matters 
 of history. Nine Companies of the 83d Illinois, numbering 
 about 650 men, under the admirable leadership of Col. 
 Harding, and assisted by a single battery of artillery and a 
 32-pound rifled siege gun, successfully held in check 8,000 
 cavalry and mounted infantry under Gens. Wheeler and 
 Forrest. Going out for quite a distance they harrassed them 
 with a deadly skirmish fire all the afternoon and until half-past 
 eight o'clock in the evening, falling back from time to time as 
 necessity compelled. The ground all about Dover was strewn 
 with the dead, and all of the houses were filled with the 
 wounded. It is a fact that the Federals killed and wounded 
 more of the enemy than it carried muskets, about 200 dead 
 being buried by them, and several hundred wounded falling 
 into their hands. The loss of the 83d Illinois was 13 killed 
 and 51 wounded. The 13th Wisconsin, which had been 
 stationed at Fort Henry, twelve miles distant, had marched 
 over to Fort Donelson, and many of them were gathered near 
 the landing to watch the boats as they arrived. Of a sudden 
 there was a glad cry of joy from one of the boats, and Franc 
 Milheiser, of Company C, was seen rushing to the shore, 
 where he seized a sturdy soldier from the 13th, hugging him 
 and manifesting every feeling of delight. Nor did the soldier 
 seem averse to this unusual treatment, for, while less demon- 
 strative, he was none the less pleased, and when Franc began 
 the work of introducing him to the officers and his particular 
 friends as "mein boy," all felt to rejoice with them at the
 
 THE SECOND BATTLE AT FOKT DONELSON. 95 
 
 pleasure afforded by this entirely unexpected meeting of father 
 and son. 
 
 Large details were at work gathering fc up the dead and 
 wounded, or digging long trenches in which to bury the brave 
 but misguided men who yielded up their lives in the hard- 
 fought battle. During the night following the engagement 
 the air was bitter cold, and snow fell to quite a depth, so that 
 the wounded left upon the field suffered greatly. Many of the 
 dead were found frozen to the ground. Dead or disabled 
 horses, in large numbers, were found all through the woods, 
 and it was evident that the enemy had been severely punished. 
 Especially brilliant does this feat of the Union arms appear 
 when it is remembered how great was the disparity in num- 
 bers, the attacking force outnumbering those .assailed at least 
 ten to one, and the battle being fought almost wholly outside 
 the intrenchments. Just at the last, one or more gunboats 
 came up and aided the defenders, but even before their arri- 
 val the enemy had been well whipped and were in retreat. 
 
 The last of the fleet did not arrive at the Fort until Friday. 
 This gave those curiously disposed an opportunity to visit the 
 scene of Grant's memorable battle of February, 1862 ; it 
 being announced that the enemy had retreated, so that it was 
 entirely safe to do so, many took long walks over the entire 
 field, bringing back to the boats numerous mementoes of the 
 "battle. There were still many marks of the terrible contest, 
 arms, accoutrements, haversacks and other articles, rendered 
 useless in the conflict or thrown off by wounded men, lying 
 here and there all about the large area over which the waves 
 of battle had swept, with fragments of tents and blankets, 
 and an occasional bit of faded blue, where some desperately 
 wounded Union soldier had torn off a portion of his clothing 
 that the blood might be staunched. 
 
 Friday, February 6, at a little before noon, the boats 
 sounded the call for all to come on board, and by the middle 
 of the afternoon all were steaming up the river in the direc- 
 tion of Nashville. The boats were lashed, two and two, those 
 on which were the two wings of the NINETY-SIXTH being side 
 by side. There were seven gunboats and more than thirty
 
 96 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 transports in the fleet. The gunboats were distributed through 
 the fleet, two being in the lead, two in the rear, and the others 
 near the center. Occasionally they shelled the timber along 
 the shore to drive out any force that might attempt to inter- 
 cept them ; but there was no response to their noisy saluta- 
 tions, and the long line passed on in safety and in triumph. 
 
 There were a few exciting episodes, as when the "Hamil- 
 ton," crowded suddenly forward by her consort, struck the 
 flagship "Prioress," on which was Gen. Baird and staff', with 
 such force as to cause some damage to either craft. Not all 
 of these captains had volunteered their services or the use of 
 their vessels for this trip, and not all were loyal to the Gov- 
 ernment. Among those known' to be positively disloyal was 
 the Captain of the ' ' Nashville, " and it was believed that this 
 collision was not only intentional on his part, but far less seri- 
 ous than he had meant to have it. On the earty part of the 
 trip it came to the knowledge of Colonel Clarke that there 
 was serious discontent on the part of the men of his com- 
 mand, and an effort making to induce a large number of them 
 to desert when the boat should touch some point on the Illi- 
 nois shore. Satisfied that the captain of the boat was aiding 
 in the work of fomenting the discord, he quietly stationed 
 some armed men near the pilot house, giving them positive 
 orders to shoot the pilot and the captain should they see any- 
 thing to indicate an attempt to land the boat except where 
 others in the fleet were stopping, or should they fail to follow 
 closely the lead of the vessel in its front. After this collision 
 with the "Prioress" the guard was renewed, and the captain 
 given to understand that his life was not held in high estima- 
 tion by the military authorities. It would seem that he should 
 have been held to an account for his actions, but it is doubtful 
 if a case could have been made against him. 
 
 It was a splendid sight as that magnificent fleet of steam- 
 ers, like some triumphal procession, moved steadily forward 
 up the winding Cumberland. Regimental colors were un- 
 furled, and when the weather was not too cold the decks were 
 fairly blue with officers and soldiers. All through the night 
 of the sixth, and until five o'clock on the afternoon of the
 
 E. A. BLODGETT, 
 
 ADJUTANT.
 
 1863] THE ARRIVAL AT NASHVILLE. 97 
 
 seventh, the stately, floating column proceeded on its way, 
 finally reaching Nashville at the hour named, the troops hav- 
 ing traveled nearly 550 miles upon the steamers. 
 
 The forenoon of Sunday, February 8, was occupied in 
 unloading the boats and putting the wagons together. In the 
 afternoon the NINETY-SIXTH marched out past Fort Negley, 
 and went into camp near what was called Fort Jackson, some 
 three or four miles from Nashville, at the left of the railroad 
 and the Franklin Pike, but a short distance from where, 
 almost two years later, they were to make one of the most 
 brilliant and successful charges of the war.
 
 98 HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH E-EGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Irrepressible Conflict with Greybacks A Half Dozen Promotions 
 Policing the Camp Grounds A Brigade Dress Parade Resolutions 
 Adopted by the Regiment The Sound of Cannon The Movement 
 to Franklin Disaster to Coburn's Brigade The Duck River Cam- 
 paign Frequent Alarms, and Fighting Near at Hand Ten Days at 
 Brentwood Heavy Fatigue and Guard Duty A Man in Company 
 F Killed on the Picket Line The Paymaster in Camp Shelter Tents 
 Received How the Month of May Passed The Nine Months' Fever. 
 
 AT Nashville began the fight with that pestiferous little 
 insect known among military men as the "greyback." True, 
 a few had made his acquaintance before, but his presence had 
 not been general until the Regiment left the boats and reached 
 the old camp grounds near the city. From that time forward, 
 whatever else the command may have been short of, there 
 was seldom a time when it was not abundantly supplied with 
 this very numerous and exceedingly industrious camp fol- 
 lower. It was one of the serious annoyances of army life, 
 and no amount of care on the part of the soldier could long 
 rid him of the pest. The very ground seemed to be alive with 
 them, particularly if it was a region that had been previously 
 occupied by either army, and the boiling of the clothing and 
 the most diligent and unwearied " skirmishing " on the part of 
 the soldier served at best only to keep them in check, without 
 exterminating them ; for two or three nights and days of active 
 service, in which the clothing could not be removed, gave 
 ample assurance that the pest was still there. Nor were the 
 officers exempt from the attentions of this unwearied worker, 
 for they, too, shared the annoyance of the bite and the pleas- 
 ure that came from scratching, and were also subjected to the 
 necessity of an occasional "skirmish," as the work of hunt- 
 ing through the seams of the soldier's nether garments was 
 called.
 
 1863] ANSWERING THE SICK CALL. 99 
 
 The long trip upon the river had served to cause more or 
 less sickness, cases of jaundice being especially frequent. 
 Not a few were compelled to go to the hospitals direct from 
 the boats, and others within a few days after the march to 
 camp. The cold, disagreeable weather which had prevailed 
 throughout the trip gave way to a few warm, pleasant days, 
 not unlike what might have been expected two months later. 
 Advantage was taken of this to put the camp in prime condi- 
 tion, a large area being policed. It was interesting to watch 
 the process of cleaning up a camp ground. The men were 
 sent to the woods for brush with which to make their brooms, 
 these being constructed by tying bushes together. Then a 
 long line of soldiers would sweep off the ground in their front, 
 clearing up the entire camp from the line of the cooks' fires 
 to the color-line, and often for a considerable distance beyond. 
 The NINETY-SIXTH had by this time learned to take pride in 
 having its grounds neat, and although a few always grumbled, 
 most of the men did their work cheerfully and well. 
 
 Drilling was at once resumed, and the camp presented an 
 animated scene whenever the weather would permit of the 
 maneuvering of troops with comfort to officers and men. 
 About this time occurred several changes among the officers. 
 Surgeon Charles Martin and Second Assistant Surgeon Daniel 
 A. Sheffield, who had been absent from the Regiment for a 
 few weeks because of ill health, both resigned, leaving the 
 service February 6. Their places were not filled for some 
 time, the work of caring for the sick falling almost wholly 
 upon First Assistant Surgeon Moses Evans. His duties for 
 some weeks were very arduous, for the daily sick call was 
 responded to by a large number of men, variously afflicted. 
 It was a pitiable sight to see a half dozen or more from each 
 Company dragging themselves up to the Surgeon's tent each 
 morning, many of them thin and haggard, some suffering 
 from dysentery, others coughing violently, and still others yel- 
 low from malaria. Perhaps at no other time in the history of 
 the command, excepting at the time of or immediately follow- 
 ing a battle, was there so much required of the Surgeon.
 
 100 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 The changes among the line officers in February were 
 three. Second Lieutenant Reuben L. Root, of Company H, 
 resigned on the sixth, and was succeeded by First Sergeant 
 Joseph L. Pierce. First Lieutenant Addison B. Partridge, of 
 Company C, resigned on the sixteenth, and was succeeded by 
 Second Lieutenant William M. Loughlin, First Sergeant Chas. 
 W. Earle being promoted to Second Lieutenant. Captain 
 David Salisbury, of Company B, resigned on the seventeenth. 
 First Lieutenant Allen B. Whitney was made Captain, Second 
 Lieutenant Evangelist J. Gilmore was promoted to First 
 Lieutenant, and First Sergeant George H. Burnett to Second 
 Lieutenant. All of these newly promoted officers entered 
 upon their duties at once, although none of them were mus- 
 tered until April 4. 
 
 The 14th Kentucky having been left in Louisville, the 84th 
 Indiana and the 40th Ohio were assigned to the Brigade, Col. 
 Atkins still remaining the senior Colonel and retaining com- 
 mand. On the seventeenth the Brigade was ordered to move 
 to Franklin, but before the hour of starting the order was 
 countermanded. A few days later Col. Coburn's Brigade 
 made the march. February 25 the camp was moved about a 
 half mile toward Nashville, and three days later it was again 
 moved a short distance, to a beautiful piece of ground owned 
 by Mrs. Governor Aaron Y. Brown. A mass meeting was 
 held in Nashville on the twenty-third, speeches of the most 
 enthusiastically loyal character being made by Parson Brown- 
 low and others. Many from the Regiment attended, and 
 returned greatly pleased with the stirring addresses to which 
 they had listened. This meeting was intended as a celebra- 
 tion of Washington's Birthday, having been postponed for a 
 day because of the fact that the twenty-second came on Sun- 
 day. The artillery about Nashville did not wait for Monday, 
 but tired a salute on Sunday in honor of "The Father of his 
 Country." 
 
 Sunday, March 1, there was a grand dress parade, the five 
 Regiments composing the Brigade participating, and Col. 
 Atkins, the Brigade commander, receiving the salutes and
 
 1863] PATRIOTIC RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED. 101 
 
 afterward making a patriotic speech. The NINETY-SIXTH occu- 
 pied the left of the line. 
 
 Monday, March 2, was in some respects a memorable day. 
 As before stated, the Emancipation Proclamation, issued two 
 months before, had been the cause of much discussion among 
 the officers and men. In many of the Regiments, and parti- 
 cularly in those from the State of Kentucky, there had been 
 great dissatisfaction, and desertions were quite frequent. 
 Those who were opposed to the Proclamation were often loud 
 in their denunciation of the President, and active in their 
 attempts to produce and extend dissatisfaction among such of 
 their comrades as they could influence. There was danger 
 that this continuous agitation and these expressions of dis- 
 content would, in time, have an unfavorable influence upon 
 the men, and that, even though they did not induce still 
 further desertions, they would at all events discourage and dis- 
 hearten those who had not well-founded opinions upon the 
 question of slavery. To meet this growing discontent a meet- 
 ing of the Field, Staff and Line Officers of the Brigade was 
 held at Brigade Headquarters at nine o'clock A. M., Col. Smith 
 D. Atkins, of the 92d Illinois, being called to the chair, and 
 Adjt. I. C. Lawver acting as Secretary. After some discussion 
 a committee was appointed to draft resolutions expressive of 
 the sentiments of those present. The committee retired, and, 
 after considering the subject carefully, presented the follow- 
 ing preamble and resolutions : 
 
 WHEREAS, We, the officers and soldiers of this command, have, in 
 common with our comrades in arms, cheerfully periled our lives and every 
 earthly interest, to save to ourselves and to our posterity a country and 
 a government, the same which, in historic times, were bought with blood, 
 and established by that quality of wisdom which, though human, seems 
 divine ; and, 
 
 WHEREAS, A number of intriguing demagogues at home have 
 recently, by word and act, sought to create disaffection among us, block 
 the wheels of wise legislation, excite discontent in the public mind, and, 
 in every way, to baffle all earnest efforts to conquer the rebels ; therefore, 
 
 Resolved, That we hold in utter detestation that clique of miscreants 
 in the loyal States, who, under the garb of assumed loyalty, use the 
 stolen revenue of arch treason to excite petty treason in their own com- 
 munities ; who have no censures save for the officers of our government ; 
 no complaints, save that energetic measures are employed to crush the
 
 102 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 rebellion ; no aspirations, save to embarrass our Executive and Legisla- 
 tive Departments, and engender mutinies in our armies ; and no hopes, 
 save for an ignoble peace and the substantial triumphs of the rebels ; 
 that we regard them as enemies of our country and mankind, who, to 
 accomplish their hellish purposes, would not hesitate to blot forever from 
 the hopes of man the cherished thought of self-government ; and that 
 they merit the scorn of all loyal citizens and true-hearted soldiers, com- 
 bining, as they do, the deep guilt of the traitor with the essential mean- 
 ness of the coward. 
 
 Resolved, That, despite the frenzied efforts of our foes before us, and 
 the despicable intrigues of our other foes behind us, we will abate not 
 one jot of faith or hope ; but, believing the maintenance of our govern- 
 ment is worth all the cost expended in its establishment, we emphatically 
 assure all traitors at home, that not until we have undergone a seven 
 years' struggle (if need be) will we cease this contest, and not until we 
 have experienced such sufferings as were bravely endured at Valley 
 Forge will we begin to murmur. By all the sacrifices already made and 
 hardships endured by us ; by all the sufferings of our comrades in hospi- 
 tal and camp ; by all the precious blood which has encrimsoned our east- 
 ern and western waters ; by all the hearths made desolate, and heart-strings 
 rent asunder, because of this wicked rebellion, we do solemnly pledge 
 our honor as Americans and soldiers to see this contest through to a suc- 
 cessful issue, or yield up our lives a willing sacrifice to our country's weal. 
 
 Resolved, That we are utterly opposed to any armistice or cessation 
 of hostilities until our glorious flag of thirty-four stars waves triumph- 
 antly from the dome of every capitol in our land. 
 
 Resolved, That we fully and unequivocally indorse the policy of our 
 civil rulers, in using all necessary means to strike decisive blows at the 
 unholy rebellion, and to bring the war to a speedy, sure and glorious ter- 
 mination, so that traitors in the South may meet with deserved punish- 
 ment, and damnable traitors in the North may be brought to a terrible 
 justice, " that hemp be not created in vain." 
 
 Resolved, That to the loyal millions who encourage us in our efforts, 
 who sympathize with us in our hardships, and who rejoice with us in the 
 success of our armies, we tender such heartfelt gratitude as soldiers, 
 facing a hostile foe, only can feel. 
 
 Resolved, That to Governor Todd, of Ohio ; Governor Morton, of 
 Indiana ; and Governor Yates, of Illinois, we extend our hearty thanks 
 for their ceaseless labors in behalf of the soldiers from their respective 
 States. 
 
 That evening, at dress parade, the NINETY-SIXTH was 
 formed in a hollow square, and the resolutions were presented 
 by Captain Hicks, of Company A. The captain was a good elo- 
 cutionist, and read them admirably, awakening intense enthu- 
 siasm in the ranks. As soon as the reading was concluded, 
 Colonel Champion delivered a brief but earnest address, and
 
 1863] THE SOUND OF CANNON. 103 
 
 then called out: "As many of the soldiers of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH ILLINOIS as indorse the resolutions just read, will mani- 
 fest it by saying ' aye.' ' The ayes were numerous and enthu- 
 siastic, but, strange to say, not universal. In an instant the 
 Colonel commanded: "Sergeants, take your Companies to 
 quarters." The officers were kept together for a few moments 
 and then went to their tents. That night, in every tent, there 
 was a long discussion of the resolutions. In the light of after 
 events it is difficult to comprehend how it was that any Union 
 soldier should think for a moment of opposing them, but the 
 fact remains that there was most strenuous objections on the 
 part of a few, quite a percentage, even of the members of the 
 Illinois Regiments, not favoring the absolute emancipation of 
 the slaves. Colonel Champion caused to be forwarded to the 
 Chicago papers, and also to the papers in Lake and Jo Daviess 
 Counties, copies of the resolutions, and stated that they were 
 adopted by the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment " without a dissenting 
 voice." This was literally true, but the Colonel afterward 
 declared that he dared not put the negative for fear the nays 
 would be so numerous as not to look well for a Regiment 
 from the State which was President Lincoln's home. All of 
 the Regiments in the Brigade adopted the resolutions, but not 
 all "without a dissenting voice." 
 
 Tuesday, March 3, the command was notified to be ready 
 to march at a moment's notice, as the Brigade under Col. 
 Coburn had moved out from Franklin, and was likely to have 
 a fight. There was Company and Battalion drill, but the men 
 were kept close at hand and ready to move if called upon. 
 
 Next day there was a wild report in camp to the effect that 
 Gen. Grant and Gen. Sherman had just been terribly beaten 
 in the vicinity of Vicksburg, with a loss of 20,000 men. 
 Fortunately this report proved entirely untrue. 
 
 Thursday, March 5, the south wind wafted to the camp 
 the sound of distant cannon. The troops were busy at their 
 drill, but the ominous sounds sent them back to camp, where 
 they awaited orders. Their conversation was in a little lower 
 tones than usual, and there was somewhat less of levity in 
 the camp than was the custom. About two o'clock in the
 
 104 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 afternoon Col. Atkins galloped over to the camp, exchanged 
 a few words with Colonel Champion, and then rode away. 
 Soon after his brief call orders were given to prepare to move 
 to Franklin immediately. Tents were struck and loaded upon 
 the wagons, the sick sent to the city, and the column marched 
 to the railroad in front of the camp. 
 
 In a little while a train arrived and took on board the 84th 
 Indiana, and the 92d and 115th Illinois Regiments. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH remained in bivouac until about ten o'clock in 
 the evening, and then, together with the 40th Ohio, clambered 
 into the freight cars. The men were crowded as thickly 
 together as possible, all being obliged to stand. As a conse- 
 quence they could get little rest during the four or five hours 
 required to make the eighteen miles. A few took "deck 
 passage," riding on top of the cars. The road was none of 
 the best, the train was heavily loaded and the locomotive 
 was so worn-out that it was frequently stalled, hardly mak- 
 ing a single grade in the run without stopping, backing 
 down and having a long wait for steam. A heavy rain-storm 
 set in early in the night, and when, between two and three 
 o'clock in the morning, a final stop was made, and the tired 
 troops alighted from the cars in a cornfield, the ground was 
 thoroughly soaked, although the storm had abated somewhat. 
 The tents and all of the camp equipage had been left at Nash- 
 ville, so that the men had no protection. Some threw them- 
 selves upon the ground, wrapping their blankets about them, 
 and getting such sleep as was induced by sheer exhaustion. 
 Others stood around the camp fires, waiting for the morning 
 and wondering what it would bring. All agreed that the 
 probabilities pointed to an early engagement. Up to this 
 time there had been only surmises as to how the battle of the 
 day before had gone, but in the morning the worst fears of all 
 were realized, for it was learned from the men remaining at 
 Franklin that nearly the entire Brigade sent out on the recon- 
 noissance toward Spring Hill had been made prisoners by the 
 enemy. The advance made by this Brigade -had been ordered 
 by Gen. Rosecrans, through Gen. Gilbert the latter being in 
 command at Franklin, the intention being that they should
 
 1863] AN UNFORTUNATE ADVANCE. 105 
 
 march direct to Spring Hill, and then move to the left to meet 
 a force that had been sent out from Murfreesboro. It had 
 been supposed that Spring Hill was occupied merely as a 
 picket post, and that the main body of Rebels was at Colum- 
 bia. Col. Coburn's surprise was therefore great when, 
 about three miles out, he met a large force of the enemy 
 inarching toward Franklin. Deploying his troops he moved 
 forward, the cavalry falling back in his front. He soon 
 became satisfied that his force was greatly outnumbered, 
 and so informed Gen. Gilbert. Receiving orders to continue 
 the forward movement he advanced for some distance, and 
 then went into camp for the night, at the same time sending 
 word that he believed his position a critical one, and urging 
 that reinforcements be sent him. He was peremptorily 
 ordered to advance, however, and did move forward next 
 morning, only to find a large force upon his front and flanks. 
 Again he sent word to Gen. Gilbert that it was sheer despera- 
 tion to assume the offensive with his single Brigade ; but 
 the order to advance was repeated, with the intimation that 
 to do otherwise would be to show that he was a coward. 
 Cut to the quick by the taunt, Col. Coburn moved forward to 
 Thompson's Station, and made a gallant fight, but was soon 
 hemmed in on every side, and, after some ineffectual attempts 
 to cut his way out, concluded that it was inhuman to further 
 sacrifice the brave men under his charge, and surrendered, 
 first exhausting his limited supply of ammunition. His cav- 
 alry, a battery of artillery, and his train and train guards 
 retreated in time, and reached Franklin in safety ; but about 
 two-thirds of the 22d Wisconsin, eight companies of the 19th 
 Michigan, and all of the 33d and 85th Indiana, 1,800 or 2,000 
 in all, were captured. After events fully confirmed Col. 
 Coburn's belief that there were 15,000 rebels in the army with 
 which he had been contending with his force of perhaps 2,500 
 men. The prisoners were sent to Richmond and paroled, 
 returning to Tennessee in June following. 
 
 At the time of the arrival of the Brigade to which the 
 NINETY-SIXTH belonged there were in Franklin only Gen. Gil- 
 bert's Division, a few cavalry, one battery, a small number of
 
 106 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 stragglers, some sick and wounded men, and a remnant of the 
 22d Wisconsin, which had effected their escape from the enemy 
 just before the surrender by Col. Coburn. The tents, con- 
 taining much of the baggage of the captured Regiments, were 
 still standing and looked lonesome and deserted enough. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH, with the other Regiments of the Bri- 
 gade, stood about in the mud and rain during all of Friday ; 
 but just at dusk the wagons arrived from Nashville, tents were 
 pitched, and the night was passed in a semi-comfortable way. 
 The camp was located near the railroad track, on the north 
 side of the river, and a half mile distant from the village. 
 The surroundings were pleasant, and as this region figures 
 quite extensively in the Regiment's history, it should be briefly 
 described. To the rear, looking in the direction of Nashville, 
 the country was broken, high points being numerous. The 
 most conspicuous of these was Roper's Knob, a bold peak 
 used as a station by the Federal Signal Corps. This was a 
 half mile or more from camp. Just to the left of camp the 
 railroad wound through a deep cut, emerging from this depres- 
 sion a short distance below. The pike leading to Nashville 
 was a short distance to the right. To the front and left, on 
 the north bank of the river, was the beginning of what after- 
 ward became a formidable earthwork, known as Fort Granger. 
 On the south bank of the river was clustered the pleasant 
 village of Franklin. From the village, roads or pikes led in 
 various directions, and from the height on which the camp was 
 located a fair view of the open fields beyond the village could 
 be had. Near the camp were a few large houses, mostly of 
 brick. There were heavy bodies of timber in all directions, 
 but generally at quite a distance from the camp. On the open 
 fields, stretching to the southward from the village and in 
 plain view from this camp, was to be fought, long months 
 afterward, one of the most desperate battles of the war, and 
 in that battle the Regiment was to have a part ; but this was 
 not to be until it had marched and fought, again and again, 
 far to the southward. 
 
 Saturday, March 7, it was confidently expected that an 
 advance would be made, and throughout the forenoon the
 
 1863] Two MEN MADE PRISONERS. 107 
 
 troops held themselves in readiness to leave camp at a 
 moment's notice. The wind blew a gale all day. Extra 
 .ammunition was issued, and the arms of the men were in- 
 spected to make sure that all were in fighting trim. During 
 the afternoon, it having become apparent that there would be 
 no forward movement that day, several members of the Regi- 
 ment asked and obtained permission to visit Roper's Knob. 
 Two of them, James Pimley and Patrick Conway, both of 
 Company F, went from the Knob to a house near by to 
 procure some butter, and were captured by a squad of the 
 enemy's cavalry that chanced to be scouting in the neighbor- 
 hood. They were the first members of the Regiment cap- 
 tured. Both were exchanged, and returned in time to take 
 part in the battle of Chickamauga, where Pimley was killed 
 and Conway seriously wounded. For a more circumstantial 
 account of their experiences reference is made to the chapter 
 on "Prisons and Prisoners of War," in another part of this 
 volume. During Sunday the troops sent out from Murfrees- 
 boro, under the command of Gen. Sheridan, and which it had 
 been expected Col. Co burn's Brigade would meet at or near 
 Rally Hill, made a detour and reached Franklin. Other forces 
 arrived from Nashville, and by Sunday night some 15,000 
 troops, including quite a force of cavalry, had been concen- 
 trated. Every day the cavalry reconnoitered in various direc- 
 tions, making sure that the enemy had not again moved to- 
 ward or past Franklin. 
 
 Monday, March 9, the little army moved southward, the 
 main body upon the Columbia pike. Every man had three 
 days' rations in his haversack, and twenty rounds of ammu- 
 nition in his pockets in addition to the forty rounds in his 
 cartridge-box. Tents were struck and loaded upon the wagons, 
 but the wagons did not follow. The cavalry led the column, 
 and maneuvered on the flanks. The enemy's cavalry was 
 encountered a few miles out, but fell back without serious 
 resistance, although at times the skirmishing was lively, and 
 -occasionally the artillery was called into use. It was a strange 
 spectacle to watch the movements of the advance troops. 
 Deployed in line of battle on either side of the pike, they
 
 108 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y.I. 
 
 stretched away across the fields. As fences were approached! 
 one man in four would dismount, run forward and throw back 
 the rails from every other corner, so that the horses could 
 pass without breaking the line for more than a few seconds. 
 The work of throwing down a fence required but a moment, 
 often a mile or more being made ready for the passage of the 
 line of battle in as little time as would be required to throw 
 open an ordinary gate. When a stone wall was encountered 
 there was a little longer delay, and the gaps would be less 
 frequent, but in a very few moments the wall would be made 
 easy of passage, and the labor of the wall-layers for long 
 months would be undone. 
 
 Near Thompson's Station and Spring Hill there were many 
 marks of the disastrous battle of the fourth. Most of the 
 white men had apparently followed the army southward, for, 
 except in rare instances, only women and negroes occupied 
 the houses along the line of march. Gen. Sheridan's Division 
 led the advance of the infantry forces the greater part of the 
 day, but toward night Gen. Granger's command moved to the 
 front, passing Sheridan's troops in bivouac. That night the 
 Regiment, with other troops, camped in an open field in front 
 of a large farm house, having marched a dozen miles. Upon 
 the arrival of the command there was a board fence upon one- 
 side of the pike and a rail fence upon the other, but in half 
 an hour not a vestige of these remained, except here and there 
 a fence post that had been set so deep that it could not easily 
 ,be pulled out. The troops being without tents, the fencing 
 was used to provide shelter and fuel for the night. All felt 
 that they were in an enemy's country, and that there should 
 no longer be any restraint in the confiscation of property when 
 the comfort and well-being of the soldiers was under consid- 
 eration. The region was rich in supplies, and the troops 
 fared sumptuously, fresh pork, bacon, potatoes, poultry,, 
 tobacco and honey being secured in liberal amounts. The 
 day had been pleasant, but before midnight a drenching rain 
 set in, making it most uncomfortable for the soldiers. 
 
 Tuesday, March 10, the cavalry again took the lead, 
 beginning to skirmish with the enemy almost as soon as
 
 18C3] IN SIGHT OF REBEL CAMP FIRES. 109 
 
 they left camp. A few shells came over from the front, 
 bursting near the Regiment, the first that had ever been 
 fired at the command. The advance was cautions, the infan- 
 try moving forward well to the front, advancing two or three 
 times and then halting, as if there was an expectation that 
 the enemy would resist the attack, and perhaps assume the 
 offensive. After a time the cavalry moved more rapidly, and 
 the firing receded. About noon the order "forward "was 
 given to the infantry, and a very rapid march of six or eight 
 miles was made, the column occasionally breaking into a 
 double quick. Then came a brief halt, and later a further 
 advance of a half mile was ordered. All day the artillery, 
 which accompanied the cavalry, shelled the woods in front, 
 and a lively skirmish fire was kept up, but with few casualties. 
 At six o'clock the troops went into bivouac in the woods, in 
 close proximity to the enemy, the pickets exchanging shots 
 and the camp fires of either army being plainly visible to the 
 other. It was the nearest approach to the enemy that the 
 Regiment had yet made, and all felt that a battle was immi- 
 nent. The rain, which had been falling moderately through- 
 out the day, increased as night came on, but ceased at ten 
 o'clock, the weather turning severely cold. The troops hav- 
 ing been subjected to so much exposure and fatigue, and the 
 night being so unpleasant, the usual detail for picket was 
 omitted and an entire Company sent out for four hours, when 
 a fresh Company was called up and sent to relieve them. It 
 is to be feared that had army regulations been strictly en- 
 forced, and every man found asleep on his post that night 
 been given the full sentence of the law, there would have 
 been several executions during the days immediately succeed- 
 ing, for certain it is that there were some who could not, or 
 did not, keep awake. This is not to be wondered at when it 
 is remembered that the command had been given little oppor- 
 tunity to sleep the previous night, and that many had slept but 
 little since leaving Nashville, five days before. 
 
 Wednesday, March 11, the cavalry and artillery engaged 
 the enemy, and quite a lively skirmish took place at one of 
 the crossings of Duck River and at Rutherford Creek. The
 
 110 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 water was so high that the formidable streams could not be 
 crossed, and as it was not practicable to bridge them, no 
 further advance was attempted. A few prisoners were taken 
 and a few of the cavalry were killed or wounded. Exagger- 
 ated reports as to the losses and gains came from the troopers 
 at the front, but the day passed without any general move- 
 ment of the infantry forces. 
 
 Thursday, March 12, the entire command marched back 
 to Franklin, Gen. Sheridan's Division taking the lead. While 
 there was plainly no cause for hurrying, yet Sheridan's vet- 
 erans led off at a rapid pace, evidently undertaking to show 
 Granger's troops how to march. The entire distance of about 
 twenty or twenty-two miles was traveled in seven and one- 
 half hours, the camp ground at Franklin being reached at four 
 o'clock in the afternoon. It was a very severe and unneces- 
 sarily rapid march, many of the men falling out from sheer 
 exhaustion, those from Sheridan's Division being quite as 
 numerous as in the command that followed them. Subse- 
 quently the report was current that two Division commanders 
 had made a wager of a basket of champagne as to the ability 
 of their commands to march ; if so, it was a most heartless 
 undertaking, for quite a number of the men were entirely 
 used up by this experience. Next day Gen. Sheridan's Divis- 
 ion resumed their march, making a leisurely trip to Murfrees- 
 boro. Thus ended what has gone into history as the Duck 
 River campaign. 
 
 March 13 and 14 were given to resting, and clearing up 
 the camp grounds, although on the latter day there was an 
 inspection of all the troops by Gen. Granger, Gens. Gilbert, 
 Baird and Smith being with him. The men were ordered to 
 keep three days' cooked rations in their haversacks, and to be 
 ready to move at a moment's notice, it apparently being 
 expected that the enemy would make an attack on Franklin 
 and attempt to drive our forces back to Nashville. 
 
 Sunday, March 15, eighty men were detailed from the 
 NINETY-SIXTH to work on the fort, and on the twentieth one 
 hundred men were called for. On the twenty-second the 
 entire Regiment was on picket duty across the river, going
 
 1863] A NIGHT MARCH TO BRENTWOOD. Ill 
 
 out at daylight and remaining for twenty-four hours, the line 
 of the Regiment entirely surrounding the village, and both 
 flanks resting on the river. There was some excitement 
 through the night, and a little picket tiring. Only a night or 
 two before a Captain from one of the other Regiments was 
 killed by a Rebel scout, and the knowledge of this served to 
 keep the soldiers unusually vigilant. Matters remained quiet 
 until the twenty-fifth, at which time there was a report of 
 trouble in the rear, and skirmishing was going on all around 
 the lines, the Rebel cavalry approaching so near as to ex- 
 change shots with the pickets, and threatening to attack the 
 post. It soon transpired that the remnant of the 22d Wis- 
 consin and two Companies of the 19th Michigan, which had 
 been guarding a bridge at Brentwood, about midway between 
 Nashville and Franklin and which were the real objects of 
 attack had found themselves surrounded by a large infantry 
 force at daylight in the morning, and were compelled to sur- 
 render. The NINETY-SIXTH, as well as the other troops in 
 camp at Franklin, were kept in line until nine o'clock in the 
 evening, but the commander did not attempt to make any 
 aggressive movement. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh the NINETY-SIXTH, with the 92d 
 Illinois Infantry, 6th Kentucky Cavalry and 9th Ohio Battery 
 left Franklin at five o'clock in the afternoon and marched 
 back to Brentwood in a pouring rain storm. The distance 
 traveled was about nine miles, a halt being made at half-past 
 ten. The night was terribly dark, the roads muddy, and the 
 men pretty thoroughly tired with their long walk. A deep 
 and rapid stream had to be forded on the way. When the 
 wagons finally came up and were unloaded there was much 
 trouble experienced in erecting the tents, as the camp ground 
 was on a stony hillside, and the rain was pouring down in 
 torrents. The underlying rocks prevented the driving of 
 tent stakes, but all were put up after a fashion, and, a few 
 rails being secured, most of the men spent the balance of the 
 night in an upright position, the rails being laid down and 
 the knapsacks placed upon them and thus kept out of the wet. 
 Sometimes the soldiers, sitting upon their knapsacks, would
 
 1 12 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 sleep so soundly as to lose all consciousness, and fall over 
 into the mud and water. Often streams of water poured 
 through the tents, and the night was a thoroughly disagreeable 
 one. The next morning the soldiers spent an hour or two in 
 looking over the partially burned camps of the captured 
 troops, reading their letters, looking at photographs, and 
 speculating as to how the ''accident" happened. During the 
 forenoon the entire command went into camp near the rail- 
 road bridge, the infantry beginning the work of fortifying its 
 position, while the cavalry reconnoitered the surrounding 
 country. Major J. C. Smith, of the NINETY-SIXTH, laid out a 
 line of earthworks capable of accommodating the two regi- 
 ments of infantry. The trench was in a zig-zag shape, about 
 six feet wide, and so deep that the men would be protected 
 while loading. There was a bench on either side for them to 
 stand upon while firing, the works having the advantage of 
 facing either way. The timber and orchards in the immediate 
 front were cut, and heavy timbers, rolled upon skids, served 
 as head-logs, under which the men could place their muskets if 
 called upon to fire from their position. In front of the works 
 an abatis was constructed from the limbs of the trees. The 
 branches were sharpened, and hooked stakes driven into the 
 ground to hold down the limbs. These earthworks ran along 
 the crest of a hill and commanded the country for quite a dis- 
 tance in every direction. The men worked zealously in con- 
 structing them, and a few negroes in the neighborhood were 
 compelled to assist. There was at least one white citizen called 
 upon to do a couple of days' work in the trenches. He was 
 a resident physician, who had the audacity to ask for a pass to 
 go in and out of the lines, by day or night, but who declined 
 to take the iron-clad oath to give no information to the enemy 
 under penalty of death, or to swear that he was and would 
 remain a loyal citizen. The Doctor did not really enjoy 
 working side b} r side with his own negroes at hard, manual 
 labor, and at the end of two days was so thoroughly used up 
 that Major Smith relieved him. Although a little careful, 
 owing to the disaster that had happened to Coburn's troops, 
 the men made more or less excursions into the country, and
 
 ' '
 
 1863] PIECING OUT ARMY RATIONS. 113 
 
 more than one citizen was doubtless surprised on attempting 
 to niilk his cows in the morning to find that he had been 
 anticipated by the Yankees. There was considerable foraging 
 in the neighborhood, and the boys were quick to possess them- 
 selves of anything that came in their way, provided only that 
 there was no safeguard about the place, being certain that the 
 military authorities had sifted out the truly loyal people and 
 given them ample protection. A mill in the neighborhood 
 was set in operation, and quite an amount of meal ground out 
 and issued to the men, thus adding to the variety of their 
 rations. There was more or less suffering from scurvy, owing 
 to a lack of vegetables, which was partially relieved through 
 the efforts of the officers, who made an urgent request for 
 potatoes, cabbage, and other edibles in this line. Here, as at 
 many other points during the early part of the Regiment's 
 service, and while the command was in easy communication 
 with the North, many boxes, filled at the homes of the 
 soldiers with butter, fruit and other things not on the list of 
 army rations, came by express, bringing good cheer and add- 
 ing to the happiness and health of all. The picket duty of 
 the command was very heavy at Brentwood, two or three 
 Companies being called for every twenty-four hours, besides 
 daily details for camp guard. On one occasion, when an 
 attack was apprehended, all of the camp kettles and mess- 
 pans were filled with water and taken to the rifle-pits, so that 
 the troops should not suffer from thirst in the event of a siege 
 of a day or two, 
 
 An incident of the stay at Brentwood was the dressing 
 up of an ancient donkey that had wandered through the 
 camp. The boys arrayed the animal in military clothing, 
 using cast-off garments, tied on his head a hat decorated with 
 an ample amount of brass and feathers, and put on either 
 shoulder a large shoulder-strap. Thus arrayed, the animal 
 went here and there about the camp, braying out his protesta- 
 tions against this unusual treatment. The officers and men 
 enjoyed the sport, the former assuming that at all events it 
 must be some one higher in authority than themselves whom 
 the soldiers were trying to "take off." 
 8
 
 114 HISTORY OF THE 96'fH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 On Sunday, April 5, the new Chaplain of the Regiment,, 
 Rev. Horace G. Woodworth, who had been mustered in 
 March 22, and had just reached the command, preached an 
 able sermon. He was a man of fine ability, and was very 
 entertaining. His sermons were of a character to inspire 
 the men to patriotic action and honorable living. About the 
 same time Dr. Byron G. Pierce came to the Regiment and 
 entered upon his duties as Surgeon, to which position he had 
 been commissioned. There was considerable excitement in 
 camp on the fifth, as an attack was expected, the Rebel cav- 
 alry being in the neighborhood. They evidently found the 
 force too wide awake, and concluded to retire without even 
 attempting to take the command prisoners. 
 
 Here twenty men from the Regiment were detached, under 
 Lieutenant William M. Loughlin, of Company C, and entered 
 an organization known as the Pioneer Corps, being subse- 
 quently transferred to the 1st Regiment of United States Vet- 
 eran Yolunteer Engineers. In a subsequent chapter will be 
 found a detailed statement as to their organization and work. 
 
 On the 8th of April a Division of Infantry, under Gen. 
 Morgan, arrived from Nashville, and the NINETY-SIXTH, with 
 the other portions of Baird's Division, marched back to 
 Franklin, leaving Brentwood at five o'clock and reaching 
 Franklin at eight p. M. The ninth was spent in fixing up the 
 very dirty camp-ground, nearly the entire day being con- 
 sumed. The Regiment was usually called at four o'clock in 
 the morning, as were all the troops at Franklin, then num- 
 bering about 5,000 infantry and 2, TOO cavalry, and stood to- 
 arms until after daylight. Indeed, throughout the entire stay 
 at Franklin this was the rule, the men being obliged to stand 
 in line, or engage in drilling if they preferred, for at least an 
 hour before daylight every morning, and occasionally reveille 
 sounded as early as three o'clock. The weather was often damp 
 and the mornings almost always foggy, so that this duty was 
 very severe. There was a great deal of complaint about it 
 at the time, although there is little doubt that those morning 
 drills at Franklin added materially to the efficiency of the 
 command in after months.
 
 1863] A FIGHT AT FRANKLIN. 115 
 
 Friday, April 10, at about noon, firing was heard on the 
 picket lines in front of town, and in an instant all was excite- 
 ment at the camp. With hardly a moment's delay the line 
 was formed, and the Regiment ready for service whenever 
 needed. Artillery at the fort began throwing shells to a point 
 far beyond the picket line, quickly getting range and doing 
 considerable execution. This was responded to for a time, 
 the flashing of the rebel guns being distinctly visible from camp, 
 and a few of their shot striking just outside of the fort. The 
 Rebels, under Gen. Van Dorn, charged directly upon the 
 picket lines, most of their forces being upon the Lewisburg 
 pike, just south of the village. The 40th Ohio was on picket 
 that day, and gave the saucy troopers a hot salute as they 
 came up, checking their advance, but only for a few moments, 
 for soon the cavalry charged again, this time riding past the 
 picket line and directly into town. Some of the more reck- 
 less riders made their way almost to the pontoon bridge, and 
 one or two were shot close to the river and only a few rods 
 from the fort. The main force halted in the village, where 
 they were harrassed by the 40th boys and the patrol guards, 
 who took shelter in houses and kept up a continuous firing 
 upon the disorganized raiders. Soon Gen. Van Dorn seemed 
 to become convinced that the force upon the north side of the 
 river was one with which he did not care to cope, and accord- 
 ingly he ordered the recall sounded, his forces galloping 
 southward as rapidly as they had entered town, the Union 
 pickets giving them a parting salute as they rode away, which 
 brought a number of them to the ground. The advance had 
 been made with a large force, and apparently with a good 
 deal of determination, and as the force at Franklin was not 
 large, it is difficult to understand why the attack was so readily 
 abandoned. At this very time Gen. Stanley, with a large force 
 of cavajry, was moving from Murfreesboro toward Spring Hill, 
 and it may have been that Gen. Van Dorn thought to make a 
 dash upon Franklin for the purpose of capturing the regiment on 
 outpost duty, and diverting the Union forces from their south- 
 ward trip. It seemed a useless sacrifice of life to go so far 
 with a movement and then abandon it. Just what the Rebel
 
 116 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 loss was cannot be told, but nineteen of their dead and quite a 
 number of their wounded were left in and around the village, 
 and it was known that several wagons or ambulances were 
 driven close up to the outposts and filled with those who had 
 been disabled. The 40th made a gallant fight, and lost six 
 killed or mortally wounded, a few injured and ten captured. 
 
 The fighting lasted until two o'clock. Col. Atkins' Bri- 
 gade, the NINETY-SIXTH leading, marched out across the river 
 at four o'clock, following the retreating forces some four or 
 five miles. Men and horses lay where they had fallen as the 
 column filed out through town and past the picket lines. A 
 short distance out an advance guard was thrown forward, and 
 a little later four Companies of the Regiment were deployed 
 as skirmishers, but the enemy did not resist the advance, 
 although there was some skirmish firing on the part of the 
 troops directly at the left of the Regiment. Just at dusk the 
 Brigade halted, in line of battle, along a stone wall, only a 
 short distance from where a heavy force of the enemy had 
 made a stand upon a line of hills that lay at right angles to 
 the pike, remaining in that position until about ten o'clock 
 p. M., when they returned to Franklin, reaching camp about 
 midnight. 
 
 On the eleventh the cavalry moved out to the front and 
 engaged the enemy, the sound of firearms being heard in 
 camp a considerable part of the day. Their expedition was 
 fairly successful, quite a number of prisoners being taken 
 without serious loss to the Union forces. 
 
 Sunday, April 12, Chaplain Woodworth again preached. 
 Everything was quiet at the front, and the usual dress parade 
 was had in the evening. All of the time during the stay at 
 Franklin heavy guard details were required to picket the rear 
 of the little army, but south of the river the picketing was 
 done by regiments and not by details. 
 
 Tuesday, April 14, the Regiment was on picket on the 
 south side of the river, having its headquarters at the cotton 
 press, which afterward became historic ; the line being formed 
 at the very point where, a year and a half later, Hood's forces 
 charged with such dash and courage against the lines of the
 
 1863] A MAN KILLED ION PICKET. 117 
 
 4th and 23d Corps, only to be beaten back so terribly defeated 
 as to be of little further service to the Confederacy. It was 
 anything but agreeable weather, as rain fell much of the time 
 throughout the day and night. During the day everything 
 was quiet on .the line, but at night there was more or less 
 firing, and James M. Scott, of Company F, was killed. The 
 advance line, under the order of their commanding officer, 
 fell back a short distance, and the relief post was aroused, 
 but no further trouble occurred during the night. Next night 
 a rebel was shot, close to the spot where Scott fell, by a mem- 
 ber of the .Regiment that relieved the NINETY-SIXTH on the 
 morning of the sixteenth. He was crawling up to the lines, 
 probably intending to kill another Yankee. 
 
 "Wednesday, April 15, the Regiment returned to camp 
 and spent the day in resting and cleaning up. On the six- 
 teenth the remains of Scott were buried with military honors. 
 He was but twenty, and had always been a favorite in the 
 Regiment. The funeral was an impressive one, the entire 
 command attending the services. In the afternoon there was 
 battalion drill. 
 
 Friday, April 17, Maj. Terrell visited the camp and gave 
 the men four months' pay each. His visit was most welcome, 
 for the officers and soldiers had long been short of funds. 
 The first questions with most of the men after receiving their 
 pay, were, "What shall I do with it ? How shall I send it 
 home ? How much of it can I spare ? As a rule, $40 or 
 more of the $52 received by the privates was sent home 
 through the State Agent, an officer appointed by the Governor 
 to look after the Illinois troops. At that time the express 
 companies would make no guaranty of safe delivery, as on a 
 portion of the route northward they considered the risk too 
 great. Many had sutlers' bills to pay, and a few retained a 
 little change to invest in chuck-luck and draw-poker. During 
 the day there were rumors of an attack by the Rebels, but 
 quiet was maintained. 
 
 The next week was spent rather quietly, although almost 
 every day heavy details were made for work on the fortifica- 
 tions. Friday, April 24, the Regiment was again on picket
 
 118 HISTORY OF THE 9$TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 across the river, having a quiet time. On the twenty-sixth 
 Captain J. P. Black, of Company E, resigned. First Lieutenant 
 William F. Taylor was promoted to Captain, Second Lieutenant 
 Halsey H. Richardson to First Lieutenant, and First Sergeant 
 Sidney B. Funk to Second Lieutenant. Two days later First 
 Lieutenant Samuel H. Bayne, of Company H, resigned, and 
 was succeeded by Second Lieutenant Joseph L. Pierce ; First 
 Sergeant George F. Barnes being promoted to Second Lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 Monday, April 27, the Regiment was detailed for wood- 
 chopping and started for Brigade Headquarters, when there 
 was an alarm, and the order was given to countermarch and 
 prepare for a fight. They immediately marched to town, 
 crossing the river on the pontoon bridge, but were at once 
 directed to countermarch and again started for camp. On 
 the way they were a second time ordered to the front, this 
 time crossing the river on the railroad bridge and taking up 
 position near the depot, where they remained in line for an 
 hour or more. Meanwhile the cavalry, under Col. Watkins, 
 which had been out on a surprise visit to some Rebel camps, 
 sent word that all was going well, and the NINETY-SIXTH was 
 ordered to return to camp and proceed with its woodchopping. 
 Later in the day the cavalry returned with 123 prisoners, 300 
 horses and mules, eight wagons, and a complete camp outfit 
 for quite a force, the expedition having been remarkably 
 successful. 
 
 The experience of the Regiment in the woods that day 
 was an interesting one. The column, when it left its position 
 near the depot, passed out near its camp and up over the side 
 of Roper's Knob, halting on the plantation of a man whose 
 family was living quietly under the protection of the old Flag 
 while he was serving as an officer in Bragg's army at the 
 front. On the plantation was a beautiful forest or park of 
 some forty or fifty acres, embracing a great variety of timber, 
 including oak, elm, ash, hickory, cottonwood, maple, beech, 
 and probably other kinds. The trees had been nicely trimmed, 
 there being hardly a branch lower than twenty feet from the 
 ground ; but the Rebel forces had been threatening to make
 
 1863] SHELTER TENTS RECEIVED. 119 
 
 a dash upon the camp from the direction of this timber, and 
 the commander had determined to make that plantation im- 
 passable for cavalry. The Regiment, probably numbering 
 600 men, received about one-half that number of axes, and 
 were accordingly counted off in two reliefs. Then began the 
 work of destruction, 300 axemen raining heavy blows upon 
 these beautiful trees. Usually two men worked on the same 
 tree, and it was a musical chorus as the sharp and heavy 
 axes rained their rapid blows upon the doomed forest. In 
 ten minutes there was a crash ; then another and another, until 
 they came in such rapidity that the sound of falling timber 
 was almost continuous. This was kept up all through the 
 forenoon and until the middle of the afternoon, special pains 
 being taken to fell the trees in such a way that their tops 
 should interlace and cross each other. When one relief had 
 worked an hour the other relief would be called up and go to 
 take its place. It really seemed almost too bad to destroy 
 this beautiful park, but the fact that its owner was a Rebel, 
 and that cutting the timber would protect one side of the 
 camp from attack, entirely reconciled a great majority of the 
 men to the destruction of the beautiful forest. By four or 
 five o'clock in the afternoon there were hardly a dozen trees 
 standing, the few remaining being in a position where they 
 could not be readily reached, owing to the fact that the tops 
 of other trees had fallen all around them. Not an accident 
 occurred that was at all serious, although there were some 
 narrow escapes from falling trees. 
 
 Wednesday, April 29, the Regiment received shelter tents, 
 and turned over to the Quartermaster the large Bell tents 
 drawn at Danville. There was much feeling among the men 
 regarding the matter, as they were strongly prejudiced against 
 the shelter tents, or, as they were then called, the "dog 
 tents" or "pup tents"; but the order had been received, 
 and most of the other regiments about Franklin had already 
 made the change. Orders were given to strike the Bell tents, 
 but no sooner were they down than a tremendous rain storm 
 set in. There had been little preparation for the change, and 
 as a result the men were obliged to pack up their things.
 
 120 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Most of them put on their ponchos and endeavored to pro- 
 tect their earthly effects until such time as the rain should 
 cease, and they be permitted to go to the timber, some dis- 
 tance from the camp, and secure tent poles. Showers were 
 frequent all day, but in the intervals between them the tents 
 were erected, and the men made themselves at home. During 
 the afternoon Gen. Granger came riding along near the color 
 line. In an instant the men began to disappear, much as prairie 
 dogs on the western plains dive into their holes when a trav- 
 eler approaches, while all along the line there came the great- 
 est possible variety of barking, whining and yelping that can 
 be imagined. The probable intention, so far as there was any 
 plan in it, was to impress the General with the fact that they 
 knew that these were ' ' dog tents. " The General looked indig- 
 nant but said nothing. In a very short time, however, the men 
 were more than reconciled to the change, and at no time in 
 their after experience would they have voluntarily given up 
 these shelter tents for any others ever made. Perhaps" these 
 tents should be described at this point. To each man was 
 given a piece of cotton cloth, five feet six inches square. The 
 edges were made double, by a strip three or four inches wide 
 being sewed across them. At each of the two lower corners 
 a loop of rope was fastened so that stakes might be driven 
 through them into the ground. At the upper edge there was a 
 row of buttons and button holes. Two men would button their 
 pieces of tent together, drive a pair of stakes four and a half 
 feet in length into the ground, lay a pole six feet long across 
 the top of the stakes, and over these place their tent, fasten- 
 ing the lower corners to the ground with tent pins. There 
 being no protection at the ends they were certainly very 
 thoroughly ventilated, but they were easily put up, and at the 
 end of a march there was no waiting for the wagons to come 
 up before the men could be provided with shelter. In case of a 
 storm they were easily shifted so that the rain could not sift in 
 on the sides, or, if it was impracticable to change the position 
 of the tents, then a poncho could be fastened on the windward 
 side. Usually, where there was a probability of remaining in 
 camp for more than a day, four men would join together and
 
 
 C. W. POMEROY, 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 (Copied from a war-time photograph.)

 
 1863] SURPLUS TEAMS SENT TO NASHVILLE. 121 
 
 put up their tents so that they would lap each other. As the 
 days grew longer and the weather became hotter the men 
 erected shades above these tents. Crotches were set in the 
 ground and poles laid across them, evergreens or the limbs of 
 other trees being cut and placed over them. In this way the 
 camp was protected from the direct rays of the sun, and the 
 quarters made not only very comfortable but really very pleas- 
 ant to look upon. 
 
 Thursday, April 30, was a day set apart by President Lincoln 
 for fasting and prayer throughout the nation. The command- 
 ing General issued an order directing that the day should be 
 observed ; as a consequence there was no formal drill, but, in 
 the forenoon, it being the last day of the month, there was 
 muster and inspection. In the afternoon the Chaplain 
 preached an excellent sermon. Toward evening the other 
 Division was called in line, and started out toward the front, 
 the cavalry, under Col. Campbell, accompanying them. There 
 was expectation of the capture of a rebel camp, but next day 
 the troops returned without having accomplished all that was 
 intended, although they had taken part in a lively engagement 
 and routed the enemy, capturing a few prisoners. Rumor had 
 it that a citizen had notified the camp that the Yankees were 
 coming, just in time to prevent a surprise and capture. 
 
 As the men were to carry their own tents from this time 
 forward, there was no longer need of so many Regimental 
 wagons. Accordingly orders were issued to turn over to the 
 Quartermaster at Nashville all surplus teams, leaving four to 
 each Regiment. Friday, May 1, the extra teams and wagons 
 of all the troops at Franklin were given in charge of Lieu- 
 tenant Burnett, of Company B, who, with a large detail of 
 guards, escorted them to the rear. As they neared Brentwood 
 the enemy's cavalry were seen hovering on the flank, watch- 
 ing an opportunity to rush in and capture or destroy the train. 
 The troops at Brentwood were notified and came to the rescue, 
 so that no trouble resulted, although for a time the danger 
 was imminent. They went into park at Brentwood, and next 
 day proceeded to Nashville, where a delay of some days
 
 122 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 occurred before the receipt of the busy Quartermaster could 
 be obtained. The detail then returned to Franklin by rail. 
 
 Monday, May 4, the Regiment was again on picket. 
 During the day the artillerymen were practicing with their 
 .guns from the fort, firing directly over the picket line. One 
 shell burst close to the line, the fuse probably having been cut 
 too short, but no harm was done. All was quiet through the 
 night and until toward morning, when there was a little firing 
 by the cavalry videttes in front. 
 
 There had been considerable scurvy in the Regiment from 
 the time of leaving Danville, but potatoes and other vegeta- 
 bles had been issued, and the command was now in much 
 better health. There was but little drilling except before day- 
 light in the morning, but almost every day there were heavy 
 details at work upon the fort or at Roper's Knob, or in cut- 
 ting timber in the neighborhood, so that the men received 
 sufficient exercise, and were really in good health. 
 
 Newspapers could be had at ten cents each. Those from 
 Nashville were usually received the day on which they were 
 published ; those from Louisville the day after their issue from 
 the press ; while those from Cincinnati and Chicago were from 
 two to four days old. As both money and time were plenty 
 these papers found ready sale, particularly during the early 
 days of the month, when all eyes were turned toward the 
 army of the Potomac, as it again essayed to take Richmond. 
 Great was the disappointment when news came that Fighting 
 Joe Hooker had met with disaster at Chancellorsville, and his 
 army had again been withdrawn toward "Washington. 
 
 On the sixth the Regiment was detailed for wood chop- 
 ping, and cut down a large amount of timber in rear of Roper's 
 Knob. The day was rainy and unpleasant, and the work any- 
 thing but agreeable. The season had now so far advanced that 
 the trees were almost in full foliage, and small grain was 
 approaching maturity. The river was so near to camp that 
 the men could bathe with little trouble, and for an hour just 
 at dusk daily there was a lively scene not far from camp, many 
 taking their first lessons in swimming, and enjoying the sport 
 with keen zest.
 
 1863] How TO MAKE "SLAP-JACKS." 123 
 
 Rations were fairly abundant, and there was a great improve- 
 ment in the methods of cooking them. A brick oven was 
 constructed by every Company, and much of the beef issued 
 was nicely roasted, instead of being boiled. Flour was issued 
 and "soft bread" baked, the cooks using peach leaves in 
 place of hops, and finding them a very good substitute. Bis 
 cuit, pancakes and even cookies were indulged in. The fol- 
 lowing recipe for making pancakes or "slapjacks," as they 
 were called is copied from an old letter of one of the Publi- 
 cation Committee of this work : "To one quart of water add 
 one teaspoouful of salaratus (bought from the sutler at 35 
 cents a pound), three tablespoonsful of vinegar, and stir to a 
 thick paste with flour ; then salt to taste. It makes them bet- 
 ter to let them stand over night before cooking." The rations 
 issued consisted of salt pork, bacon, fresh beef, hardtack, flour, 
 beans, dried peas, coifee, sugar, candles, vinegar, rice, salt, 
 pepper, and sometimes black tea, molasses and potatoes. On 
 the march or in active campaigning many of these articles 
 were omitted, but the hardtack, salt meat and coffee could 
 generally be expected once in three days, that being the usual 
 period for which rations were issued. 
 
 During the month Dr. Frederick W. Byers, who had been 
 commissioned Second Assistant Surgeon, joined the Regi- 
 ment, thus making full the medical staff of the command. 
 Second Lieutenant Hiram W. Farnsworth, of Company G, 
 resigned, and was succeeded by First Sergeant James O. 
 Havens. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh the resignation of Captain Alexan- 
 der Burnett, of Company H, was accepted, First Lieutenant 
 Joseph L. Pierce being promoted to the place made vacant ; 
 Second Lieutenant George F. Barnes being commissioned 
 First Lieutenant, and First Sergeant Charles H. Yates being 
 promoted to Second Lieutenant. This made an entire change 
 of the commissioned officers in that Company within a period 
 of less than four months. 
 
 On the eighth Colonel Champion returned from an absence 
 of some weeks, having been home on sick leave. During 
 the tenth the Chaplain did double duty, preaching two ser-
 
 124 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 mons, a somewhat unusual undertaking for an army Chaplain. 
 On the eleventh there was an inspection and grand review of 
 the troops. On the twelfth the Regiment was wood chopping, 
 and a large amount of work was done. On the fifteenth 
 drill was taken up with a little more regularity. On the six- 
 teenth the Regiment was on picket again across the river, but 
 all was quiet. On the nineteenth occurred the first full- 
 fledged Brigade drill, the troops having to march about two 
 miles to find a piece of level ground on which they could 
 maneuver, and all be in sight of their commander. On the 
 twentieth there was a very strict inspection of the camp and 
 of the arms of the men, and the same day three regiments,, 
 including the NINETY-SIXTH, had target practice. On the 
 twenty-first there was a Division drill, under Gen. Baird y 
 which occupied the greater part of the afternoon. 
 
 Sunday, May 24, the usual religious services were held in 
 camp, and in the evening there was a Brigade dress parade. 
 On the twenty-sixth the Regiment was again on picket on the 
 south side of the river, and had a quiet time. On the follow- 
 ing night there was some excitement on the line, and the 
 Regiment was called at three o'clock, expecting an attack 
 which did not materialize. The weather for the last half of 
 the month was dry and pleasant, although quite warm at times, 
 the camp becoming very dusty. On the twenty-ninth occurred 
 a heavy rain, which laid the dust and purified the air some- 
 what. Sunday, May 31, there were religious services, and 
 following this quite an excitement because of a report that the 
 Regiment was to move. 
 
 About the time the command first moved to Tennessee 
 occurred what came to be known as the "nine months fever."" 
 In calling out the troops the year before, President Lincoln 
 had stated that 300,000, or one-half of all asked for, would be 
 accepted for nine months, and several of the Eastern States 
 filled their quotas with men recruited for that period. It was 
 held by many that it would be entirely unfair to require Illinois 
 to continue men in service for a longer period than did the 
 Eastern States. Of course every man in the Regiment was 
 enlisted with the distinct understanding that he should remain
 
 1863] THE NINE MONTHS FEVER. 125 
 
 for three years should his services be required for that period, 
 but with each obligation was coupled the phrase "unless 
 sooner discharged," and many saw in those three words the 
 loop hole by which they were to be permitted to return home 
 simultaneously with the nine months' troops at the East. Not 
 a few came to believe that they were really to be sent home. 
 There were mischievous men in every Company who would 
 assume that such was the case, and argue it by the hour, 
 knowing all the time that their arguments had no real foun- 
 dation. Some of these men would report, with apparent can- 
 dor, that when on guard at Brigade Headquarters, and while 
 near Col. Atkins' tent, they had heard some discussion of the 
 subject, and were sure the officers believed that they were 
 going home. Next day they would report that Colonel Cham- 
 pion had been overheard to say that there was good reason to 
 believe in the nine months' theory. On the whole the discus- 
 sion was most unfortunate, for many a man grew homesick as 
 he heard the oft-told tale, and conceived the idea that the 
 authorities were doing him an injustice in retaining him in 
 the service beyond nine months. Not until the nine months 
 had fully passed did the last ray of hope depart from a few in 
 almost every Illinois Regiment organized under the calls of 
 1862. 
 
 During the period covered by this chapter Death was still 
 busy in the ranks, taking off one and another of the command. 
 A majority of the deaths occurred in the hospitals in and about 
 Nashville, but some at Danville and others at points further 
 north. Those dying were : Robert Neal and Josiah Beall, 
 of Company A ; John J. Price, of Company B ; Caleb E. 
 Colgrove and Henry Schnell, of Company C ; Corporal John 
 Sluman and Miles Jones, of Company D ; Joseph E. Fletcher, 
 James Gunn, Thomas Keyes, John Sage and Albert Demure, 
 of Company E ; Daniel Goble, W. Irving Edgerton, William 
 Sturges, Corporal Chauncey Wakefield and Corporal Henry 
 Trefz, of Company F ; Asel Hawkins, of Company G ; J. P. 
 Davis and William Conley, of Company H ; John Ben- 
 nett, John Williams, Humphrey Leslie and Corporal G. W. 
 Roberts, of Company I.
 
 126 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 The Summer of 1863 The March to Triune Lightening the Knapsacks 
 Partial Reorganization of the Corps The Paymaster and the Enemy 
 Arrive Simultaneously Again Under Fire but at Long Range 
 Skedaddle of the Sutler's Clerks Punishment of Sleepy Sentinels 
 The Tullahoma Campaign A Succession of Rainy Days Again 
 Under Fire Guarding Prisoners to the Rear The Advance to Shelby- 
 ville The March to Wartrace Close of the Brief Campaign Good 
 News from Vicksburg and Gettysburg A Day of Thanksgiving. 
 
 THE spring of 1863 had passed, summer had come, and 
 quiet still reigned along the lines in Middle Tennessee. True, 
 there were almost daily engagements at some point, but they 
 were on the part of small forces, and their results had little 
 significance. The main body of the army had made no gene- 
 ral movement for a period of nearly five months. Apparently 
 Gen. Rosecrans and Gen. Bragg were each waiting for the 
 other to take the offensive. The Confederate forces were 
 mainly north of Duck River, their infantry being at Shelby- 
 ville and Wartrace, covering Tullahoma, which had been 
 heavily fortified, and was their headquarters and main base of 
 supplies. Their cavalry was on either flank, with headquarters 
 at McMinnville on their right, and Spring Hill and Columbia 
 on their left. The main body of Gen. Rosecrans' army was. 
 at Murfreesboro, but there were considerable forces of both 
 infantry and cavalry at Franklin and Triune, and a large 
 body of cavalry at the left of Murfreesboro. 
 
 The authorities at Washington, growing impatient as the 
 weeks went by, began to demand that an advance be made, 
 and that the war be carried into Alabama and Georgia. Gen. 
 Rosecrans insisted that his force was entirely too small ; that 
 he was especially deficient in cavalry, and that the roads were 
 likely to be so bad that supplies could not be drawn by wagons- 
 to a point much in advance of that then occupied by his army. 
 The controversy was mainly between Gen. Halleck and Gen..
 
 1863] THE MARCH TO TRIUNE. 127 
 
 Rosecrans, and became very acrimonious. Some additional 
 cavalry was provided, and a forward movement ordered on 
 the one hand and promised on the other. The work of con- 
 centrating the army began on the first of June. 
 
 Tuesday, June 2, the NINETY-SIXTH, with most of the other 
 troops comprising Gen. Granger's command, in accordance 
 with orders received the night before, was called in line at 
 about three o'clock in the morning, standing to arms until 
 daylight, when ranks were broken and preparations made for 
 the march. The men were in high spirits at the prospect of a. 
 forward movement. The weather having become so warm 
 that it was desirable to be rid of all surplus clothing and 
 baggage, overcoats were rolled up, and, with all other 
 articles not regarded as absolutely necessary to comfort in 
 a hot weather campaign, packed in boxes and barrels and 
 shipped by the soldiers to their Illinois homes. By sunrise 
 tents were down, knapsacks were packed and the men ready 
 to move. A long wait occurred, however, as Gen. Granger 
 and his staff were not ready, and it was seven or eight o'clock 
 before the column finally moved out across the fields, intend- 
 ing to' take the wagon road leading to Triune. 
 
 Thus the cool morning hours were idled away, and the 
 command compelled to make its march in the heat of the day. 
 Whether for the purpose of deceiving the enemy or because the 
 guide made a mistake in the road is not quite certain, but the 
 column was led out of its way several miles. The weather 
 was sultry, and the roads extremely muddy, so that the march 
 was one of great severity, and many were the stragglers from 
 the ranks as the day wore on. As already stated, the men 
 had previously packed up and sent away all of the clothing 
 that they deemed superfluous. Long before noon, however, 
 many of them concluded that they still had clothing to 
 spare, and as the column halted for a brief rest knapsacks were 
 thrown open, and out came extra shirts, letters, books and 
 many other articles, to lighten the heavy loads. A few had 
 undertaken to carry two blankets, but it is doubtful if there 
 was a man in the Regiment who had more than one when he 
 reached camp at night, while many had thrown away the only
 
 128 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 woolen blanket with which they started. The distance trav- 
 eled was nearly twenty miles, and the final halt made only a 
 short distance from Triune at about five o'clock in the after- 
 noon. One of the other Brigades, which started about the 
 same time as the Second Brigade, and took the direct road, 
 reached Triune at noon, having traveled but about twelve 
 miles. The country passed was rather pleasant, the trees 
 being in full leaf, the crops thriving and the occasional fields 
 of wheat nicely headed out. All day there was some 
 firing in the rear, and it afterward transpired that the enemy 
 had made a reconnoissance of the position upon the moving 
 out of Gen. Granger's command, for the evident purpose of 
 ascertaining how large a force was left at Franklin. 
 
 On the third all was quiet, the men taking a much needed 
 rest, and discussing the rumor which spread through camp to 
 the effect that the command was to move to the front the fol- 
 lowing day. The commonly accepted theory was that Gen. 
 Bragg, commanding the enemy in their immediate front, had 
 been weakening his army for the purpose of reenforcing Gen. 
 Pemberton, then at Yicksburg, and that Gen. Rosecrans was 
 about to assume the offensive. 
 
 Here there was a partial reorganization of the Corps, the 
 Brigade of which the NINETY-SIXTH was a part becoming the 
 First Brigade of the First Division of the Reserve Corps, but 
 still retaining the same Commanders. 
 
 There was a large force at Triune, but just how large few 
 except the commander knew until Thursday, June 4, when, 
 there having been a critical inspection of cartridge boxes and 
 knapsacks in the forenoon, the entire command was called out 
 for a grand review, by Gen. Granger, in the afternoon. In 
 this review, between twenty and thirty Regiments of infantry 
 and a half dozen or more batteries of artillery participated. 
 It was much the largest and most imposing review in which 
 the Regiment had taken part, but quite as tedious as it was 
 interesting. 
 
 The same afternoon the Rebels made a very vigorous 
 reconnoissance in the neighborhood of Franklin, attacking 
 the force there with the evident intention of capturing Fort
 
 JOSEPH L. PIERCE, 
 
 CAPTAIN, COMPANY H.
 
 '^T I 7.'**TV v
 
 1863] A FIRE NEAR CAMP. J29 
 
 Granger and giving the army serious trouble on its right. 
 The cavalry at Triune was hurried off across the country in 
 the direction of the heavy firing, but their services were not 
 needed, as the force at Franklin proved sufficient to hold the 
 place and severely punish their unwelcome visitors. The 
 firing continued into the night and was renewed next morn- 
 ing, being kept up until nearly noon, when the enemy retired. 
 
 Friday, June 5, the Regiment moved a short distance and 
 went into camp in a field on the left of the Shelbyville pike. 
 The spot chosen was very pleasant, with an abundance of 
 good water in the near vicinity. It seemed as if there was a 
 fatality hanging over the Regiment, for here, as on most 
 previous occasions, the changing of the camp ground was 
 attended by a severe rain storm, which prevailed a greater 
 part of the night following. 
 
 Saturday, June 6, battalion drill was resumed, and every- 
 thing indicated that the command would remain in camp for 
 some time. Rifle pits were thrown up in the neighborhood, 
 and a force of cavalry was sent out to reconnoiter the front. 
 In the evening a large barn connected with the beautiful resi- 
 dence in front of the camp, and which was the property of a 
 noted secessionist, was discovered to be on fire. The house 
 near by was said to have cost $50,000, and the barn corre 
 sponded well with the residence. There was no fire apparatus 
 handy, and, strange as it may seem, the men, knowing the 
 character of the owner of the property, manifested but little 
 sorrow while the flames were lighting up the camp. Whether 
 true or not, it was believed at the time that a few nights before 
 the owner of this property had shot and killed a Union picket 
 on duty in the garden adjoining the buildings. The day the 
 army moved forward the residence was destroyed by fire. 
 
 Sunday, June 7, there was more or less skirmishing on the 
 part of the cavalry a short distance in the front, but no infantry 
 firing. There were some very nice gardens in the neighbor- 
 hood of the little village of Triune, and some of the soldiers 
 discovered that new potatoes were large enough to cook. Un- 
 fortunately, however, there were not enough to go around, 
 9
 
 130 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 and those who could not secure new potatoes had to content 
 themselves with digging up and cooking some seed potatoes 
 that had just been planted and had not yet sprouted. 
 
 Monday was passed quietly with the usual drill. Tuesday, 
 June 9, just as the Regiment was preparing for battalion drill, 
 there was a sound of skirmishing in the front, and orders 
 were given to remain in camp, prepared to move at a moment's 
 notice. There was no serious fighting, however, and that 
 afternoon and the next day all was quiet. 
 
 Thursday, June 11, Maj. Terrill began the work of paying 
 off the Regiment. Companies A and B had already received 
 their money, and Captain Pollock, of Company C, had called 
 his men in line and had just got his pay, but before any of 
 his men had been called to the Paymaster's table brisk skir- 
 mishing again began, and the Regiment was ordered into line. 
 Musketry firing was quite brisk, and distant only about half a 
 mile. The Paymaster left rather abruptly, and the Regiment 
 fell in almost instantly, Company A being sent to the front 
 as skirmishers. The line had but just been formed when 
 shells from the enemy's batteries came whistling overhead. 
 The men were directed to strike tents, and their knapsacks 
 were sent to the rear of a line of breastworks a short distance 
 from camp. A section of Miller's Chicago Battery took posi- 
 tion at the front and right of the Regiment, on a little emi- 
 nence just in the edge of a grove. There was an open field 
 about a quarter of a mile wide at the front, on the opposite 
 side of which was another stretch of timber. The Rebels 
 planted two guns on the pike, just at the edge of this timber, 
 and a brisk artillery duel began. The first shots from the 
 front seemed to be directed at Col. Atkins and staff, who were 
 in plain view upon their horses. The Brigade commander 
 and his escort very wisely retired a short distance, where they 
 could not be so distinctly seen. The Third Brigade of the 
 First Division occupied a position just to the right of the 
 pike. A rebel shell passed over the tent of the regimental 
 sutler, Mr. E. H. Mason, so frightening the clerks in charge 
 that they left for safer quarters, whereupon some of the sol- 
 diers concluded to invoice the goods. Mr. Mason was absent
 
 1863] THE SKIRMISH AT TRIUNE. 131 
 
 at the time, having gone North for supplies. Whatever the 
 stock on hand was in the morning, that evening the amount 
 was very trifling, most of it having been appropriated by the 
 soldiers. As the clerks ran to the rear they kept directly in 
 range of the battery, and the shells struck very close to them 
 more than once. Indeed, they were in much greater danger 
 than they would have been had they remained at their posts. 
 Both of them were thoroughly ashamed of their conduct, and 
 shortly afterward left for Illinois, concluding that if non-com- 
 batants were to be the targets for rebel batteries they would 
 leave the front. The money drawer of the sutler was undis- 
 turbed, but the eatables were disposed of in very short order. 
 One of the rebel shells struck a loaded wagon immediately 
 in the rear of the line, and another tore up the ground just 
 in front of the infantry, on the right of the pike, but without 
 inflicting any casualties. This firing became so annoying that 
 another section of Miller's battery was brought up and soon 
 succeeded in silencing the enemy's guns. Meanwhile the 
 skirmishers were making a stubborn fight, and the sound of 
 their firing became almost continuous. At one time there 
 were indications that the enemy was intending to make a 
 general charge, but whatever the plans of Gen. Forrest may 
 have been, he wisely concluded to withdraw without an assault. 
 Had he charged across the open field he would have encoun- 
 tered a deep gully, impassable for horses, and his losses 
 would certainly have been heavy. After several hours of 
 vigorous skirmishing the enemy retired. Although the 
 NINETY-SIXTH was in line for six hours and under fire a con- 
 siderable part of the time, it sustained no loss. Those who 
 had been on the skirmish line, and so fortunate as to have the 
 opportunity to exchange shots with the enemy, were looked 
 upon by their less exposed comrades with a feeling almost 
 approaching envy. The shells passed close to the line, arid 
 the position through the long hours had been anything but a 
 pleasant one. With rare exceptions the men were cool, and 
 acted in a becoming manner. One man foolishly ran to the 
 rear a short distance and clambered into a sink that had been 
 newly dug, and commenced to pray in a loud tone ; but the
 
 132 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra KEGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 \ 
 
 taunts of his companions soon brought him to the front 
 again. The newspapers reported the loss of the Rebels 
 at about one hundred, while the Union loss was one 
 Lieutenant and two or three men killed and a few slightly 
 wounded. About one hundred head of horses and mules, 
 grazing in an open field near the skirmish line, were stam- 
 peded, and most of them deserted to the enemy. The Union 
 cavalry moved out to the front and engaged the enemy, fol- 
 lowing them as they retreated southward for a distance of five 
 miles, returning in the evening with a few prisoners. This 
 was even nearer to a battle than the Franklin experience, and 
 the boys began to feel quite like veterans. 
 
 Friday, June 12, the Paymaster "resumed operations at 
 the old stand," and the boys were each given two months' 
 pay. On Saturday a Brigade of infantry and quite a heavy 
 force of cavalry under Gen. Steedman marched southward 
 toward Shelby ville. The same afternoon, while Col. Atkins' 
 command was out for Brigade drill in a large clover field 
 in front of the line, brisk firing was heard at the front, and 
 the troops were ordered to the support of Gen. Steedman, 
 marching very rapidly for nearly four miles, when the recon- 
 noiteriug party was found retiring leisurely, the Rebels skir- 
 mishing with its rear guard. The column then moved back 
 to camp, reaching there at dusk. At about eleven o'clock the 
 same evening they were again called out, with the order to 
 put two days' rations in their haversacks, fill their canteens, 
 roll up their blankets, and be ready to march at a moment's 
 notice, it being reported that the Rebels had followed the 
 troops back to camp and were preparing for a night attack. 
 There was no further disturbance, although the men were 
 kept in waiting until daylight next morning. The night was 
 cool, and the unprotected troops had little or no sleep. 
 
 Sunday, June 14, there was morning inspection, and in 
 the ^orenoon religious services were held, three Regiments 
 joi "d having an interesting time. In the afternoon 
 
 there arge prayer meeting. The troops were ordered 
 
 to keep constantly on hand two days' cooked rations, and 
 every soldier was required to have twenty rounds of ammu-
 
 1863] CHAPLAIN WOODWORTH RESIGNS. 133 
 
 nition in his pockets besides the forty rounds in his cartridge 
 box. Cooked rations meant cold rations, and not unfrequently 
 spoiled rations, for the weather was hot and the meat would 
 not keep. The men were at considerable inconvenience in 
 this regard for a week or two. There was a very heavy rain 
 storm in the evening. 
 
 Monday, June 15, the Regiment made a general business 
 of putting up nice shades, or awnings, over their shelter 
 tents, occupying most of the time when not on drill. Up to 
 this time nearly all had worn the heavy dress coats first 
 provided, but the weather being very warm, light blouses, 
 made from dark blue flannel, were issued. The dress coats 
 were retained, however, and used on dress parade for a few 
 days ; but when the first march occurred most of them were 
 left in camp, to be gathered up and worn by the negroes of 
 the neighborhood, or were thrown out beside the road after 
 carrying them a few miles, and until the shoulders of the 
 soldiers began to be tired and demanded the lightening of 
 their loads. A rebel lieutenant and private came to -the 
 lines one day and gave themselves up, being tired of the war. 
 They represented the Confederates as so discouraged that 
 they were about ready to give up the contest, and claimed 
 that the majority of the members of the companies to which 
 they belonged desired to desert. About this time Chaplain 
 Woodworth resigned his commission and returned home, 
 much to the regret of the majority of the command, for he 
 had always been quite popular among the men. He was sub- 
 sequently recommissioned, at the earnest request of many of 
 the command, but did not again come to the Regiment. The 
 remainder of the week was without notable incident. The 
 weather was excessively hot much of the time during every 
 day, and occasional showers and an exceptionally heavy rain 
 storm visited the camp in the afternoon of the eighteenth. 
 Col. Atkins had his command out for Brigade drill quite fre- 
 quently, and the various movements were admirably i" 1 .ade. 
 There was more or less trouble in some of the Re$r , ; nts 
 about men being found asleep upon their posts, and in' one of 
 the Regiments of the Brigade several of the men were tried
 
 134 HISTOKY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 and sentenced. In some instances their pay was declared 
 forfeited and they were sent to military prison to be confined 
 at hard labor ; in other cases they were compelled to stand 
 upon a barrel for two hours in the forenoon and the same 
 length of time each afternoon for ten days ; while still others 
 were compelled to drag a ball and chain or a heavy fence rail 
 up and down in front of the tent of their commander for a 
 couple of hours daily. Be it said to the credit of the men 
 and officers, there was never any trouble in the NINETY-SIXTH 
 about sleeping on post. Undoubtedly it sometimes happened 
 that some soldier, fatigued with an unusual march, the great 
 amount of night service demanded, or the arduous duties 
 required of him in camp, may have dozed upon the picket 
 post ; but such cases were rare, and when discovered the officer 
 in charge usually deemed his own reprimand and warning a 
 sufficient punishment, and never reported the facts to higher 
 authority. 
 
 Tuesday, June 23, the Regiment had been called out at 
 the usual very early hour, and was standing in line, when an 
 Aide rode up and notified the Colonel to have his command 
 ready to march at seven o'clbck. Everything was in readi- 
 ness at the hour named, but the wagon trains were in the 
 way and the column made but little progress until the fore- 
 noon was well advanced. The direction taken was toward 
 Murfreesboro, and the camp, which was made about ten 
 o'clock at night, was within five miles of that city, near a 
 small place called Salem. The distance traveled was about 
 fourteen miles, and the march a very tedious one, a portion 
 of the route being through a dense cedar forest. A dozen or 
 more of the wagons broke down, and a small guard of men 
 was left to watch them. Next morning a body of rebel cav- 
 alry discovered the wagons and made a dash, as if intending 
 to take them, but as soon as they saw the infantry, wheeled 
 their horses about and "skedaddled," followed by a few bul- 
 lets fired at long range. 
 
 Gen. Rosecrans' plans were now complete, and his army 
 was well consolidated, Murfreesboro and Salem being near 
 together, and the main body of troops being at and between
 
 1863] THE TULLAHOMA CAMPAIGN. 135 
 
 these points. Knowing how strong were the entrenchments 
 of the enemy he determined to attempt to flank Shelbyville 
 on the east and force the enemy to the alternative of a battle 
 away from his earthworks or a retreat from his established 
 lines. To the Reserve Corps and Mitchell's Division of 
 cavalry was assigned the work of making a vigorous push 
 toward Shelbyville, and deceiving the enemy into the belief 
 that the main army was on that road, intending to attempt to 
 take the place by direct assault. The movement was success- 
 ful, the forces keeping up a vigorous and noisy demonstration 
 as far to the right as Unionville, and concealing the real plan, 
 until the main body of the infantry, under Gen. Rosecrans' 
 personal supervision, had made considerable advance toward 
 Manchester. It was the intention to force a battle, if possible, 
 north of the Cumberland Mountains, but the terrible rain- 
 storms which prevailed almost continuously from the very 
 inception of the campaign prevented rapid movements, and 
 allowed Gen. Bragg to make his choice between a fight and a 
 retreat, and he withdrew to the Tennessee River. 
 
 The general movement of the Union army began on the 
 morning of Wednesday, June 24. The camps were aroused 
 at an early hour, and the men stood to arms until their hasty 
 breakfasts were prepared, and partook of the meal with 
 accoutrements strapped about them. In the camp of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, as soon as breakfast was over, the tents were 
 taken down, and the men set about the camp ground on their 
 knapsacks or on old logs awaiting orders. At seven o'clock 
 it began to rain. It was not one of your gentle semi-pleasant 
 showers, that is rather enjoyable than otherwise, but a fierce 
 and prolonged deluge. The very flood-gates of heaven seemed 
 to be opened, and the torrents poured down upon the devoted 
 heads of the thousands of soldiers in the Army of the Cum- 
 berland who had just started upon their active campaign. It 
 was nearly noon when the column on the right finally moved. 
 The direction taken was not toward Murfreesboro, but at first 
 directly south along the pike leading to Middleton, and thence 
 easterly, across the fields, to the Murfreesboro and Shelbyville 
 pike. All through that dreary afternoon the men plodded
 
 136 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 slowly onward through the mud, the sound of cannon at the 
 front, in the vicinity of Middleton, giving them the idea that 
 they would shortly be engaged with the enemy, although the 
 firing receded as they advanced. Stone River was forded, 
 but the water was not so deep as to give serious trouble, 
 although all got their feet wet. It was one o'clock at night 
 when the Regiment bivouacked near Walnut Church, on the 
 Shelby ville .pike. There it was learned that Willich's Brigade 
 had taken Liberty Gap, and that Wilder's Brigade had 
 taken Hoover's Gap. The distance traveled by the Regi- 
 ment was only about seven miles, although the column had 
 been on the road for fully twelve hours. The skirmishing at 
 the front, and the delay caused by the miring or breaking 
 down of the heavy army wagons made the trip a very tedious 
 one. The rain had ceased falling during the evening, and 
 most of the men lay down without putting up their tents. 
 Before daylight it was again raining, but a large part of them 
 were so tired as to sleep soundly, and when they woke 
 in the morning many found themselves laying in an inch or 
 two of water. 
 
 Thursday, June 25, the column started out early, but only 
 marched a mile or two, taking a position near the pike, and 
 waiting the result of the contest at the front. The roar of 
 artillery was continuous a greater part of the day. Orders 
 came that all knapsacks should be loaded into such of the 
 wagons as had been previously emptied by the distribution of 
 rations, and sent back to Murfreesboro. Most of the men 
 retained their woolen blankets, but a few kept only their 
 ponchos. It was thought that there would be a battle right 
 away, and the soldiers were generally glad to avail themselves 
 of the opportunity to lighten their loads. The NINETY-SIXTH 
 stood in line for an hour or two on the pike, and then relieved 
 the 115th Illinois on the picket line, but did not have any 
 skirmishing with the enemy, as the Union cavalry, still fur- 
 ther at the front, kept them at a safe distance. Picket duty 
 was continued all the next day, the other Regiments of the 
 Brigade moving to the front. The headquarters of the Regi- 
 ment was at the very house where Vallandigham, the. notori-
 
 1863J A CHURCH FOR A KITCHEN. 137 
 
 ous southern sympathizer from Ohio, had been, by order of 
 the President and the War Department, turned over to the 
 tender mercies of his Southern brothers, only a few days, 
 before. The occupant of the house said that Yallandigham 
 declared his belief that he would be elected as the next Gov- 
 ernor of his State, notwithstanding his enforced absence ; a 
 prediction that did not come true, as he was beaten by more 
 than one hundred thousand majority. There were in the 
 neighborhood a large number of long, lank, lean hogs running 
 about the woods, and, being out of pork, the boys made sad 
 havoc among them. One sentinel said that fifty dead hogs 
 passed the post where he was standing in a single day. Black- 
 berries were quite plenty in the neighborhood, so that the 
 living of the men was quite good. It may have seemed like 
 sacrilege, but the church was turned into a grand cooking 
 house, and the incense of frying pork filled the atmosphere. 
 
 On Friday the right of the army kept substantially the 
 same position, the Regiment still doing picket duty, and 
 listening to the reports of cannon and small arms a few 
 miles southward. 
 
 Saturday, June 27, there was a forward movement toward 
 Shelby ville, but the NINETY-SIXTH, together with the 5th Iowa 
 cavalry, was left to guard a wagon train. A very heavy 
 column of troops passed the position occupied by the Regi- 
 ment, requiring between three and four hours to file by. 
 It was said that there were seventeen regiments of cavalry, 
 seven of infantry and two batteries of artillery. After they 
 had filed past, the Regiment moved back a mile to a point 
 where the wagon train was in park. Companies B, G and K 
 were on picket that night. At about ten o'clock in the even- 
 ing a courier brought word that Gen. Wheeler, with a large 
 force of Rebel cavalry, was hovering in the near vicinity and 
 contemplating a night attack upon the supply train. The Regi- 
 ment was called out and remained in line for about two hours 
 and a half. There was a little firing on the skirmish line, but 
 nothing serious occurred. It was afterward learned that the 
 position of the Regiment was critical at that time, as the 
 enemy were about to attempt the capture of the train when
 
 138 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 they were called off to assume defensive operations at another 
 point. 
 
 Saturday, June 28, the train remained in the same position, 
 and the Regiment was held in readiness to march at any 
 moment, but it was not until three o'clock in the afternoon 
 that any movement occurred. At that hour, the other Regi- 
 ments of the Brigade came marching back from Shelbyville, 
 distant some eight miles, having in charge 4-89 prisoners, 
 taken at that place the day before by the Union cavalry. 
 They represented a half dozen different regiments. The 
 charge upon the Confederate force had been led by the 3d 
 Tennessee cavalry, many of whom had their homes in the 
 neighborhood. Much of the fighting took place right in the 
 village. Shelbyville was quite a strong Union centre, and 
 the citizens, who still loved the old flag, and who had suffered 
 through the long months the persecutions of their enemies 
 and the enemies of their country, came out to greet the Federal 
 troopers as they dashed through the town, often bringing flags 
 with them that they had kept securely through the months 
 when the Rebel forces were among them. The charge was a 
 most gallant one, and sabres were freely used. Perhaps at 
 no other time during the war did the Regiment see so many 
 men who had been cut with sabres in a cavalry charge as on 
 this occasion. Besides the prisoners taken, a large number of 
 the enemy were killed in the charge or drowned in attempting 
 to swim Duck River, the number thus losing their lives 
 approximating two hundred. Quite an amount of artillery 
 was also captured- 
 
 The Rebel prisoners were halted near the wagon train, 
 and rations issued to them, Capt. Espy, of the 115th Illinois, 
 who was then the acting Commissary on the Staff of the Brigade 
 Commander, even prepared hot coffee for them, and gave them 
 an abundance of hard bread and bacon. There were among 
 the prisoners a Colonel, a Lieutenant Colonel, a Major, an 
 Adjutant and about thirty-five line officers. At four o'clock 
 p. M. the NINETY-SIXTH took the prisoners in charge, and 
 escorted them back to Murfreesboro. The prisoners seemed 
 quite happy and jolly, and were apparently familiar with the
 
 1863] ESCORTING PRISONERS TO MURFREESBORO. 139 
 
 ground over which they were passing. At one place a lady 
 came out and shook hands with some of them, one of the 
 prisoners remarking: "I have stood guard here many a 
 time, and while I would go into the house and eat, on the 
 invitation of the lady, she would come out and stand guard for 
 me until my meal was finished." At another place a matron 
 with two or three blooming daughters came out to the road 
 side and threw kisses to the prisoners, expressing the hope 
 that they wouldn't be gone long. The old lady expressed the 
 wish that all the negroes might be killed, and that all the white 
 boys, north and south, might be saved. The trip was a very 
 tedious one. The prisoners were all cavalrymen, unused to 
 marching, and many of them became very foot-sore. There 
 were several ambulances in the rear of the column, and those 
 who gave out were permitted to ride. The members of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH marched, with guns loaded and bayonets fixed, 
 along the edge of the pike, the prisoners traveling in the cen- 
 tre. The distance traveled was not more than ten miles, but 
 Murfreesboro was not reached until after ten o'clock, and 
 both the guards and their prisoners were thoroughly tired. 
 The prisoners were turned over to Gen. Yan Cleve, and 
 at a little before midnight the Regiment bivouacked in an 
 open field or yard, hoping to have a quiet night's sleep. 
 Hardly had they got comfortably settled and fairly asleep 
 before the rain came pouring down in torrents. There was a 
 scramble on the part of the majority, and under the lead of 
 Major Smith, who had been reconnoitreing the locality, those 
 who were first roused made their way to a large warehouse. 
 This building consisted principally of a roof, and was piled 
 full of boxes of hard bread. The men crawled to the top of 
 the vast pile of boxes and slept close under the roof. Many 
 of the Regiment were so worn out, however, with their long 
 nights on picket and the hard marching in the rain and mud 
 that they were not awakened by the storm, although it was 
 raining hard, until the water was standing all about them, and 
 they were thoroughly soaked. A few even slept through until 
 morning, but before daylight nearly all were in the ware- 
 house.
 
 140 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Sunday, June 29, the Regiment moved to the baggage 
 train and drew rations, and at ten o'clock set out from Mur- 
 freesboro for the front again, first strapping on their knap- 
 sacks, parted with four days before. About a mile out a 
 Company of Federals were met, having in charge thirty or 
 forty prisoners, and about five miles out another Company 
 with about an equal number. Following this latter squad 
 were three pieces of captured artillery and a lot of captured 
 horses. Arrived at the camp from which the Regiment had 
 started the day before, it was hoped and expected that a halt 
 would be made and the troops given an opportunity of secur- 
 ing some much needed rest, but it was found that orders were 
 awaiting the arrival of the NINETY-SIXTH for the Brigade to 
 immediately march on, which it did, finally camping at eight 
 o'clock in the evening eighteen miles south of Murfreesboro 
 and about nine miles from Shelbyville. This was about the 
 first night since leaving Triune that it did not rain, and the 
 Regiment enjoyed a good night's sleep. It should be stated, 
 however, that there had been heavy showers during the pre- 
 ceding afternoon. The members of the Regiment appreciated 
 this season of quiet, for all were greatly fatigued with their 
 long march, and worn out by the severe night duty imposed 
 on them. 
 
 Monday, June 30, the Brigade started at seven o'clock in 
 the morning and marched about seven miles. On the road 
 Guy's Gap was passed. There was a strong line of fortifica- 
 tions, and the trees and fences bore marks of the sharp fight- 
 ing on the part of the cavalry. Shelbyville was reached, 
 and a camp made on the ground which but two or three days 
 before had been occupied by a large force of the enemy. 
 
 On Tuesday, July 1, word having been passed through the 
 line that the Brigade was to remain at Shelbyville, the men 
 set about fixing up the camp in good, comfortable shape. 
 After an hour or two of hard work the assembly was sounded 
 and they were called in line, marched to the other side of 
 the town and camped near Duck River. The distance trav- 
 eled was not more than a mile or two, but the weather was of 
 that peculiar, sultry character, occasionally encountered in
 
 18C3] FROM SHELBY VILLE TO WARTRACE. 141 
 
 warm latitudes, which is thoroughly enervating and depressing, 
 and the men suffered greatly before they had completed the 
 march and the erection of their tents. 
 
 Wednesday, July 2, the Kegiinent was permitted to lie 
 idle and enjoyed a good rest. They explored the town and 
 examined the fortifications, finding numerous forts and a very 
 heavy line of breastworks extending partially around the 
 pleasant village, either flank being protected by the river. 
 Many refugees came into town, most of them being men who 
 were known to sympathize with the Union, and who had been 
 forced to leave their homes during the period when that 
 region was occupied by the Confederates. Many and hearty 
 were the greetings as families came together for the first time 
 in long months. Quite a number of the Tennessee cavalry 
 had enlisted from Shelbyville, and when they charged the 
 Rebels on the Friday previous, one of them shot a man as he 
 was riding past his own house. Some of the men left the 
 ranks for a moment and rode up to their homes, kissed their 
 wives or parents, or children, as the case might be, and then 
 rode off again into the battle. Fortunately the casualties were 
 not very numerous, and most of these men were permitted to 
 remain at their homes for a day or two. 
 
 Major J. C. Smith was here assigned to duty as Provost 
 Marshal, on the staff of General Baird, with headquarters at 
 Wartrace, which were subsequently transferred to Shelbyville, 
 .and then to Murfreesboro, where he remained until the for- 
 ward movement of the Division, in September. 
 
 Thursday, July 3, the Regiment marched to Wartrace, a 
 distance of about eight miles. Rain fell in torrents at times, 
 and every little creek and stream was swollen to unwonted 
 size. As a consequence the soldiers were often compelled to 
 wade in water two or three feet deep, and once at least they 
 forded a stream waist deep, being obliged to take off their 
 accoutrements and carry them on their bayonets. When it 
 rained the hardest the troops seemed the happiest, shouting 
 .and singing and making merry, even though the surroundings 
 were hardly such as to make it easy to account for such hilar- 
 ity. However, all were in high spirits at the news of the
 
 142 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 capture of Tullahoma, and rejoiced at the substantial progress 
 made by the army. Strange as it may seem, most of them 
 regarded the rain as rather favorable to campaigning, as it 
 served to cool the air, which otherwise would have been intol- 
 erably hot. At times, on this short march from Shelbyville, 
 the sun came out and the weather was oppressive in its sultri- 
 ness. Wartrace was a little station on the Nashville & Chat- 
 tanooga Railroad, and not an important point except that 
 there were two or three railroad bridges to be guarded in the 
 neighborhood. Camp was reached early in the afternoon, 
 and all set at work to make themselves comfortable. The 
 ground selected was a little to the east of the village, and had 
 formerly been occupied as a camping ground by the enemy. 
 It was filthy in the extreme, and much labor was required to- 
 put it in order. 
 
 This campaign of less than a fortnight had been a remark- 
 ably successful one. The enemy had been forced to abandon 
 its strong line of fortifications and retire to the mountains, 
 yielding a country of vast size, much of which abounded in 
 supplies useful to the troops that occupied it. The strategy 
 of Gen. Rosecrans had been of a high order. With a loss of 
 less than six hundred men, and in a country naturally rich in 
 defense, he had outflanked and forced backward from their 
 chosen lines an enemy almost, if not quite, equal to his own, 
 and would have gained still further advantages had not the 
 streams been so swollen as to make rapid pursuit impossible. 
 Tullahoma was occupied by the Union forces June 30. Some 
 of the troops were at once pushed out toward the moun- 
 tains, and the cavalry penetrated to the Tennessee River, 
 behind which Bragg' s main army retreated. The two armies 
 at this time occupied almost the same relative positions and 
 the identical territory held by them exactly a year before, 
 when the Confederate invasion of Kentucky was planned and 
 the race for the Ohio River began between the forces led 
 respectively by Gens. Buell and Bragg. During the month 
 that followed the main body of the infantry of the Army of 
 the Cumberland was comparatively idle, camping in the neigh- 
 borhood of Dechard and Winchester. The cavalry was active,
 
 1863] FOURTH OF JULY IN CAMP. 
 
 however, and kept the line of the Tennessee River patrolled. 
 Work was also begun on the railroad, so that the supplies- 
 should not have to be brought through on wagons. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH now came to know that being in the 
 Reserve Corps meant that they were to be stationed at various 
 points along the railroad guarding bridges, wagon trains and 
 prisoners. The Reserve Corps was widely scattered from the 
 neighborhood of Fort Donelson to Duck River, a Brigade, 
 a Regiment or a Company in a place, according as its import- 
 ance demanded. For the time being the First Brigade of the 
 First Division, to which the NINETY-SIXTH belonged, remained 
 at Wartrace. 
 
 Saturday, July 4 a memorable day at Vicksburg and 
 Gettysburg the Regiment lay idly in camp. Tired with, 
 their long march in the mud and rain, most of them slept a 
 considerable part of the day, and there was no attempt at 
 anything like a celebration except that Capt. Hicks and Col. 
 Atkins, with a few invited guests, had a banquet, with after- 
 dinner speeches. There were very heavy guard details from 
 the Regiment, a line of pickets extending around the camp, 
 and quite a distance out, in all directions. Blackberries were 
 abundant, and the men feasted on this luscious fruit. 
 
 Sunday, July 5, there was preaching in the camp. The 
 blackberry crop inside the picket line being about exhausted, 
 permits were given to a few men in every Company to go out- 
 side the lines in search of fruit. New potatoes and apples- 
 were found in the neighborhood and supplemented the army 
 rations. The men had learned the art of soldiering pretty 
 well, and as soon as they arrived in camp, if there was a, 
 prospect of remaining longer than for a single day, would set 
 about constructing bunks, raising them above ground by 
 means of posts or crotchets. For the construction of these 
 bunks, barns, abandoned houses or board fences were used, 
 and if the supply gave out small poles would be substituted. 
 On these would be laid a few bundles of corn blades, or some 
 cedar boughs, straw or leaves. Sometimes the officers inter- 
 fered, in the endeavor to prevent the destruction of buildings, 
 but in such cases the first dark night the building was pretty
 
 144 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 sure to disappear. In this way the men made themselves 
 comfortable, and the beds were dry and well ventilated. 
 
 Monday, July 6, there were heavy details from the Regi- 
 ment for the purpose of chopping wood. Now, chopping 
 wood at any time is not especially easy work, but take it in 
 Middle Tennessee, on a hot July day, and the average Ameri- 
 can soldier rather rebels against this class of labor, and 
 regards it as almost drudgery. It was explained, however, 
 that it was absolutely necessary to procure fuel for the loco- 
 motives to be used on the railroads. At this announcement 
 there was an entire change of sentiment, and the work was 
 cheerfully performed. The amount of wood cut by any one 
 man was not large, but in a few days there was a goodly pile 
 at every station. For the first time in months the men were 
 allowed to remain in bed until sunrise, a privilege that they 
 appreciated after the long period of three and four o'clock 
 reveilles. 
 
 At this time the 92d Illinois was sent to a point on Duck 
 River, about seven miles toward the front, to build a wagon 
 bridge. Col. Wilder's Brigade of mounted infantry, then 
 camped at Wartrace, furnished an escort, the Colonel himself 
 accompanying the expedition. Col. Atkins, of the 92d, had 
 been commander of the Brigade for about six months, and it 
 was well understood that there was anything but a cordial 
 feeling existing between him and Gen. Granger, the com- 
 mander of the Reserve Corps. On the return of that Regi- 
 ment, toward the close of the week, announcement was made 
 that the 92d and NINETY-SIXTH, which had been together 
 almost constantly from their organization, must part company, 
 the former having been assigned to Col. Wilder's Brigade. 
 Word passed through the camp immediately, and within an 
 hour every Regiment in the Brigade was clamoring for horses 
 and a transfer. Not that the dissatisfaction regarding Gen. 
 Granger was so universal, but the men of a sudden seemed 
 to be seized with the idea that it would be a fine thing to march 
 on horseback and go to the front, rather than to tramp around 
 on foot, chop wood for the railroad, and be on picket about 
 every second or third night.
 
 GEORGE W. PEPOON, 
 
 FIRST LIEUTENANT, COMPANY K.
 
 f V-'
 
 1863] GOOD NEWS RECEIVED. 145 
 
 The "nine months' fever" had, of course, been dropped, 
 but for some weeks there was an almost equal rage in the camp, 
 the new disease being the "cavalry fever." Only the 92d 
 received the coveted transfer, however, and it was with great 
 difficulty that they succeeded in procuring horses and saddles. 
 
 Tuesday, July 7, there was great excitement throughout 
 the day, dispatches having been received from the Secretary 
 of War, Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, announcing that Vicksburg 
 had surrendered to the army under Gen. Grant, and that the 
 Union forces under Gen. Meade had won a great victory at 
 Gettysburg. The successful advance of the Army of the 
 Cumberland had made them all hopeful, and now that such 
 good news was received from other departments there was the 
 wildest joy. These dispatches were read to each Regiment, 
 and the remainder of the day was spent in a grand informal 
 celebration. 
 
 Wednesday, July 8, the officers concluded that, as the 
 men were feeling so elated over the recent victories, they 
 would not object to resuming the routine of camp duties, 
 which had been in a measure omitted since leaving Triune. 
 Accordingly there was a dress parade in the early evening, and 
 orders for a resumption of drill next day. The bridges between 
 Murfreesboro and Tullahoma having been repaired or rebuilt, 
 a locomotive, with a baggage car or caboose attached, passed 
 southward through Wartrace, and was the signal for hearty 
 cheering. Next day it returned with about three hundred 
 prisoners, captured by Gen. Rosecrans' command a few days 
 before. Additional dispatches were received confirming the 
 good news of Tuesday. It was stated in the dispatches 
 that Gen. Meade had captured 35,000 prisoners; that Gen. 
 Lee's army was hemmed in along the Potomac, his pontoons 
 being swept away by the high water, and that his capture was 
 inevitable. Word was also received that Gen. Prentiss had 
 captured a large number of prisoners at Helena. These dis- 
 patches were read to the Regiments, and were the signal for 
 the most vociferous cheering, but unfortunately their state- 
 ments were not fully verified by the facts. 
 10
 
 14:6 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Frida} 7 , July 10, the first passenger train from the North 
 passed through the camp, bringing a large letter mail and the 
 Nashville daily papers. As there had been great irregularity 
 about the mails for nearly a month, all were eager for papers, 
 and the newsboys were able to sell, at almost any price they 
 chose to ask, all that they could carry. Fifteen cents was the 
 price usually obtained. 
 
 The diary for the following month would be rather monot- 
 onous than otherwise. The weather continued warm, with 
 frequent rains, and guard duty was very heavy. On the 
 fifteenth there was a visit from the Brigade Inspector, and 
 the same day a large amount of clothing was issued to the 
 Regiment. From the arrival at Wartrace there had been a 
 great amount of sickness in the camp, the cases puzzling 
 the surgeons of the Regiment, as they were unable to define 
 the cause. At times almost one-half of the command was 
 unfit for duty, nearly all suffering from dysentery. It hap- 
 pened about this time that a physician, who was a resident 
 of the neighborhood, but who had long been a refugee be- 
 cause of his Union sentiments, returned from his wander- 
 ings. Coming to the camp he reported to the officers that the 
 spring from which they were obtaining water was regarded by 
 the inhabitants as a poisoned spring, and he stated that not 
 less than 400 Rebels had died from the effects of using it. 
 Whether the report was strictly true or not, it was deemed 
 best to move the camp about one-fourth of a mile to a field 
 near which was another spring. The first camp was behind a 
 range of hills where the sun did not reach until nine o'clock 
 or later, and was consequently somewhat damp. Certain it is 
 that the health of the men very materially improved as soon 
 as its location was changed. 
 
 Word reached the Regiment about this time that Corporal 
 Worthy S. Taylor, of Company D, had been killed in action 
 near Camp Denison, Ohio, July 14. He had been sick in 
 hospital for some time, but having partially recovered was 
 called out, with other convalescents, to repel the Rebel raiders 
 then sweeping through Southern Ohio under the lead of the 
 notorious Gen. John H. Morgan, and met his death at the
 
 1863] A CHANGE OF COMMANDERS. 147 
 
 hands of the enemy, far away from the comrades with whom 
 he had enlisted. 
 
 July 21, the Regiment received two months' pay, Maj. 
 Williams being the Paymaster. This closed all accounts to 
 the first of the month, and made money very plenty in camp, 
 although large amounts were sent home. The same day Col- 
 onel Champion took command of the Brigade, Col. Atkins 
 having gone to the front with Col. Wilder. In a few days 
 Gen. Walter C. Whittaker relieved Colonel Champion, the 
 latter returning to the command of the Regiment. About the 
 same time Gen. James B. Steedman succeeded to the com- 
 mand of the Division, relieving Gen. Baird, who went home 
 on sick leave, subsequently returning and taking a command 
 at the front. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh there was a grand review of the 
 Brigade by Gen. Whittaker, who expressed himself as de- 
 lighted with his new command, and was especially profuse in 
 praise of the NINETY -SIXTH. 
 
 On the twenty-sixth Jacob Harwick, of Company F, died 
 in hospital at Nashville. On the twenty-eighth Hamden 
 Huntington, of Company C, died in the regimental hospital. 
 Huntingtou was a mere lad, but seventeen years of age, but 
 of quiet yet happy demeanor, and had greatly endeared him- 
 self to his comrades. At the earnest request of his brother, 
 Sergeant Huntington, his remains were enclosed in a metallic 
 casket and taken home to Lake County for interment. On 
 the thirtieth William D. Sells, of Company D, died in the 
 same hospital. He left a family at home to enter the service. 
 A pretty spot near the camp was chosen for his grave. 
 
 Captain Black, who formerly commanded Company E, but 
 who had resigned some months before, visited the Regiment. 
 During all this long stay at Wartrace there was more or less 
 excitement regarding threatened raids on the part of the 
 enemy, and heavy guard details were kept at each of the rail- 
 road bridges along the line. Occasionally a scouting or forag- 
 ing party would go out, and once or twice they encountered 
 Rebels, but no serious collisions occurred. 
 
 August 3, Gen. Rosecrans and staff spent part of the day at
 
 148 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. "V. I. 
 
 Wartrace, inspecting the troops and looking over the ground, 
 and in the afternoon having a grand review. As the General 
 rode along the line he made many remarks that were quite 
 amusing. Referring to Lieutenant Colonel Clarke, who was 
 quite portly, he remarked : ' ' There is a Colonel who doesn't 
 live on salt pork altogether." Pointing to a very short Cor- 
 poral in Company E, he said: "That Corporal ought to be 
 fed on soup a while to see if he wouldn't grow." To others 
 he made similar remarks, keeping the line in excellent humor. 
 He declared that he could tell, by the looks of the men, what 
 kind of cooks they had. On the whole his visit created a very 
 favorable impression. A conspicuous figure on his staff was 
 Brig. Gen. James A. Garfield, then his Chief of Staff, and 
 afterward President of the United States. Gen. Garfield's 
 reception by the 40th Ohio, of the First Brigade, which had 
 been in his command in Eastern Kentucky in 1862, was espe- 
 cially cordial. For a time there had been but little drilling, 
 but now strict orders were issued to resume battalion drill. 
 The weather was hot, and the drilling was consequently done 
 early in the morning, being kept up for a week or more. 
 
 Thursday, August 6, occurred a special Thanksgiving day, 
 under a proclamation from President Lincoln, the recent vic- 
 tories of the Union army being deemed such as to call for 
 especial thanksgiving on the part of the people, both citizens 
 and soldiers. The day was observed by abstinence from drill, 
 and also by formal religious services, which were participated 
 in by large delegations from each of the Regiments encamped 
 at Wartrace.
 
 1863] A NEW CAMPAIGN INAUGURATED. 149 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Chattanooga Campaign The Difficulties and Delays Attending its 
 Inauguration Conditions Named but not Complied with Gen. 
 Bragg Outwitted and Outflanked The "Gateway of the South" 
 Opened with Unexpected Ease The Part Taken by the Reserve 
 Corps in the Campaign The March to Estill Springs Scouting 
 Experiences An Anniversary Celebrated by a Portion of the Com- 
 mand Forward Climbing the Cumberland Mountains A Brief 
 Halt at Bridgeport A Forced March over Lookout Mountain to 
 Rossville The Conflict at Hand Preparing for the Sacrifice. 
 
 THE student of military science will find few more interest- 
 ing chapters in all the world's history than those which give 
 the particulars of the brilliant movement by which Gen. Bragg 
 was forced to abandon the line of the Tennessee River. Be- 
 hind this line he had retired at the close of the brief but 
 spirited campaign which ended in the abandonment of Tulla- 
 homa by the Confederates and its occupancy by Gen. Rose- 
 crans' command. That movement was begun in August, and 
 in less than one month the stars and stripes were waving over 
 Chattanooga. Prior to its inception there was a spirited and 
 almost bitter correspondence between Gen. Halleck and the 
 commander of the Army of the Cumberland. Gen. Rosecrans 
 insisted that he must have a larger cavalry force ; that he 
 must wait for the ripening of the corn, unless larger provision 
 should be made for a supply of forage than there had been up 
 to that time ; that he must wait for the completion of the rail- 
 road to the Tennessee River, and that a movement must be 
 made by other forces on his right and left Hanks, in order that a 
 diversion might be created in his favor, and even though troops 
 might not be drawn from his front, at least that the enemy in 
 East Tennessee and Northern Mississippi might be kept 
 diverted and occupied so that they could not go to the support 
 and assistance of Gen. Bragg. A portion only of these 
 demands were complied with. Before the close of July the
 
 150 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 railroad was rebuilt and trains were running to Bridgeport, 
 Alabama. Meanwhile the corn was approaching maturity, 
 and some gains were made in accumulating provisions at Nash- 
 ville, Murfreesboro and points nearer the front. On the fifth 
 of August imperative orders were given from Washington for 
 the army to advance. Gen. Rosecrans, claiming that he was 
 the better judge as to when a movement should be made, 
 delayed the advance for some days. Despairing of the asked 
 for diversion on the part of other commands he sent a portion 
 of his cavalry to Huntsville, on the right, with instructions to 
 move along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, protecting 
 it so far as possible, and guarding the line of the Tennessee 
 River from Whitesburg to Bridgeport. After a time Gen. 
 Burnside moved into East Tennessee, but succeeded in hold- 
 ing only a small force of the enemy in that region. 
 
 These preliminaries attended to, an active and brilliant 
 campaign was inaugurated. August 16, the Army of the 
 Cumberland was on the move, the main body which had 
 been in camp in the vicinity of Winchester and Dechard 
 climbed the Cumberland Mountains, and was soon feeling for 
 the enemy, whose main force was at Chattanooga. With 
 numerous ranges of mountains and the mighty Tennessee to 
 protect his rear and flanks, Gen. Bragg deemed himself secure, 
 and fancied it impossible that Gen. Rosecrans should ever 
 drive him from his seemingly impregnable position. Indeed, 
 he had promised the Confederate authorities that, if given 
 certain reinforcements, he would soon take the offensive and 
 drive the Federal forces from Tennessee. At this time began 
 the brilliant strategy which was to disconcert the over-confi- 
 dent Confederate leader and compel him to quit his strong- 
 hold without a battle. Moving a considerable force of cavalry 
 and infantry into the Sequatchie valley, Gen. Rosecrans made 
 a bold push, as if intending to force a crossing of the river in 
 the near vicinity of Chattanooga and attempt to take the city 
 by direct assault. So bold and aggressive were the troops, 
 and so skillfully were they maneuvered, that Gen. Bragg seems 
 to have believed that the entire Federal army was concentrated 
 in that immediate vicinity. Meanwhile the greater part of it
 
 1863] FORWARD TO ESTILL SPRINGS. 151 
 
 had moved, by various routes, to Stevenson and Bridgeport, 
 where the long pontoon trains were gathering behind the hills, 
 and on the fourth of September had laid bridges and was cross- 
 ing, undisturbed, and making its way toward the railroads 
 in rear of Chattanooga. The demonstrations against the 
 doomed city were continued, and it was at least a day or two 
 after the main army was south of the river before Gen. Bragg 
 became fully aware that it was not Chattanooga, but the com- 
 munications leading to it, that were in danger. The Federal 
 army was now moving in three columns from the neighbor- 
 hood of Stevenson and Bridgeport ; one, under Gen. Critten- 
 den, going directly toward Chattanooga, as if intending to 
 cross the point of Lookout Mountain ; a second, under Gen. 
 Thomas, moving over the mountain to the right and penetrat- 
 ing nearly to La Fayette ; while the third, under Gen. McCook, 
 bearing still further to the right, marched to Valley Head, a 
 portion of the force even reaching Alpine. The cavalry 
 pushed still farther, raiding the country to the Coosa and 
 Oostenaula Rivers. Early on the morning of the eighth the 
 enemy evacuated Chattanooga and retreated southward. Gen. 
 Rosecrans seems to have been convinced that Gen. Bragg 
 would continue his march southward, and make a stand only 
 when another strong defensive line was reached. He there- 
 fore directed that a vigorous pursuit be made with the view of 
 striking Bragg in flank, and, if possible, battering his army to 
 pieces outside of any fortifications. But this was not to be 
 accomplished. The advancing columns soon found their way 
 opposed by a defiant enemy, and Gen. Rosecrans learned, 
 almost too late, that the army of Gen. Bragg had been largely 
 reinforced and was turning at bay, not only, prepared to defend 
 itself but also to assume the offensive. 
 
 While these movements were being planned and carried 
 forward, the NINETY-SIXTH had been bearing a less conspicu- 
 ous, but no less essential part. It was at first continued in 
 the work of guarding the long and slender line of communi- 
 cations, over which must come the provisions of the large 
 army operating at the front. Even before the campaign was 
 inaugurated the Regiment was ordered forward from War-
 
 152 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 trace. The movements of the main army having been thus 
 briefly outlined, it is now in order to take up the narrative of 
 the doings of the command of which this work is a history. 
 
 Wednesday, August 12, without previous warning, the 
 Regiment was ordered to strike tents and be ready to march. 
 Soon afterward the 113th Ohio and the 98th Ohio, which had 
 been stationed at Shelbyville, marched into camp, and at 
 three o'clock the same afternoon the NINETY-SIXTH started 
 southward, marching five miles and going into bivouac. 
 
 Thursday, August 13, reveille sounded very early, and at 
 daylight the Regiment was on the move. The road lay through 
 a deep ravine, or creek bottom, and the unbridged stream was 
 crossed a dozen times or more before Tullahoma was reached. 
 A halt was made at this place about 10 o'clock A. M., a dis- 
 tance of nine miles having been traveled. At two o'clock 
 in the afternoon the march was resumed, the column traveling 
 through a more level country, making about eight or nine 
 miles, and camping on the bank of Elk River, near Estill 
 Springs, in the early evening. The 40th Ohio was left on 
 duty at Tullahoma. From August 13 until September 7, the 
 Regiment remained at Estill Springs. Life there was too 
 monotonous to call for a daily diary. The First Division of 
 the Reserve Corps was now strung along the railroad from 
 Murfreesboro to Elk River, the NINETY-SIXTH being the 
 nearest to the front. At this point the 1st Michigan Engineer 
 Regiment was at work getting out timber for railroad bridges. 
 A negro regiment was being organized on the south bank of 
 the river, recruits coming from the neighboring plantations. 
 
 August 16 the 115th Illinois was sent back to some station 
 in the rear, and a few days later the 84th Indiana followed. 
 About one -third of the Regiment were on picket duty all the 
 time. The weather being hot and the flies very abundant, 
 there was but little opportunity for sleep in the daytime, so 
 that the men were kept pretty well tired out. Heavy details for 
 various duties were called for every few days. Once a large 
 number of men were sent to Tullahoma to guard a wagon 
 train, and later a still larger force was sent to Stevenson for 
 a like purpose. The men composing these details had severe
 
 18G3J SCOUTING EXPERIENCES. 153 
 
 duties to perform, the marches being long and disagreeable. 
 Almost daily a considerable number of prisoners were seen to 
 pass toward the rear on the cars, giving assurance that matters 
 were going well at the front. Toward the close of the month 
 the weather, which up to this time had been very sultry, 
 became quite cool, the nights almost cold. Camp was 
 moved a short distance on the twenty-third, the new grounds 
 being admirably located near the bank of the river. 
 
 August 26, pursuant to orders received before leaving 
 Wartrace, a number of non-commissioned officers went to 
 Stevenson, Alabama, by train, for. the purpose of being ex- 
 amined with reference to their fitness to receive commissions 
 in negro regiments, then forming in that Department, and a 
 few weeks afterward four or five commissions came to the 
 Regiment for those who had passed the most satisfactory 
 examinations. 
 
 August 28 a scouting party of between thirty and forty 
 men went out some twenty miles, under command of Captain 
 Taylor, of Company E. They were all mounted, their horses 
 having been picked up in the vicinity of camp. At about one 
 o'clock A. M., while passing through some timber, they sur- 
 prised and captured two prisoners and three horses. One of 
 the prisoners proved to be a noted bushwhacker named 
 Weaver, and the other a man less famous but not less infam- 
 ous. Further on three additional prisoners were taken, but 
 all of them claimed to be, and probably were, deserters from 
 the Confederate army, trying to get to their homes in the rear 
 of the Federal lines. Ail were sent to Nashville under guard. 
 
 Two days later another scouting party was sent out to 
 investigate rumors that a Rebel regiment was being organized 
 in an adjoining county. Their investigation did not confirm 
 the truth of the rumors. The officer in charge was consider- 
 ably chagrined, a few days later, to learn that a noted rebel 
 had escaped his clutches by the very means subsequently 
 adopted by his notorious leader, Jeff Davis. While the 
 scouting party were at a house, where were a number of 
 women, an elderly person, dressed in female attire, including 
 a huge sunbonnet, and carrying a young child, said that she
 
 15-i HISTORY or THE 96-rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 must go home. The Lieutenant was as polite as he was 
 brave, and called a soldier to hold the horse and assist the 
 supposed woman to mount, while he held the baby, passing 
 up his charge when she was safely in the saddle. A day or 
 two later it was learned that it was not a woman, but a man, 
 whom Lieutenant Richardson had so gallantly assisted, and 
 his explanation that the night was dark and the light in the 
 house extremely dim, did not save him from considerable 
 chaffing on the part of his brother officers. Two or three 
 times it was reported that Forrest was in the near vicinity 
 with a large force of cavalry, and that the bridge at Estill 
 Springs was to be burned by him if he could possibly gain 
 access to it. As a consequence the pickets were kept con- 
 stantly anxious and vigilant, and there was no sleeping on the 
 outposts. 
 
 Saturday, September 5, was the first anniversary of the 
 muster-in of the Regiment. Company A celebrated the event 
 by a grand dinner, provided by their officers, and had an 
 exceedingly jolly time. Other Companies observed the day 
 with less formality, but the cash receipts of the sutler were 
 considerably larger than on ordinary days. 
 
 Sunday, September 6, there were again rumors of a move, 
 and all the men unable to march were sent back to Tullahoma 
 by train. There were a large number from each Company, 
 for the hot weather and the almost constant guard duty, sup- 
 plemented by green peaches, unripe vegetables and bad cook- 
 ing had put many men on the sick list, and there had been 
 several deaths in the command. Charles Jennings, of Com- 
 pany K, died August 20 ; John Yaughn, of Company G, 
 August 22 ; James Bottom, of Company B, August 23 ; Isaac 
 Addudle, of Company H, August 31 ; and John Baker, of 
 Company G, September 6. All of these deaths occurred at 
 Estill Springs, in camp or at the regimental hospital, and 
 the effect upon the survivors was by no means favorable. In 
 addition to these Corporal James O'Connell, of Company B, 
 died at Nashville, August 24, and a little later Wm. Trudgian, 
 of Company F, died at Tullahoma. 
 
 Monday, September 7 the day before the Union advance
 
 1863] CROSSING THE CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS. 155 
 
 occupied Chattanooga orders were received for the Regiment 
 to proceed to the front. For the first time in some weeks drill 
 had been resumed, but while the companies were out the 
 order came, the assembly sounded, and by half past eleven 
 o'clock the Regiment had broken camp and was filing out 
 toward the south. Not far in advance were the low ranges of 
 the Cumberland Mountains, and the men knew that their road 
 was to be a hard one, for it lay directly over these ranges. 
 The distance traveled that day was about ten miles ; Dechard 
 was passed on the way and the camp being made about dark, 
 at Cowan Station. The weather, was exceedingly warm. 
 Several other Regiments joined the column on the march, 
 coming up from the rear. 
 
 Tuesday, September 8, reveille sounded at half past two 
 o'clock. By four o'clock the column was on the road, and 
 immediately commenced the ascent of the mountain, crossing 
 over the tunnel and past Tantallon, camping near Ander- 
 son. The distance traveled was said to be fifteen miles, 
 but the men declared that this must have been measured by 
 the railroad, and that the wagon road was not much, if any, 
 less than twenty miles. The climb was a very severe one, and 
 all were greatly fatigued with the long, hard day's journey. 
 
 Wednesday, September 9, reveille was heard sounding at 
 half past two o'clock, and again at four o'clock the column 
 filed out upon the wagon road and pushed rapidly southward. 
 Anderson was passed early in the morning, and the camp was 
 made soon after noon at a point about a mile distant from 
 Stevenson. The weather was hot and the road terribly 
 dusty so dusty in fact that it was almost impossible to recog- 
 nize the men or the officers. Through the narrow, wooded 
 roads the column filed mile after mile, the stifling dust, created 
 by the numerous trains that for a fortnight had been pushing 
 back and forth over the wagon roads, rising in such clouds 
 that at times it was impossible to see more than a few rods. 
 The men were fairly choked, and as they toiled on, their sweaty 
 faces became as black as the negroes at the occasional houses 
 by the roadside. On portions of the route water was very 
 scarce. At one time, after a very long interval, a magnificent
 
 156 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 spring gushed out from the mountain side, and the thirsty 
 men gathered about it as eagerly as ever cattle rushed to a 
 watering place, hundreds crowding around and almost pushing 
 their associates into the water in their haste to procure the 
 precious fluid. 
 
 To many of the command this was a first experience in the 
 mountains, and the ever changing panorama as the column 
 passed along the tortuous roadway was most pleasing. The 
 year had grown prematurely old, and the forests were taking 
 on their autumnal hues. As the clouds of dust were wafted 
 to one side so that the outlines of the wooded mountains could 
 be seen, there were few so weary that they did not share in the 
 enjoyment afforded by the magnificent view. 
 
 Thursday, September 10, the Brigade marched from 
 Stevenson, starting at six o'clock in the morning and camping 
 near Bridgeport about one o'clock in the afternoon. All were 
 thoroughly tired out with their four days' march through the 
 dust and over the mountains, and many of them extremely 
 foot sore. In the distance, less than half a mile from camp, 
 could be seen the waters of the Tennessee River. Hardly 
 had guns been stacked and knapsacks unslung when the entire 
 command, embracing almost every man in every Regiment in 
 the column, started for the river. All seemed to forget their 
 blistered feet in their eagerness to wash off the dust and dirt 
 accumulated on the march. It was a spectacle to be remem- 
 bered, when that two or three thousand men, hurriedly strip- 
 ping off their clothing, sprung into the waters of the Tennessee. 
 It must be left to the imagination to picture the scene, for 
 words cannot describe it. A half hour later, refreshed and 
 revived by their plunge in the water, they made their way 
 back to camp, near the ruins of the bridge, and prepared their 
 dinner, after which they rested for the day. 
 
 Friday, September 1 1, was spent quietly in camp. Some 
 strong earthworks were observed in the neighborhood, and 
 the point was deemed an important one by the military authori- 
 ties. There was an island in the river on which the piers of 
 the large railroad bridge were still standing, although the 
 bridge itself had been burned when the Rebels retreated south-
 
 1863] SOUTH OF THE TENNESSEE. 157 
 
 ward a few days before. The command was again moving to 
 the front, and an occasional artillery salute could be heard, 
 indicating that active operations were going on not far from 
 Chattanooga. 
 
 Saturday, September 12, the Kegirnent marched at seven 
 o'clock in the morning, moving directly across the river, and 
 going into camp upon the southern bank. The men were 
 directed to fix up the camp nicely and given some assurance 
 that they would remain at that point for a time. Accordingly 
 the grounds were carefully policed, and large quantities of 
 straight pine poles, with which the region abounded, were cut 
 for the construction of bunks. After some hours had been 
 spent in hard work of this character, they were notified c 
 send back all their extra baggage, as they would be required 
 to go directly to the front. The camp and garrison equipage, 
 including tents, knapsacks, blankets and mess-chests, were 
 packed up and sent to Stevenson, Captain Pollock, of Com- 
 pany C, being detailed to accompany and take charge of them. 
 Quite a number of men, who were unfit for the long march, 
 were sent back with him. A few came up from the rear to 
 take their places, keeping the number of the Regiment up to 
 nearly 500 men. 
 
 Sunday morning, September 13, between six and seven 
 o'clock, the column filed out in the direction of Chattanooga. 
 The Regiment was near the rear of the column, and as there 
 were several hundred wagons ahead of them loaded with 
 twelve days' rations and a large amount of ammunition for 
 the command, progress was very slow. Shellmound was 
 passed early in the day, the column halting for a time near 
 the entrance to the famous Nick-a-Jack Cave, from whose 
 rocky depths a mammoth spring poured out its cooling waters. 
 Some extensive saltpetre works, from which the Rebels had 
 obtained large quantities of material for gunpowder, were near 
 by and attracted much attention. A large squad of prisoners, 
 on their way to Bridgeport under guard, were met during the 
 afternoon. 
 
 All day the scenery along the line of march increased in 
 grandeur, and as night approached was truly magnificent.
 
 158 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Sand and Lookout Mountains were bold peaks, and loomed 
 up as if near at hand. Whiteside was reached just at dark 
 and the tired troops went into bivouac, having marched about 
 fifteen miles. But their rest was not to be a long one, for at 
 eleven o'clock the sleepers were aroused and ordered to 
 resume the march. That night trip, over the rugged moun- 
 tain road, was one to be remembered. Great boulders lay in 
 the roadway, and frequent ledges of rock cropped out to make 
 the path uneven. Through the long hours the column toiled 
 wearily onward, up and down, over the hills and through the 
 narrow valleys, hindered by the artillery and wagon trains 
 in front, and yet not allowed to tarry more than a few 
 moments at any point for rest. Men fell asleep as they 
 marched along, and, stumbling over the rocks and ledges, 
 partially fell, while ever and anon a musket would drop from 
 the unconscious hands and go rattling down the stony ravines. 
 Some sank down from exhaustion and declared they could 
 not go another step. Others, chafed and blistered, fell to the 
 rear of the column, but still kept on. Shoes wore through, 
 and many were the feet whose every step left on the rocks a 
 trace of blood. Through the uncertain light the outline of 
 Lookout could be dimly traced against the sky. The linea 
 were shortened as the hours, wore away, for many could not 
 bear the strain of continuous marching over the rugged roads 
 and fell to the rear. At last the gray of morning came, but 
 still the silent, sullen column, like a huge serpent, wound its 
 way along. Then came daylight, and as sleepiness disap- 
 peared with the darkness, the men grew more cheerful and 
 ventured to talk again. At sunrise the wearied column halted, 
 and the soldiers set about preparing coffee and toasting meat 
 over the quickly kindled bivouac fires. They were rather 
 jolly than otherwise, for their spirits rose as they partook of the 
 exhilarating coffee and the satisfying hard-tack. The pluckier 
 stragglers came up in goodly numbers and resumed their 
 places, but the lines were by no means full when the bugle 
 sounded the order to move on. 
 
 The halt had been made at the base of Lookout, and the 
 long climb over the nose of the mountain was at once begun.
 
 1863] IN SIGHT or CHATTANOOGA. 159* 
 
 Stiffened and sore, the troops made slow progress, and the 
 forenoon was well advanced when the highest point of the 
 wagon road was reached. The scene which there opened out 
 was one of beauty. Chattanooga was in the distance. The- 
 broad Tennessee seemed like a silver ribbon winding in and 
 out among the timbered hills which lined its banks. Missionary 
 Ridge lay at the front, and seemed hardly more than a rifle- 
 shot away. Beyond this were the fields and forests where 
 the main bodies of the two armies were soon to be engaged 
 in the first mighty struggle which was to make that region 
 famous, and in which so many of the tired feet then toiling 
 across the mountain should halt forever at the bugle call 
 of death. To the left, and near at hand, were alternately 
 deep, ragged chasms and huge ledges, and just beyond, where 
 a glance would say a boy might throw a stone, was Moccasin 
 Point, where a remnant of the Regiment were to shortly watcli 
 for showers of iron from the mountain sides. To the right, 
 across acres where the crops had been naught but rocks, and 
 these ungathered through all the centuries of the past, loomed 
 up the palisades, crowned by the crest of that soon to be his- 
 toric mountain. None knew it then, but over these rocks, 
 and up against those palisades, the Regiment, in a brief two 
 months, was to make its way, in the flame and smoke of 
 battle. 
 
 The halt on Lookout's side was not a long one, for soon- 
 the bugles sounded again and the column wound down into 
 Lookout Valley, and across the intervening plain to Mission- 
 ary Ridge. It had been supposed that the march would be 
 directed toward Chattanooga, but instead the line passed on to 
 the southeast, leaving the city to the left, and camping a little 
 before noon at Rossville Gap, four miles away. All through 
 the afternoon and until the evening was well advanced, the 
 tired stragglers came limping in. The trip had been an 
 exceedingly tedious one, not alone because of the natural 
 difficulties of the route, but also because of the annoying delays 
 occasioned by the heavy wagon train accompanying the com- 
 mand, and in whose rear the Regiment, with other portions of 
 the command, had been obliged to travel.
 
 160 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I f 
 
 There were now at Rossville three batteries of artillery 
 and fourteen regiments of infantry. Most of these were 
 troops that had never been under fire, except at long 
 range. As for the NINETY-SIXTH, it had been gathering 
 strength through all the months for the mighty conflict of 
 arms that was now so near. It had listened to distant artillery 
 in Kentucky ; it had seen a nearer view of war at the second 
 Fort Donelson ; it had been in the outer margin of the fray at 
 Franklin ; it had been closer to the front at Triune, where for 
 many hours it lay under an annoying artillery fire, and where 
 the bullets pattered along its line ; it had heard the roar of 
 shot and shell at Guy's Gap and Shelbyville ; it had taken 
 part in frequent scouting expeditions and picket forays where 
 there was enough of danger to try the nerves of its members, 
 but it had never been in heavy battle. During the year excel- 
 lent discipline had been maintained, and the men had been 
 getting ready. Now it was to know and that right speedily 
 of what material it was composed, and whether it should do 
 honor to the hopes of those who had sent it forth to battle. 
 Chickamauga was less than a week distant.
 
 SW^^A, 
 
 ._ PwafcR,,;. 
 
 ^b- .-^-:, ^ 
 
 ROSS HOUSE. 
 
 Heaili|uarters of the Brigade, at Rossville, Oa., just prior to and on the morning following 
 the Hattle of Chickamaiiga.
 

 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 161 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Chickamauga Preparations for the Impending Battle Collecting the 
 Scattered Forces The Enemy not in Retreat Bragg's Lost Oppor- 
 tunity The Lines Forming Along Chickamauga Creek A Recon- 
 noissance f rom Rossville Under Fire with Unloaded Guns Cold 
 Nights in Line of Battle Saturday's Battle The Fighting Renewed 
 on Sunday The Reserves to the Rescue The March to the Right 
 Three Desperate Charges Repulsing the Enemy Desperate Fight- 
 ing and Terrific Losses Both Armies Baffled Again at Rossville 
 The Long Casualty List Companies C and H Captured Arrival at 
 Moccasin Point Official Reports The New York Tribune Letter. 
 
 CHICKAMAUGA ! Though long years have passed since that 
 name was hurled into history from the smoking throats of a 
 hundred cannon and a hundred thousand muskets, yet the 
 hand trembles and the pen falters as the word is written. It 
 is a theme too vast to be fully discussed in a work like this. 
 It was a battle of tremendous proportions and fraught with 
 mighty import. It extended over miles of territory, through 
 fields and woods embracing thousands of acres. It occupied 
 two full days, beside the preliminary skirmishes attending 
 it. The nature of the ground occupied by the opposing 
 armies was such that often but little could be seen by the 
 General officers, and much less by line officers or enlisted 
 men, except of their immediate surroundings. Divisions, 
 brigades, even regiments, at times became detached and had 
 engagements that seemed wholly their own, for the heavy 
 timber on many parts of the battle-field so covered and con- 
 cealed them that movements could neither be seen nor antici- 
 pated ; and they fought, independently and alone, giving and 
 taking terrific blows, often without support, and until exhausted 
 and out of ammunition. Commanders have discussed and 
 grown angry over it, disagreeing widely as to their locations 
 and the work accomplished by their commands. They all 
 agree, however, that it was a desperate battle, and the soldiers 
 11
 
 162 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 of the Army of the Cumberland, whenever they meet to talk 
 over their experiences, as old soldiers will, almost invaria- 
 bly end up with Chickamauga. 
 
 The movements of the main armies, in the campaign by 
 which Gen. Rosecrans wrested Chattanooga from the enemy, 
 have been briefly outlined in the preceding chapter, the 
 events there alluded to occupying until about September 10, 
 Before taking up the narrative of the NINETY-SIXTH, in con- 
 nection with the battle, it will be proper to describe, briefly, 
 the movements of the three main columns of the Federal 
 army, and also of Gen. Bragg' s forces, during the week that 
 intervened between the date named and the opening of the 
 mighty struggle. 
 
 Drawing his forces back twenty-five or thirty miles, to 
 the neighborhood of La Fayette, Gen. Bragg repeated the 
 appeals for reinforcements, made to the Confederate author- 
 ities when he first discovered Gen. Rosecrans' strategy, 
 promising, if certain troops were sent to him, to retake Chat- 
 tanooga, and drive the Federals northward into or across the 
 Tennessee River. The troops were sent, two divisions from 
 Mississippi, Gen. Buckner's command from East Tennessee, 
 Gen, Longstreet's Corps from Virginia, and several thousand 
 of the Georgia Militia ; and thus was concentrated, before the- 
 opening of the battle, a force much superior in point of num- 
 bers to that commanded by Gen. Rosecrans. 
 
 Hardly had the Federal commander formulated his plans 
 for pursuit when evidences began to multiply that the enemy, 
 instead of being in retreat toward Rome, as had been sup- 
 posed, was concentrating between La Fayette and Lee & 
 Gordon's Mills. This fact was not definitely ascertained until 
 dispositions for pursuit had been made and the advance had 
 been well begun. Crittenden's Corps, after crossing Lookout 
 Mountain into Chattanooga, had moved on Ringgold, driving 
 the enemy from that place and pushing southward, the cavalry 
 going beyond Tunnel Hill, and a portion of the infantry 
 nearly to that point. Those farthest to the left soon became 
 aware that they were actually in the rear of the right wing of 
 the main body of the Confederates, and in great danger. As
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 163 
 
 soon as practicable they were withdrawn, returning to the 
 neighborhood of Kinggold, and then, two Brigades having 
 been previously sent to cover the roads leading into Chatta- 
 nooga from the southward, moving more directly toward La 
 Fayette. In this latter movement they encountered unex- 
 pected opposition, and were obliged to move by the right 
 flank, finally joining the two Brigades mentioned near Lee 
 & Gordon's Mills. From this point reconnoitreing parties 
 were sent in various directions,, the one going toward La 
 Fayette encountering two corps of the enemy, under Gen. Polk, 
 moving to the attack of Crittenden's position. This recon- 
 noitreing party made a vigorous and noisy resistance, which 
 so disconcerted the enemy that they abandoned their advance 
 movement and assumed the defensive, supposing that they 
 had been mistaken in believing Gen. Rosecrans' army still 
 divided. Within a day or two, a portion of the Reserve 
 Corps having reached Rossville and being within supporting 
 distance, a part of Gen. Crittenden's force was sent to the 
 right to cover the road leading to Chattanooga through the 
 valley to the east of Lookout. 
 
 While the movements just described were in progress, 
 Gen. Thomas, in command of the centre column, attempted 
 to pass through Dug Gap, but, finding it occupied by a large 
 force of the enemy, withdrew his lines, and by a dextrous 
 movement avoided a general engagement and reached a posi- 
 tion more suitable for defense. He had a lively skirmish at 
 McLemore's Cove, however, but was not so involved but that 
 he was able to fall back without a battle. Owing to the dis- 
 tance to be traveled and the rugged and tortuous roads in the 
 rear of the Union forces, much difficulty was experienced in 
 communicating with Gen. McCook, who, from his position at 
 Alpine, had also found that the enemy was preparing for 
 battle. On the thirteenth, pursuant to orders received the 
 night before, Gen. McCook began the movement to his left 
 which was to concentrate the Union forces. The march was 
 a most toilsome one, the column being encumbered with 
 considerable artillery and heavy wagon trains, which were 
 moved with difficulty, owing to the mountainous roads.
 
 164 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 The enemy controlled the direct roads, and the troops and 
 trains had to cross and recross the mountain before effect- 
 ing a junction with Gen. Thomas. The march was made 
 almost continuous, fires being kindled at night to light up the 
 road at the more difficult points and allow the teams to con- 
 tinue on their course. On the seventeenth the three Corps 
 were within supporting distance of each other. For nearly a 
 week the situation had been critical in the extreme. Gen. 
 Bragg had it in his power during all of that time to strike 
 any one of the three Corps with his entire army without fear 
 that either of the others would reach the column attacked 
 until a battle could be fought. It is matter of history that he 
 more than once gave positive orders to his subordinates to 
 make the attack ; but some unexpected move of the Federal 
 forces, or some division of counsels on the part of his corps 
 or division commanders, cost the Confederates their opportu- 
 nity, and delayed a battle that was to be desperate enough, 
 even after the Union forces were united. 
 
 Having failed to take advantage of the opportunities offered 
 during this long period in which the Federal forces had been 
 separated, General Bragg changed his plans, and decided that 
 the battle must be nearer Chattanooga. General Rosecrans' 
 army was mainly to the right and rear of Lee & Gordon's 
 Mills, and not yet well in hand. The Confederate leader 
 now began moving his forces by the right flank, in order to 
 make easy connection with such of his reinforcements as had 
 not yet arrived and must make the march from the railroad, 
 intending to strike the left flank of General Rosecrans' com- 
 mand, and interpose his own army between them and Chatta- 
 nooga. But here again divided counsels, a slight delay in the 
 arrival of Longstreet's Corps, and the positive timidity on the 
 part of his immediate subordinates conspired to cost Bragg 
 another golden opportunity ; for the attack, positively ordered 
 on Thursday evening to be made the following morning, was 
 deferred until Saturday, the nineteenth. The dust, which had 
 so stifled the Union troops in their long marches, now came 
 to their assistance, for it rose in great clouds off to the east, 
 betraving the movements of the Confederates, and thus en-
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 165 
 
 abling the Army of the Cumberland to meet this unexpected 
 change of plan. The Union forces were moved to the left as 
 rapidly as possible, but as the enemy was pressing in the 
 vicinity of Crawfish Springs, the utmost caution had to be 
 observed, and the movements were made at some disadvan- 
 tage. Then, too, the distance was considerable, and the route 
 lay through tangles of forest and along narrow and difficult 
 roads, so that the close of Friday found the Union lines but 
 partially formed, while many of the troops were still some 
 miles from the position chosen for defense, and must march 
 long hours in the darkness before they could be assigned to 
 positions and given opportunity to catch a little sleep before 
 the battle of the morrow. Indeed, large portions of the army 
 were in motion throughout the entire night, while others were 
 thrown into bivouac because of the impracticability of moving 
 them over the fields in the darkness, and resumed the march 
 at daylight of Saturday morning ; those farthest to the right 
 not closing up on the main army until the afternoon was well 
 advanced, and then, after a double-quick of some miles, going 
 immediately into action. The lines of the main army, as 
 formed during Friday and the early part of Saturday, were on 
 the west bank of Chickamauga Creek, and extended from 
 Lee & Gordon's Mills to Reed's Bridge, a distance of about 
 five miles. A portion of McCook's Corps was still farther to 
 the right, occupying a position near Crawfish Springs, so that 
 the extreme right and left wings were almost twelve miles 
 apart. The several bridges and fords along the stream 
 were guarded by cavalry, with infantry in support. Three or 
 four miles in rear of the line was Missionary Ridge, an irregu- 
 lar range of hills, parallel with the general line of battle, and 
 so steep and high that it would almost pass for a range of 
 mountains in a country less rough than Northern Georgia. 
 Through this Ridge were but two roads over which wagons or 
 artillery could pass. One led through Rossville Gap on the 
 left of the main army ; the other through McFarland's Gap, 
 nearly in rear of the left centre. 
 
 Having described how the main armies were ranged on
 
 166 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 either bank of Chickamauga Creek, it will be in order to again 
 take up the narrative of the NINETY-SIXTH. 
 
 The previous chapter left the Regiment at Rossville, four 
 miles distant from Chattanooga, and nearly eight miles from 
 Lee & Gordon's Mills. There were with Gen. Gordon 
 Granger, at Rossville, the First Brigade of the First Division 
 of the Reserve Corps, to 'which Brigade the NINETY-SIXTH 
 belonged, under the command of Gen. Walter C. Whit- 
 taker ; the Second Brigade of the same Division, under 
 the command of Col. J. G. Mitchell, and which had marched 
 from the neighborhood of Wartrace and Shelbyville ; the 
 Second Brigade of the Second Division of the same Corps, 
 commanded by Col. Daniel McCook, which had marched from 
 the neighborhood of Columbia ; the 89th Ohio, of the Four- 
 teenth Corps, which had marched from Tracy City ; and the 
 22d Michigan, of the Second Division of the Rserve Corps, 
 which, having been on provost duty at Nashville, had been 
 brought to Bridgeport by rail and marched from there with 
 the rest of the command. Few who were on that march will 
 fail to remember the appearance of this last named Regiment. 
 Their ranks were full, their clothing new and tidy, and many 
 of them wore white shirts and paper collars. There was some 
 good-natured chaffing on the part of the troops that had been 
 in more active field duty, but these men showed themselves 
 admirable soldiers, and those who survived the battle were 
 ever afterward held as worthy to be called brothers by their 
 veteran comrades. Although the Corps Commander was 
 present, it is understood that all of the orders sent to 
 to the command were addressed to Gen. J. B. Steedman, who 
 was the commander of the First Division, and to whom the 
 Brigade of Col. McCook and the two detached Regiments had 
 been assigned. This was all of the troops that could be spared 
 from the rear to assist the main army at the front. It was a 
 paltry number, a beggarly reinforcement compared with the 
 scores of regiments that had been sent at the call of the Rebel 
 Commander, but enough, thank God, to save the day. They 
 did not know their peril perhaps it was better that they did 
 not.
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 167 
 
 From the fourteenth to the seventeenth these troops lay 
 idly in their camps, resting from the long march. Rossville 
 Gap was well picketed, and a lighter line of guards was put 
 out along the valley and toward Chattanooga. Gen. Gordon 
 Granger, the commander of the Corps, exercised his authority 
 by causing a number of foragers, who had been outside the 
 picket lines, to be arrested by his guards and tied up by the 
 thumbs near his headquarters. Instantly there was "music" 
 in the camp. Captain Hicks and other officers from the 
 NINETY-SIXTH walked deliberately to the line and demanded 
 the release of their men. A crowd of soldiers gathered near 
 by, and officers from other regiments imitated the example 
 set by Captain Hicks and his associates. Gen. Granger was 
 profane, and made terrible threats, but the murmur that ran 
 through the crowd indicated that he could not misuse intelli- 
 gent volunteers in an active campaign, and he slunk away into 
 his tent, damning everybody. Shortly afterward, upon the 
 demand of Gen. Steedman, the Commander of the Division, 
 all were released and quiet restored. It was better so, for the 
 feeling among the soldiers was so intense that nightfall would 
 have seen a raid upon headquarters and the release of the 
 foragers, even though it might have inaugurated a tragedy. 
 
 Thursday, September 17, the Second Brigade and the 22d 
 Michigan and 89th Ohio, all under Gen. Steedman, leaving 
 Rossville at three o'clock A. M., went out on the Ringgold road 
 some twelve or fourteen miles, driving a light force for the 
 last half mile or so. From the high ground overlooking the 
 village of Ringgold they could plainly see large forces of the 
 enemy, on the march and in bivouac. The temptation to give 
 them a surprise was too strong to be resisted, and a section of 
 the battery was taken to the ridge and begun a vigorous shell- 
 ing of the camps. This was soon responded to ; but the pur- 
 pose of the expedition was to reconnoitre and not to fight, and 
 as the clouds of dust indicated that the enemy was moving to 
 the right and left of their little force, as though intending 
 to surround and capture it, they withdrew, the rear guard 
 skirmishing as they fell back. At nightfall they formed their 
 lines on either side of the road, not far from Greysville,
 
 168 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 and went into bivouac. At eleven o'clock the enemy opened 
 upon them with a gun which had been placed in position near 
 their picket lines. Ordering the men to maintain silence and 
 extinguish their fires, Gen. Steedman awaited an attack, but 
 the enemy soon ceased firing and withdrew. 
 
 Next morning they resumed the march, retiring leisurely 
 to Rossville, and going into their former camp at a little past 
 noon. Gen. Steedman at once communicated with Gen. 
 Rosecrans, giving the latter the startling information that 
 Longstreet's Corps had arrived to reinforce the Rebel army, 
 as learned from prisoners taken on the reconnoissance. He 
 also gave assurance that the Rebels were concentrating near 
 the left of the main Union force. These facts, coupled with 
 others gleaned from citizens and scouts, determined Gen. 
 Rosecrans to move his army still farther to the left. He also 
 ordered Gen. Steedman to move a portion of his troops to the 
 front. At four o'clock that (Friday) afternoon Gen. Whittaker's 
 and Col.McCook's Brigades were called in line, the understand- 
 ing being that they were to go out on a reconnoissance similar 
 to that made by other portions of the Division the day before. 
 There was little to do by way of preparation, as the baggage 
 had been parted with at Bridgeport some days before, and the 
 column soon filed out through the Gap. A few of the sick, 
 those who had been worn out by the march, and some who 
 had worn out their shoes in crossing the mountains, and were 
 consequently barefoot, were left in camp. A detail from the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, consisting of about thirty men, had been sent 
 to guard a wagon train that morning, and were not relieved, 
 but remained on duty for three days, joining the Regiment 
 only after the succeeding battle had been fought. Company 
 A was on picket duty on the side of Missionary Ridge, &nd 
 did not go out with the command. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH was given the head of the column, 
 Gen. Whittaker and Staff riding just in front. Contrary to 
 custom no advance guard was thrown forward. Strict orders- 
 had been issued that all guns should be kept unloaded in camp, 
 and, as no instructions had been given to load, every musket 
 was empty. The column filed out through Rossville Gap>
 
 18C3] CHICKAMAUGA. 16J 
 
 taking the right hand, or La Fayette, road for a mile or more, 
 and halted. There was a brief consultation at the front, and 
 then the Regiment was countermarched and crossed over to 
 the Ringgold Road, by which Gen. Steedman had returned 
 from his expedition four hours earlier. Col. McCook's Bri- 
 gade kept on by the direct road, however, going nearly to 
 Reed's Bridge. 
 
 The First Brigade marched forward at a good, swinging 
 gait, not apprehending any danger, and chatting merrily as 
 they passed along. Two or three miles out a soldier ran to the 
 door of a house near the road, and conversed for a few 
 moments with a woman, whom he found greatly agitated. 
 She repeated, over and over : " There's going to be a battle ;"" 
 "there's going to be a battle," and stated that a "critter- 
 back company " followed the Yankees as they retired to Ross- 
 ville, and turned back near her house. The soldier reported 
 what he had heard, and word was sent to Gen. Whittaker, but 
 no attention was paid to the matter, and the somewhat rapid 
 march continued. 
 
 It is understood that the original intention was that Whit- 
 taker's Brigade should march out five miles to Red House 
 Bridge, on the Ringgold Road, and McCook's Brigade to Reed'& 
 Bridge ; but events transpired which prevented either destina- 
 tion being reached. Whittaker's Brigade had lost some time 
 in the march and counter-march upon the La Fayette Road, 
 and it was after five o'clock when they filed past McAifee's 
 Church and entered the heavy timber which lined either side 
 of the roadway. Here a little stream best known as the 
 Little Chickamauga, but down on the maps as Spring Creek - 
 was encountered. It was, perhaps, twenty or thirty feet wide 
 in the highway and unbridged, except that a fallen tree just at 
 the right of the road, in some bushes, served the purpose of 
 a foot bridge. Gen. Whittaker, followed by his Staff, rode 
 into the stream and gave his horse the reins that the animal 
 might drink ; the men broke to the right in some disorder, 
 looking for points where they might cross without wetting 
 their feet. The right Company had just commenced crossing: 
 on the log, when, like lightning from a clear sky, the sharp-
 
 170 HISTORY OF THE 96ra: REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 crack of a rifle rang out, and a bullet whizzed past the General's 
 head, 'apparently barely missing its mark. A second bullet 
 came an instant later, striking the rolled up blanket and pon- 
 cho of a drummer boy Thomas Reynolds with such force 
 as to penetrate it and throw him backward into the arms of a 
 comrade, but fortunately giving him no greater injury than a 
 severe bruise on the breast and shoulder. Instantly the men 
 on the log dropped back to the shelter of the bushes, and 
 those who had scattered to the right fell into line. A glance 
 at the front revealed a little column of smoke in the bushes 
 just at the left of the road, and it was evident that a Rebel 
 sentinel, stationed to give warning of the approach of any 
 forces, had been cooking his coffee, unaware of the nearness 
 of his opponents until the splashing of the water attracted his 
 attention. It was the work of but a moment for him to seize 
 his carbine and fire the shots that had startled the command. 
 Instantly Gen. Whittaker shouted out his commands to deploy 
 a Company as skirmishers, and Colonel Champion called, 
 "Attention ! " and gave the command to load at will. Another 
 shot or two was heard, but the bullets did no harm. There 
 was a moment's delay, owing to the absence of Company A 
 which would most naturally have been sent to the skirmish 
 line and then Companies D and F were deployed, the latter 
 going to the right. Upon the order of Captain Blodgett, 
 commanding Company D, his men faced to the left and began 
 to deploy. The first man to start to cross the road was Cor- 
 poral Elisha Haggart, but the moment he emerged from the 
 bushes he fell, his brain pierced by a bullet. Five minutes 
 later Captain Blodgett had caught a bullet in his shoulder, but 
 did not at once go back, although the wound was painful. 
 The 40th Ohio moved to the left of the road, and in line with 
 the NINETY-SIXTH, also throwing out two companies of skir- 
 mishers. The fire of the enemy was quickly replied to, the 
 skirmishers moving gallantly forward for a half mile or more, 
 the main body of the two regiments following closely in line 
 of battle. The bullets cut wickedly through and over the 
 line, and Robert C. Allison, of Company E, received a wound 
 from which he died a few days later. The 18th Ohio Battery,
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 171 
 
 which was with the Brigade, took position in rear and began 
 firing, bringing a speedy response from a Rebel battery posted 
 in the timber just beyond an open field, to the edge of which 
 the skirmishers had advanced. Pickets were thrown on the 
 fianks, and as night was now closing in the lines halted, 
 although the firing continued for a time. The men lay in 
 line all through that chilly night, without removing their 
 accoutrements, every one clutching his rifle and thinking of 
 the morrow. Few had any but rubber blankets ; no fires could 
 be built ; even the solace of a cup of hot coffee was denied 
 them. How the teeth chattered as the long hours rolled slowly 
 by ! It seems almost incredible in that latitude, and at that 
 time of year, but old letters and diaries assert that there was a 
 heavy frost on that and the following night. Certain it is that 
 the cold was sufficient to cause intense suffering, and forbid 
 sleep to the unprotected soldiers. At intervals of an hour or 
 two the men on the skirmish line were visited by the officers 
 in charge, and one of the latter declares that he found some 
 of them holding their bayonets in their mouths to prevent 
 their teeth chattering together so loudly as to attract the atten- 
 tion of the enemy. Every sound from the front was listened 
 to with the closest attention, but no movement was discovered, 
 and it is probable that the Rebels were shivering with the cold 
 much as were the Yankees in their front. 
 
 Col. McCook's Brigade, which had gone toward Reed's 
 Bridge, had an experience similar to that of Gen. Whittaker's 
 command, encountering the enemy and having a lively skir- 
 mish. Most writers assert that McCook reached and burned 
 the bridge, but such was not the case. The cavalry had 
 undertaken to destroy the bridge an hour or two before, but 
 only succeeded in tearing up a few planks when they were 
 driven off, and the enemy had crossed in large force before 
 the infantry reached the vicinity. Next morning McCook 
 withdrew, under orders from his superiors, and covered the 
 roads leading toward Rossville, remaining within supporting 
 distance of Whittaker on his left and Brannan on his right. 
 
 The morning of Saturday, September 19, was at hand, 
 but 'ere its first glimmer had lightened up the east, word was
 
 172 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 passed from man to man to move to the road. Silent! y y 
 hardly a bayonet or a cup rattling to give the slightest sound, 
 the crouching soldiers passed through the forest to the road- 
 way, and marched back a mile or more, to a field near Mc- 
 Affee's Church. The march had stirred the blood and aroused 
 the troops so that they were more like themselves. Fires 
 were kindled, and hot coffee, added to the relief afforded by 
 the removal from the close proximity to the enemy, made 
 all quite jolly again. Breakfast over, the line shifted position 
 once or twice, and was then moved slightly to the front, the 
 Regiment being placed upon a ridge at the left of the road, a 
 position which it occupied for the following twenty-four hours. 
 During the day the Rebels advanced upon the new line, but. 
 at the right of the road, and while there was heavy skirmish- 
 ing on the part of the other Regiments of the Brigade, and 
 numerous casualties, the tide of battle did not cross the road. 
 Two or three times the enemy sought to drive the forces from 
 this position, but in vain. The Rebel artillery fired over the- 
 hill held by the Regiment occasionally, and overshot bullets 
 hummed across the field. A heavy skirmish line was main- 
 tained on the front and flank all day and throughout the 
 night. Early in the day Company A came up from Rossville, 
 and took its place in line. The Second Brigade and the two 
 detached Regiments also came up and took position near by. 
 Gen. Granger and Gen. Steedman spent a great part of the 
 day in the immediate vicinity. During the afternoon Captain 
 Charles E. Rowan, of Company F, who was at the time serv- 
 ing on the staff of Gen. Whittaker, was sent with orders to- 
 one of the Regiments near the right of the Brigade. He had 
 left them but a few moments before, but during his absence 
 they had retired to a more favorable position, and the Rebels- 
 having advanced, he galloped directly into the enemy's lines, 
 when, being confronted by half a hundred muskets, from all. 
 directions, he surrendered. This was the only loss to the 
 NINETY-SIXTH on Saturday. 
 
 While the day had been by no means uneventful at the- 
 extreme left of the army, farther to the right a terrible con- 
 flict had been raging, the noise of which soon reached the-
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 173 
 
 Reserve Corps and added to their anxiety, and the nightfall 
 shutting in was most welcome to them, as well as to the tired 
 troops of the main army. From those who had come up to 
 the Regiment from Rossville only meagre particulars could 
 be gathered, but it was reported that large numbers of wounded 
 had passed that point all through the afternoon on their way 
 toward Chattanooga, and that the valley was filled with wagon 
 trains, sent back from the front. 
 
 The history of that eventful Saturday can be but briefly 
 described. Gen. Rosecrans, in forming his line of battle on 
 the west bank of Chickamauga Creek, had expected that the 
 stream would serve an admirable purpose for defensive opera- 
 tions. With this expectation he had ordered that every bridge 
 and ford should be securely guarded by cavalry, with infantry 
 in support, and that the strongest possible resistance should 
 be offered to the passage of the enemy. But it transpired, 
 early on Saturday, that the stream was not a formidable 
 barrier. Indeed, on Friday evening, While Col. McCook's* 
 Brigade of the Reserve Corps was marching to Reed's Bridge, 
 the cavalry posted there had been driven back, and a large 
 force of the enemy had crossed before dark. Col. McCook 
 believed it to be but a single Brigade, and so reported ; but 
 when, at about ten o'clock Saturday morning, Gen. Brannan 
 attempted to move his Division to the bridge and capture it, 
 he found himself confronted by a force greatly outnumber- 
 ing his own. Simultaneously with his advance the enemy 
 were moving to the assault, and the two forces met and began 
 .a terrible struggle for the mastery. Speedily the roar of battle 
 ran to the southward, as division after division of the Rebel 
 army took up the charge. The order of Gen. Bragg had been 
 for a series of charges, beginning on his extreme right, each 
 Division to move as rapidly as it should appear that the Union 
 lines withstood the contest at their right, until some weak 
 point should be found and penetrated. Such a point was 
 found, but farther to the southward and later in the day. As the 
 
 * The reader should not confuse Col. Daniel McCook with Gen. A. McD. McCook. 
 The former commanded a Brigade In the Reserve Corps, and the latter was the com- 
 mander of the Twenty-first Army Corps.
 
 174 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 terrible roar of musketry gave evidence that the contest was to- 
 be a full-fledged battle, and that the plan of the Rebel leader 
 was to break back the Union left if possible, troops were 
 hurried from the right centre and thrown into the maelstrom 
 where Brannan's Division, and subsequently Baird's and 
 Johnson's Divisions, were striving, with desperate courage, 
 to withstand the terrific efforts of the enemy. Some ground 
 was lost, and a half dozen pieces of artillery had to be aban- 
 doned ; but the left was by no means routed, and the losses of 
 the brave battalions in gray that had opened the battle were- 
 such as to render them cautious in their subsequent advances. 
 Gen. Rosecrans soon ordered that portion of Gen. McCook's 
 Corps that had been left in the neighborhood of Crawfish 
 Springs to move toward the left, closing up on the forces at 
 Lee & Gordon's Mills. This movement was not begun until, 
 afternoon, and when the tide of battle had swung far toward 
 the Union right. The assaulting columns found more than one 
 weak place in the Union lines before the right had been reached, 
 but the Brigades and Divisions in reserve had been able to- 
 move into the breaks in the lines, and but little ground was lost 
 along the centre. Near the Mills the Union forces were driven, 
 backward, before the arrival of the troops from Crawfish 
 Springs, and these latter, after a long double-quick, and under 
 the order, ' ' On the right, by files, into line ! " went at once 
 into action ; in a few cases the right of a regiment being act- 
 ively firing and moving to the front before the left had come 
 into line. Some disorder resulted, but a gallant defense was 
 made, and the right wing, although borne backward some- 
 what, met no serious disaster. Night closed with no great 
 advantage gained by the Confederates and no serious loss, so 
 far as position was concerned, to the Union forces.* True, 
 the losses had been heavy, and both the right and left were 
 forced to yield ground, but the lines had been fairly main- 
 tained, and the situation at dark was not critical. Nearly 
 
 * Gen. Hood, who commanded the right of the Rebel army on Saturday, in his work 
 entitled " Advance and Retreat," says that a majority of the Confederate corps com- 
 manders, at their council that evening, were rather dispirited than otherwise at the 
 result of Saturday's battle, and by no means a unit in favor of renewing the contest 
 on Sunday.
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 175 
 
 every Regiment of the Fourteenth, Twentieth and Twenty- 
 first Corps had been engaged, and most of them had sustained 
 heavy losses, but all had maintained their organizations, and 
 were ready for the conflict that all knew must be renewed on 
 the morrow. 
 
 The soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH, occupying the extreme 
 left of the infantry forces of that great army, shared in the 
 general anxiety as to the result of the contest, and it is but 
 the truth to say it were almost disappointed that they had 
 borne so inconspicuous a part in the battle. They did not 
 know as well as did the troops at the right, that the conflict 
 was only well begun. There was an expression, common 
 enough in those days, but which, in the lapse of years, may 
 have in a measure lost its significance, that to the old soldier 
 who reads these pages will exactly describe their condition : 
 They were "spoiling for a fight." Half in hopes that they 
 might be spared the dangers of the battle, and half in fear 
 lest they might not share in its honors, they saw darkness 
 settle down upon the fields and forests. Then they sought 
 such comfort as might be secured. They were still blanket- 
 less, but they had been provided with hot coffee and were in 
 much better condition for securing rest than on the previous 
 night. Large details were upon the picket lines, and were 
 compelled to remain in position, unrelieved, all through the 
 chilly hours, for it was deemed imprudent to attempt to change 
 guards in the face of an active and vigilant enemy. To these 
 sentinels the night was one of much suffering. On the main 
 line, however, the soldiers gathered up the leaves, or picked 
 pine boughs from the young timber covering the ridge, and 
 "made up their beds." A dozen would lay down close 
 together with the command "by the right flank spoon ! " and 
 three or four ponchos covered the squad. For a time every- 
 thing was all right, but after a little the outside ones began to 
 freeze out, and by midnight all were up. Small fires were 
 kindled in a ravine in rear of the line, and there they sat 
 through the lonely hours and tried to keep warm. Before 
 daylight breakfast was eaten, and the men were ready for 
 their work. A few had been made ill by the two nights'
 
 176 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y.I. 
 
 exposure and were sent back to Rossville, while a few others 
 came up, so that 419 men and officers were in line. Early in 
 the day Gen. Steedman, accompanied by Major Smith of his 
 Staff, and followed by a few orderlies, rode out upon the open 
 ground near the skirmish line to look over the situation, 
 and soon drew the fire of the enemy's pickets. The shots 
 were at widely separated points, and experience and soldierly 
 instinct told the commander that the force in front must be a 
 light one, merely held there as a party of observation, or to 
 detain the force in their front and keep up a show of battle. 
 Riding leisurely back to the high ground near the main line, 
 Gen. Steedman expressed this belief to Major Smith. Pres- 
 ently Gen. Granger and a portion of his Staff rode up. The 
 usual morning salutations were passed, and other conversa- 
 tion followed. As the morning wore away, the sounds of 
 battle at the southward were wafted to them, indicating a 
 renewal of the conflict of the main armies. The roar deepened, 
 and both musketry and artillery could be plainly heard. They 
 listened for a time and then Gen. Granger said: "Steed- 
 man, they are pushing our forces ; we are needed badly over 
 there, and are not needed here. I can't order you to go ; 
 you are ordered here by the General commanding the army." 
 Gen. Steedman replied : "I know we are needed over there, 
 and if satisfied there is no considerable force in our front I'll 
 take the responsibility and go." A little later clouds of dust 
 off to the southeast indicated that the enemy had left the 
 Ringgold road and were pushing down toward the main army, 
 when Gen. Granger again spoke: "Do you see that cloud 
 of dust? That shows where they are." "Yes," said Gen. 
 Steedman, "they are going where the fight is thickest, and 
 I'll go too. " Gen. Granger interposed : ' ' It's a fearful 
 thing, General, to disregard orders and abandon a position in 
 the face of an enemy." "I know it is," said Gen. Steedman, 
 "but everything is changed since we were ordered here. I'll 
 take the responsibility and go." Meanwhile staff officers 
 and orderlies had been sent to the right to ask that the com- 
 mand be relieved from the irksome duty of guarding a wagon 
 road on which there was no enemy. One of these orderlies
 
 ; it
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 177 
 
 was William M. Perry, of Company I, and his experience 
 was a thrilling one. With a comrade he galloped along, only 
 to find, at a sudden turn, that the road was full of Rebel 
 infantry. Putting spurs to their horses they galloped through 
 the crowd, Perry escaping, although his horse was wounded, 
 but his companion falling, doubtless killed. The survivor 
 reached the main army, but the General to whom he reported 
 would not ask him to return. It is probable that still others 
 were captured or killed in the attempt to reach Gen. Rose- 
 crans, as none came back to the left. 
 
 Meanwhile a reconnoissance in force had been ordered by 
 Gen. Steedman, and the lines were advanced for a half mile 
 or more, but without developing any considerable force of the 
 enemy. It was a splendid sight as those battalions moved 
 across the fields in line of battle on that beautiful Sabbath 
 morning, their colors kissed by the breezes and their muskets 
 gleaming in the bright September sun. The troops, having 
 been in reserve, were under strict discipline, exceptionally 
 well drilled, and their swords and muskets all as bright and 
 clean as though they were moving out for an inspection instead 
 of for a battle. Moving back to the lines, they still waited 
 while the battle sounds came, wafted from the southward. 
 Would the orders to move never come ? Was the battle to be 
 fought to its close, and the Reserve Corps to have in it no part 
 save the insignificant one already played ? 
 
 It was at this time that the final conversation between 
 Gen. Granger and Gen. Steedman, alluded to above, occurred, 
 and staff officers rode along the line with orders to move. 
 Col. McCook's Brigade was ordered to remain on the line, 
 while Gen. Whittaker's and Col. Mitchell's Brigades, at a 
 little past eleven o'clock, filed out from the position at 
 McAffee's Church, and, with the sound of battle for a guide, 
 moved southward. The 22d Michigan and the 89th Ohio had 
 been assigned to Gen. Whittaker's Brigade, so that the column 
 comprised ten regiments of infantry and two batteries of 
 artillery. Again the NINETY-SIXTH was given the lead, the 
 three right Companies, alternately, taking the front and left 
 flank in line as skirmishers. There were frequent corn fields 
 12
 
 178 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 and occasional open meadows, but the greater part of the 
 country was heavily timbered. The march was a rapid one. 
 A wooded road was followed for a time, and then the fields 
 were taken, until the La Fayette road was reached. This 
 highway was followed for quite a distance, and until the 
 enemy's cavalry was seen in front, when the fields were again 
 resorted to, and the troops moved in a more compact mass, in 
 order that they might the better resist a cavalry attack. The 
 din of battle was growing louder. Cartridge boxes, muskets, 
 knapsacks and other abandoned articles were seen. An occa- 
 sional straggler or wounded man was encountered, who told 
 pitiful stories, and claimed to be about the only survivors of 
 their respective commands. Deflecting to the right to avoid the 
 cavalry now appearing in force, they found themselves still 
 with the enemy between them and the Union line of battle. 
 The commanding officer now sent a staff officer with orders to 
 Col. McCook to move his Brigade from the Ringgold road to- 
 the La Fayette road, and cover and protect this line of retreat 
 to Rossville. Then a hollow square was formed, and in this way, 
 with .Rebel cavalry hanging on front and flank, the two Bri- 
 gades moved on. But valuable time was being consumed, and 
 when the enemy sought the cover of the woods the formation 
 was changed. Soon the hospital, near a spring, and which 
 had been used by the left wing of the Union forces, wa& 
 reached. It had fallen into Rebel hands two or three hours- 
 before, and a number of Rebel soldiers were guarding it. 
 These were surprised and captured, and such as were under 
 arms were sent to the right and rear, across Missionary Ridge, 
 under charge of Sergeant Berg, of Company A, three or four 
 guards accompanying him. Through the trees near the hos- 
 pital the soldiers caught glimpses of a long row of Union 
 dead, and thus had additional evidence of the bloody work 
 going on near by. Passing to the right of this hospital they 
 hurried along, and, making their way through a terrible snarl 
 of tangled vines, emerged into an open field, across which they 
 passed on the double-quick. A Rebel battery galloped into- 
 the field at the left and unlimbered its guns, not more than 
 three or four hundred yards away. The soldiers saw the puffs
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 179 
 
 of smoke and heard the hiss of the shells, like the sound of 
 a rocket as it leaves the pyrotechnic stand, a hundred times 
 intensified. Section after section unlimbered and joined in 
 the terrible work, until the air seemed full of iron and the 
 ground was seamed and furrowed. It was a fitting introduc- 
 tion to the still more terrible scenes through which the com- 
 mand was soon to pass. Strange to say, only a few were 
 hurt. A shell burst above Company D, and Lieutenant Theo- 
 dore F. Clarkson fell, terribly wounded in the head, John 
 Swindells had a hand shattered, Alza M. Stewart was badly 
 wounded in the leg, Edmund S. Stevens was seriously 
 bruised on the leg, and Corporal O. V. Young had a heel con- 
 siderably cut. The two last mentioned remained with the 
 command, but the others were taken to the right and rear. 
 Some not mentioned were struck by flying fragments of the 
 shell, but none seriously hurt. 
 
 The regiments following also sustained some loss. But 
 through it all the troops kept straight forward, never furling 
 their banners nor deflecting from their course. The command- 
 ers knew that here was not the place where they were most 
 needed, and hurried forward. The air was full of smoke, the 
 fences and fields burning in many places and adding to the 
 more sulphurous smoke from the burning powder. Wounded 
 men were frequently met, and dead bodies lay here and there, 
 giving evidence that the ground over which the columns were 
 passing had been the scene of a hot contest. After crossing 
 this field, they bore still farther to the west, and succeeded 
 in passing the Rebel right without encountering serious oppo- 
 sition. 
 
 They had traveled almost continuously for two hours, 
 fully one-half of the time at a double-quick. The distance, 
 if measured in a direct line, would not have exceeded five 
 miles, possibly it was not more than four, but they had 
 resisted the several times repeated attempts of the enemy to 
 engage them, although suffering themselves to be somewhat 
 delayed. At last they had reached and passed Gen. Thomas' 
 lines. Halting near the burning out-buildings, of the Snod- 
 grass farm, where Gen. Thomas had his headquarters, they
 
 180 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 rested for a moment. Near by were two or three other Gen- 
 eral officers with their Staffs, and the field seemed full of 
 couriers, stragglers and wounded men. 
 
 The arrival was most timely. Until eleven o'clock the 
 principal fighting had been on Thomas' left, not far from the 
 ground over which the Reserves had passed, and the enemy 
 had again and again assaulted the lines with the view of 
 turning the Union left, and thus cutting off retreat from 
 the gaps through Missionary Ridge. They had not fully 
 accomplished their purpose, but had gained repeated slight 
 advantages. Gen. Rosecrans had fully appreciated the situa- 
 tion of affairs, and, anticipating exactly the movement that 
 Gen. Bragg would make, had shortened his lines somewhat, 
 during Saturday night, retiring both his flanks and arranging 
 to have supports thrown from his right to his left, as needed. 
 The Corps had not been formed in regular order, and the con- 
 tinuous shifting of troops to the left during Saturday had 
 seemingly disarranged the army ; the order of formation Sun- 
 day morning being Baird's Division of Thomas' Corps on the 
 left, then Johnson's Division of McCook's Corps, Palmer's 
 Division of Crittenden's Corps, and Reynolds' and Brannan's 
 Divisions of Thomas' Corps, in succession. Still farther to 
 the right were Sheridan's and Davis' Divisions of McCook's 
 Corps, and to their rear, in support, Wood's and Van Cleve's 
 Divisions of Crittenden's Corps. Some of the cavalry and 
 mounted infantry regiments were sandwiched between the 
 Divisions near the right. Gen. Negley's Division was in 
 reserve, with orders to move to the extreme left, at the time 
 the battle opened. Light breastworks covered a portion of 
 the lines, but none were as formidable as would have been 
 constructed a year later. 
 
 Gen. Bragg, having reorganized his lines and received 
 numerous reinforcements, ordered Gen. Polk, commanding 
 his right wing, to attack heavily at daylight. Fortunately 
 for the Union cause, delays occurred, the enemy making no 
 general assault until after nine o'clock. But even at that 
 hour Gen. Negley had not reached Baird's left, and when the 
 charge was made the line of gray overlapped the Federals,
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 181 
 
 and Beatty's Brigade of Van Cleve's Division, which had 
 been hastily thrown out to meet the movement, was swept 
 backward in disorder. It was on the grounds passed over by 
 the Reserves on their way to Thomas, that this opening engage- 
 ment of the morning had occurred. The advantages gained 
 by the Rebel forces at this point were not important, and they 
 withdrew, having been repulsed in Baird's front, after 
 sustaining heavy losses. A second assault resulted as did the 
 first. Following these sanguinary struggles, and deceived by 
 the quiet on his right into the belief that Gen. Bragg was 
 massing his troops for a still further effort to turn the left, 
 Gen. Rosecrans had ordered a large body of troops from his 
 right centre to go to Thomas' support, the others to close up 
 the gaps thus made. Just at this critical moment, the enemy, 
 apparently despairing of turning the Union left, were moving 
 forward, under cover of the hills and woods, to assault the 
 Federal right. Coming in large force and catching the right 
 wing in the midst of these movements, they had forced the 
 greater part of Sheridan's and Davis' Divisions of McCook's 
 Corps, Yan Cleve's and a portion of Wood's Division of 
 Crittenden's Corps, and the cavalry and some artillery and 
 trains to the rear and right in much disorder, and with heavy 
 losses in artillery and prisoners. Gen. Rosecrans and two of 
 his Corps Commanders McCook and Crittenden had been 
 caught in the confusion which ensued, and made their way 
 across Missionary Ridge to the Crawfish Spring Road, going 
 thence by way of Rossville to Chattanooga. There is a con- 
 flict of testimony as to the hour at which this disastrous break 
 occurred, but it was probably not long after eleven o'clock, or 
 almost at the moment that the Reserves left McAffee's Church. 
 Nor is it entirely clear as to who was responsible for the 
 irregular movement by which the gap was opened and the 
 opportunity given for the Rebel columns to pierce the right 
 centre. The rapid driving of a battery of artillery that had 
 been forced to retreat from an advanced position, and which 
 struck a division as it was marching to the left, breaking the 
 column, throwing it into disorder and injuring many men, 
 doubtless played an important part. At all events the army was
 
 182 HISTORY OF THE 96ra KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 cut in twain, and Gen. Brannan's Division occupied the right 
 of that portion of the line which still remained firm. Owing 
 to intervening hills and woods, Gen. Thomas, who was now 
 the only Corps commander on the field, was not aware of 
 the extent of the disaster on his right. He did not know 
 that his Commander had left the field and that the Rebels had 
 gained, with but little fighting, on his right, what they had 
 failed to accomplish, with heavy slaughter, on his left. Gen. 
 Brannan soon became aware that he was flanked, and drew 
 back his right to a position favorable for defense, and threw 
 up a light barricade. 
 
 Gen. Longstreet, after his exultant troops had pierced the 
 Union lines, pushed his advantage for a time, but dared not 
 wholly pass the new Union right without reorganizing his 
 forces. He therefore halted and formed his troops in a suc- 
 cession of strong lines of battle, meanwhile consulting with 
 Gen. Bragg and caring for his prisoners and the numerous can- 
 non that had fallen into his hands. He then determined 
 to again strike the Union right a terrific blow and seek to 
 shatter it by force of numbers. But the Rebel assaults were 
 repulsed, and other tactics made necessary. A show of fight- 
 ing was kept up along the ridges where the Federals were 
 posted, while the main portion of Longstreet's force was 
 pushed northward, confidently expecting to reach and pass 
 the rear of Gen. Thomas, and surround and capture the well- 
 nigh exhausted forces still remaining on the field. Almost 
 two hours had passed since the disaster on the right. It had 
 been improved by the Confederates, and they were now ready 
 for the movement which was to encircle the broken bat- 
 talions still fighting under the Old Flag. The situation was 
 growing critical. The Federal forces occupied an irregular 
 half circle, either flank being a little west of the Lafayette 
 and Rossville road. There were portions of seven Divisions, 
 but all had been heavily engaged and sustained severe losses. 
 They were irregularly grouped, and the commanders were 
 disconcerted by the movement of Rebels to their right and 
 rear, from which direction, if at all, reinforcements rather than 
 an enemy had been expected. To add to the anxiety the
 
 1863] CHICK AMAUGA. 183 
 
 cartridge boxes of Thomas' men were well-nigh empty, and the 
 ammunition train had disappeared, some unauthorized person 
 having ordered it to Kossville, as was afterward learned. 
 
 Gen. Longstreet was now moving his heavy lines of 
 infantry to some ridges, from which he could compel the Fede- 
 ral forces to form a final "square" where they must exhaust 
 themselves with defensive operations or cut their way out at a 
 frightful cost of life. At one o'clock his methodical move- 
 ments were well advanced. With his forces well in hand, 
 he was preparing to swing in his Division, like a ponderous 
 .gate, and completely envelope Gen. Thomas' army. A half 
 hour more and the movement would be complete. 
 
 It was just at this critical juncture that help arrived. Gen. 
 Thomas had observed a cloud of dust off to the left, and was 
 alternating 'twixt hope and fear, thinking, until a staff officer, 
 sent for the purpose, brought him other word, that the chances 
 were that it was Rebel and not Union reinforcements. It 
 was just at this supreme moment in the battle, and while the 
 enemy was preparing to take advantage of the favorable posi- 
 tions they hard obtained with unexpected ease, that the 
 Reserves arrived, hot, dusty and fatigued with the long march 
 at double-quick. There was a hurried consultation between 
 the Generals and their Staff Officers, a brief inquiry as to the 
 number and condition of the reinforcements, and then the 
 First Brigade was faced toward the right centre of the semi- 
 circle with orders to move to the support of Gen. Wood and 
 fill a gap in the lines. Before the proposed forward move- 
 ment had begun the heavy masses of the enemy on the right 
 became visible, and the commander knew what he had 
 but guessed before that his right was gone, and that a great 
 danger was confronting him from an unexpected direction. 
 Instantly the order to move to Wood's support was counter- 
 manded. The battalions were faced and filed to the right, 
 moved across an open field into the woods and halted. 
 The NINETY-SIXTH still had the lead, and a company of skir- 
 mishers preceded it. On the way the Division Commander 
 and his Staff, who realized something of the work before them, 
 were discussing the situation, when Capt. Moe, then A. A. G.
 
 184 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 to Gen. Steedman, said, in substance: "There are often 
 disputes as to the time when important military events occur, 
 and as this is likely to be an important event, gentlemen, just 
 remember that it is now ten minutes past one o'clock." 
 
 After a short march the column was commanded to halt 
 and come to a front. The NINETY-SIXTH thus formed the 
 extreme right of the line. Directly at its left and separated 
 from it by a brief interval was the 115th Illinois, and at their 
 left the 22d Michigan. A second line was formed, the 40th 
 Ohio being directly in rear of the NINETY-SIXTH, and the 84th 
 Indiana and 89th Ohio at the left of the 40th. On a ridge at 
 the front several Rebel skirmishers were seen, who fired a few 
 shots and then ran back. But they had fired to some purpose r 
 for there was a dull thud as a bullet struck a man in the Regi- 
 ment just in rear of the NINETY-SIXTH, and a sickening sensa- 
 tion came over those who heard it. "There is a 'Reb' on> 
 the hill," said one of the skirmishers just in front. "Why 
 don't you shoot him, then ? " calmly replied Colonel Champion, 
 and the man responded with a rifle shot. In a moment the- 
 skirmishers had been sent to the right, guns were hastily 
 inspected, the men were counted, and the double line moved 
 forward. There were fallen trees, which served to break up 
 the lines somewhat, but the movement was, in the main, 
 admirably executed. A series of little ravines were passed, 
 and the soldiers broke into a double quick. Ascending at 
 longer ridge, there came the pattering of shots, like the first 
 drops of a shower ; then the ragged, tearing report of an irreg- 
 ular skirmish volley ; then the constant, deafening roar, as 
 regiment after regiment took up the deadly work. The first 
 line of Rebels gave way, and the lines of blue pressed on 
 down the long slope, with a wild cheer, bounding over logs 
 and stones, through the hollow and up to the crest of another 
 ridge. The noise was deafening. The enemy was but from six 
 to ten rods distant, but through the smoke and bushes they 
 could hardly be seen, although the guns belched forth a ter- 
 rible fire seemingly right in their faces. Halting there, from, 
 ten to twenty shots were fired by each of those not disabled. 
 Scores of brave men had been shot, and were either lying silent
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 185- 
 
 in death, or making their way to the rear in such manner as 
 their wounds would permit. Every moment thinned the ranks. 
 A half dozen cannon in front of the right centre of the Regi- 
 ment poured a destructive fire diagonally across the line and 
 into the left of the 40th Ohio and the right of the 84th Indiana. 
 The hot breath from their terrible throats seemed like a blast 
 from the infernal regions, and the dense smoke hung like a 
 pall above. "Fire at the battery ! " was the order, and pres- 
 ently most of the guns were silenced. But there were other 
 batteries and a cloud of infantry coming, line after line, and 
 all above those trodden acres the air screamed with merciless 
 bullets. Lieutenant Colonel Clarke sat calmly on his horse 
 near the left of the Regiment, speaking words of cheer to the 
 men as they met the terrible fire. A moment later a bullet 
 struck him, inflicting a mortal wound. He was assisted from 
 his horse and carried to the rear upon a blanket. Colonel 
 Champion's horse was twice wounded, but its rider stood 
 unscathed behind the centre of the line. 
 
 At times the number of wounded going to the rear was 
 such as to create the impression that the line was giving way, 
 but for a time there was no break. There came a lessening of 
 the terrible roar. A regiment at the left was giving ground. 
 The regiments comprising the second line, although they 
 had halted some distance in the rear, were unable to endure 
 the terrific storm, and fell back. Then came the indescribable 
 " Rebel yell," as fresh battalions of the enemy came through 
 the opening at the left. Men looked into each other's faces 
 as if to read their thoughts. Officers blanched as they took 
 in the situation. The left was gone. The troops in rear had 
 gone. There was as yet no support or protection on the right. 
 The incessant fire from the front was being supplemented by 
 enfilading shots from left and right as the lapping lines passed 
 both the flanks. Mingled with the roar of musketry rose the 
 hated yell of the exultant enemy as they swarmed after the 
 retreating battalions. To remain longer meant the absolute 
 destruction of the entire Regiment ; to give ground was the only 
 alternative, as there were no indications of support, and the 
 NINETY-SIXTH retired ; slowly at first, some of the officers back-
 
 186 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ing down and the men loading and firing in retreat ; but as 
 the waves of Rebel gray swept after them, they ran back in some 
 confusion, through the hollow, up the long slope, while shot 
 and shell screamed and hissed and exploded all about them. 
 But the Rebels had been so terribly punished that they did not 
 follow far. The ridge passed, the Regiment again formed, 
 most of the men rallying on the colors. But Oh, the lines 
 were terribly shortened. Lieutenant Colonel Clarke, to whose 
 fatherly care and strict discipline the Regiment owed so much 
 of its effectiveness in that supreme hour of its history, was being 
 borne to the rear. Captain Blodgett had been struck down 
 and badly injured by a heavy treetop torn from its place by a 
 Rebel shell, and was, to all intents and purposes, a prisoner, 
 being held by the limbs while the Rebel lines passed over or 
 around him and then retired, and only being released from 
 his position when the Union lines advanced in a second 
 charge, some of the men then helping to remove the tree 
 and get him up. Lieutenant Blowney had a shot across his 
 head, from which the blood was flowing freely over his face, 
 but he was bravely rallying his command, and doing gallant 
 service. Captain Taylor had been wounded, but remained 
 with his command. Captain Pierce and Sergeant -Major 
 Quiun were among those hit, the latter being so severely 
 injured as to cause his capture. Lieutenants Simms and 
 Barnes were being assisted to the rear, each with a mortal 
 wound. A hundred officers and men must have fallen in that 
 first half hour. Other regiments had suffered scarcely less. 
 Gen. Whittaker being slightly wounded, Colonel Champion 
 took temporary command of the Brigade, and as Major Smith 
 was on Gen. Steedman's staff, the command of the Regiment 
 devolved upon Captain Hicks, of Company A, as gallant 
 and brave a man as ever wielded a sword. Most of the men 
 responded promptly to the call to reform the lines. Stepping 
 to the front, Captain Hicks spoke as follows: "Comrades, 
 you have made one charge a gallant charge. On yonder 
 hillside lie the bodies of your fallen comrades. Forward to 
 avenge their deaths ! " The men responded with a cheer and 
 again moved to the front, bearing somewhat to the right, to cover
 
 18C3] CHICKAMAUGA. 187 
 
 the extended Rebel lines and support a section of artillery that 
 had been moved to that part of the field. In the brief interval 
 while the lines were forming some of the wounded had been 
 carried to the rear, but those who fell at the extreme front 
 could not be reached. In all of the succeeding movements of 
 the afternoon the Union lines did not penetrate so far, and 
 these men lay between the fire of the two armies much of the 
 time, although occasionally the Rebels advanced a few rods 
 past them. 
 
 As the lines moved forward there was again a swift charge 
 and a wild cheer, and again the leaden messengers sped across 
 the field. Both lines were charging, but this time it was 
 the Confederates who first hesitated, halted and fell back, 
 while Union shots momentarily lessened their number. But 
 again there were other Rebel lines and other batteries, and 
 the Brigade, whose line, working still to the right, had grown 
 to be scarcely more than a skirmish line, was compelled to halt. 
 Officers sheathed their swords and took up muskets. The color 
 guard of nine were all gone but two or three. Sergeant Bruner, 
 who carried the Stars and Stripes, was terribly wounded. 
 Corporal Swanbrough, who had already had the staff of the 
 Regimental flag shot oft* twice in his hands, caught the Na- 
 tional colors as they fell, and gallantly bore both flags aloft. 
 Later, he, too, was struck down by a falling limb, stunned for 
 a moment, and recovered his senses barely in time to save 
 the flags from capture, after the Regiment supposed them 
 lost. But who can describe those terrific charges and counter 
 charges, as the Rebels again and again sought to drive back 
 the Reserves and gain possession of the roads leading through 
 McFarland's Gap. The fighting, in each of the advances, 
 was severe, intensely so, and yet there was not the noise 
 or the impetuosity that attended the first grand onset. 
 But if the men did not keep the perfect lines observed on 
 grand reviews, they at all events took good aim and did 
 remarkably effective work. There were those whose boldness 
 and enthusiasm led them to the front, and others whose 
 timidity kept them a little in the rear. But all the time that 
 dreadful afternoon they hardly once sought cover, rarely even
 
 188 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL, V. 1. 
 
 going behind a tree, but stood out, manfully, as if courting 
 death, while the dread storm of shot and shell raged over the 
 timbered ridges, and the hills and valleys reverberated with 
 the roar of battle. 
 
 So the battle raged, with occasional intervals, from before 
 two o'clock until dusk, the men advancing and driving the- 
 Rebels, only to be in turn driven back over substantially the 
 same ground. Sometimes there were two lines, but by some 
 strange fate, the NINETY-SIXTH was always in the front one. 
 Always there seemed a cloud of Rebels, far outnumbering 
 the Union troops, and rarely, if ever, did the enemy charge with 
 less than two lines and often with three or four. Once the 
 NINETY-SIXTH advanced so far as to receive an enfilading fire 
 from the other regiments of the Brigade, and Colonel Cham- 
 pion declared his belief that with five hundred fresh troops* he 
 could have driven the entire left wing of the Confederate army 
 from the field. The ground seemed almost fairly covered; 
 with the bodies of the killed or desperately wounded of the- 
 enemy over acres across which the Regiment advanced. 
 Gen. Hindman, commanding one of the Rebel Divisions- 
 with which the Reserves fought, in his report says of the 
 engagement on that part of the field, that he had never 
 before seen Confederates fight better or Federals fight so 
 well. In some of the advance movements a few Rebels 
 were captured, and from them it was learned that the troops 
 were not Bragg's men, but Longstreet's veterans from the 
 Potomac, who had rarely known defeat, and who boasted, as- 
 they came upon the battle field, that they had been sent to 
 show Bragg's army how to fight. 
 
 The left of the line moved less than the right ; in fact, the- 
 left of the Brigade seemed to be the pivot on which the- 
 Reserves swung, like a great pendulum, for four terrible hours. 
 In the retreats there was a deliberateness and stubbornness 
 seldom equalled. Colonel Champion was as cool and cour- 
 ageous as man could be, and his bravery, seconded by that of 
 the line officers, acted like an inspiration. 
 
 Two Regiments of the Brigade the 89th Ohio and 22d! 
 Michigan being out of ammunition, met a charge of the-
 
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 189 
 
 enemy with their bayonets, but were overpowered and sur- 
 rounded, most of them being made prisoners. This was near 
 the close of the fighting and after most of the troops at the 
 left had moved to the rear. It was a terrible sacrifice, for 
 they had made a gallant fight, but probably necessary in order 
 to the protection of the retreating column. 
 
 At a little before night-fall the enemy, baffled and dis- 
 -couraged, drew back their lines a little, and the fighting ceased 
 except that an irregular skirmish fire was continued for a time. 
 And it was well that it was so, for the Union forces were well- 
 nigh exhausted and almost out of ammunition, except as they 
 took it from the cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded. 
 At one time a few boxes were brought upon the field. Were 
 gold thrown out in handfuls among a crowd of Chicago news- 
 boys it could not be more eagerly seized than were the coveted 
 cartridges on that afternoon. Gen. Thomas was not slow to 
 take advantage of the lull in the terrific storm, and at sundown 
 or a little before he ordered his men to move quietly but 
 quickly back through McFarland's Gap and out toward Ross- 
 ville. But the right of the line was the last to be with- 
 drawn, and the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois and 121st Ohio still 
 kept up a desultory musketry until the fire grew red and 
 the short southern twilight had almost deepened into night. 
 Then they drew back, a little band of resolute men, the last 
 organized body to leave the field. The four or five miles to 
 Rossville was made in sullen silence. Between eight and 
 nine o'clock the camp was reached, and the men threw them- 
 selves down on the "bunks" they had left less than three 
 days before. Oh, how weary they were. For two nights 
 they had hardly slept at all. Since before daylight of that 
 morning they had eaten nothing except an occasional bite of 
 hard-tack from their haversacks. For hours many had had no 
 water. They were dusty, powder-grimmed, so hoarse that 
 they could hardly speak above a whisper ; so tired that they 
 could hardly rise after they had lain down. But darkness and 
 distance had relieved them from the terrible strain induced by 
 the deadly peril of the battle, and no wonder that one soldier, 
 -as he seized a cup of hot coffee and threw himself down beside
 
 190 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 a camp-fire, exclaimed: "Boys, this is heaven." And he- 
 felt it, so great was the relief experienced. 
 
 As they gathered around the camp-fires the unhurt and 
 some of the wounded who had been able to get back and dis- 
 cussed the incidents of the day in undertones, the groups were 
 sad, for so many were gone. All of the dead and many of 
 the severely wounded were lying unprotected and uncared for 
 on the battle-field. Each Company had its list of heroes. 
 Almost every man had narrowly escaped some imminent peril, 
 and fully one-half of the survivors had bullets through their 
 clothing or equipments. Colonel Champion, who had proved 
 a very lion in the fight, was unharmed, although he rode his 
 third horse, two having been shot under him. 
 
 The Brigade had lost forty-four per cent, of its entire num- 
 ber ; the Regiment almost fifty per cent. But the Reserves 
 had saved the right ; and in saving the right had saved the 
 army ; and in saving the army had, perhaps, made final victory 
 possible, and thus saved the Union of the States. 
 
 In withdrawing from the field there had been some break- 
 ing up of commands, and daylight of Monday, September 21, 
 found the army in much disorder. Col. McCook's Brigade 
 had been drawn back toward Rossville, and picketed the Gap 
 through the night. Shortly after sunrise Sheridan's Division 
 of McCook's Corps moved out on the Crawfish Spring road, 
 along the west side of Missionary Ridge. Other commands 
 soon formed and were sent into the Gap and upon the Ridge 
 at its right and left. The troops of Steedman's Division were 
 moved a little toward Chattanooga, shifting position here and 
 there for a time, and then marching to the top of the Ridge 
 at the left of the Gap, and near the extreme left of the main 
 army. Throughout the day it was expected that the enemy 
 would move forward and attack this position, but their losses 
 had been so heavy that they were not anxious to renew the 
 battle, and they contented themselves with a reconnoissance 
 along the new line. During the skirmishing the only casualty in 
 the NINETY-SIXTH was the wounding of C. W. Graham, of Com- 
 pany H, and one or two others. The troops did not fortify their 
 position until toward evening, when a light barricade was con-
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 191 
 
 structed of rocks and logs. There was no despondency among 
 the troops, but on the contrary a feeling of confidence and a 
 belief that they could resist any direct attack the Rebels could 
 make. 
 
 The position of the army, although admirable for defens- 
 ive operations, providing that the enemy were to make a 
 direct assault, was such that a force might pass its right and 
 cut it off from Chattanooga. It was therefore determined to 
 move back to the city soon after nightfall. Meanwhile engi- 
 neers laid out a line of works, either flank of which rested on 
 the Tennessee River, and to this line, commencing at nine 
 p. M., Division after Division was withdrawn. At eleven 
 o'clock Steedman's Division was in motion, the main body, 
 after a slow and tedious night march, reaching Chattanooga, 
 where the First Brigade, including the NINETY-SIXTH, was 
 detached and sent across the river, and thence to Moccasin 
 Point, confronting Lookout Mountain. 
 
 But in this movement a serious disaster befel the Regi- 
 ment. Company H, under Lieutenant Yates, had been posted 
 in front upon the skirmish line, during the day. In the early 
 evening, it being reported that the line was too weak, Com- 
 pany C, under Lieutenant Earle, was sent to reinforce them. 
 When the main line was drawn back into Chattanooga these 
 Companies were not relieved or ordered back, and with sev- 
 eral other Companies found themselves surrounded, and were 
 captured about ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, after making 
 a brief resistance, in which James Forsyth, of Company H, was 
 killed, and two or three from other commands were wounded. 
 Thus the Regiment lost two gallant officers and thirty-four 
 brave men, more than one-half of whom were to perish in the 
 foul prison-pens to which they were committed. For a more 
 circumstantial account of the experiences of the men captured 
 at this time, the reader is referred to the chapter on "Prisons 
 and Prisoners of War," in another part of this work. 
 
 It was not until Moccasin Point was reached that an oppor- 
 tunity was given to attempt to fully measure the losses of the 
 Regiment in the terrific experiences of Chickamauga, or to 
 estimate the services it had performed. From all sources
 
 192 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 came unstinted praise for the heroic action of the Reserve 
 Corps on Sunday afternoon. It had fought more than three 
 times its own numbers. Three times it had hurled itself 
 against the solid lines of the enemy when attack seemed 
 hopeless, and each time it had broken and driven back their 
 front lines. Repeatedly it had withstood the assaults of the 
 doubled and quadrupled lines of gray, fighting, at fearful 
 odds, until the night had come and given Gen. Thomas oppor- 
 tunity to withdraw his forces. And in all this dreadful fight- 
 ing the NINETY-SIXTH had been in the front line and at the 
 right, where the work was most severe and the danger most 
 intense. It had charged the most frequently, penetrated far- 
 thest to the front, held its advanced positions longest, and 
 was always slowest in falling back. Its losses in killed and 
 wounded had been the heaviest of any Regiment in the Re- 
 .serve Corps, and, considering the number of hours it was 
 engaged, the heaviest of any Regiment in the Arm} 7 . Of 419 
 who went into the fight 200 were killed or wounded, while 
 the total loss, including those captured on Missionary Ridge, 
 was 234, or fifty-eight per cent, of all who took part in the 
 battle, a percentage rarely reached by any command in a 
 .single battle. The following is 
 
 THE CASUALTY LIST. . 
 
 Field and Staff. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WQUNDED. Lieutenant Colonel Isaac L. 
 -Clarke; Quarter-MasIer.JVilliam S. Bean. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant Major Francis P. Quinn,* shot through lungs. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 Company A. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. First Sergeant John G. Schaefer, 
 Corporal William Price, Color Corporal David Isbell, Christian Kaufman, 
 John H. Witman. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Lieutenant William Vincent, leg ; Sergeant Frank 
 A. Weir, arm ; Corporal Jason B. Isbell, shoulder ; Gottlieb Beck, face; 
 John W. Connor,* side ; John Einsweiler, thigh ; Milton Glover, head ; 
 Edward Reubeno, finger shot off ; Edward Simpson, head ; Joseph D. 
 Young, leg ; Josephus Metcalf,* head. 
 
 * Captured.
 
 
 

 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 193 
 
 Company B. 
 
 KILLED. Emery Dart, Charles Fox, William Kimball, Thomas 
 Potter. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Sergeant A. A. Bangs,* head ; Sergeant William 
 
 D. Whitmore, shoulder; Color Corporal Hamilton Whitney,* t side; Cor- 
 poral Caleb Whitney, foot ; Henry Annis, leg ; John H. Cruver.f arm ; 
 John Cashman.f foot ; W. W. Tower, leg ; Charles McCusker, shoulder. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 
 Company C. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Corporal John Y. Taylor, William 
 Bonner, John H. Ehlers, John Fidler, Acting Color Corporal Squire 
 Ininan.* | 
 
 WOUNDED. Second Lieutenant Charles W. Earle, arm and wrist ; 
 Sergeant Edward Murray,* f shoulder, hip and arm ; Sergeant Charles A. 
 Partridge, hip ; Corporal George C. Dodge,* f ankle ; Corporal William 
 B. Lewin, shoulder; Corporal Lewis H. Bryant, both legs ; Corporal John 
 McGill, right arm ; Henry P. Barnum, face ; John W. Bailey, arm ; Henry 
 Bater, shoulder ; Henry H. Cutler, arm ; Ira Cribb, shoulder; Leonard S. 
 Doolittle,*f right leg; William Diver, arm: William H. Ehlers, arm; 
 Norris Hamilton, face ; Orrin Howe,*f leg; James McCredie, leg; Oscar 
 Rector, right shoulder and lung ; Michael Umbdenstock, right arm. 
 
 CAPTURED SEPTEMBER 22, 1863. Second Lieutenant Charles W. 
 Earle ; Sergeant Harrison Huntington ;\ Privates John Bensinger.t Henry 
 H. Cutler, Henry C. Green, James Kearney, William McClellan.t Wil- 
 liam McCreadie.J Laughlin Madden,^ Henry C. Payne,}: Hugo Roden- 
 berger,J Joseph Schweri, Joseph Savage, Charles Sturm,}: Christian 
 Weistoff. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 J Died while a prisoner of war. 
 
 Company D. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Sergeant William W. McKey ; 
 Sergeant Isaac Quigley; Corporal Elisha Haggart ; Elias Holey, James 
 Rich. 
 
 WOUNDED Captain A. Z. Blodgett, shoulder and back ; Second 
 Lieutenant Theodore F. Clarkson, head ; First Sergeant John H. Collier, 
 thigh ; Corporal Charles Ellis, leg ; Corporal Orson V. Young, foot ; 
 Waiter Grapfr, -arms Edward Rix, head; Joseph A. Roth, left hand ; 
 H. G. Levagood.f arm; Edmund S. Stevens,*! leg and body; John 
 Swindells,! hand ; William Sabin,f left thigh ; Alza Stewart, hip ; Robert 
 
 E. Stanley, face ; John C. Thompson, knee ; Jacob Van Patten, knee 
 and breast ; Eli Thayer,*}: head; James T. Guppy, head. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 t Died while a prisoner of war. 
 
 13
 
 194 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Company E. 
 
 OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Corporal Henry Cashman, Cor- 
 poral Edgar Warner, Robert C. Allinson, Alfred Elderkin, William Edge,. 
 James A. Thomas, Joseph Tinkler, Daniel Harrington, Stephen F. Black- 
 stone,* Thomas B. Martin,* Henry Mack,* Dennis O'Leary.* 
 
 WOUNDED. Captain Wm. F. Taylor, ear ; First Lieutenant Halsey 
 H. Richardson, thigh ; Second Lieutenant Sidney B. Funk,f face and 
 shoulder ; Sergeant Wm. H. Robbing,*! arm and lung ; Sergeant Royal J. 
 Cooper, foot ; Color Corporal Wm. F. DeGraff, leg ; Corporal William 
 Hill,f leg ; John A. Bush, leg and side ;* Solomon Bixby, arm ; Jamea 
 Cole,f arm and body; George W. Dimick,*^ head and hip; John H. 
 Pooley,f thigh ; George Teal, arm ; Andrew King, wrist and side ;. 
 Thomas Scott, knee ; Charles F. Hayth,*f ankle. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 
 i Died while a prisoner of war. 
 
 Company F. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. First Lieutenant Nelson R. 
 Simms ; Corporal John R. Oatey, Color Corporal Walton Reed, Corporali 
 Augustus Annbruster, Hiram L. Bostwick, James Pimley, Frederick W. 
 Miller. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal John A. Robinson, f lost right arm ; James 
 Brown, back ; William Calvert, leg ; Patrick Conway, hip ; Joseph Gam- 
 mon, f chest and leg ; Thomas Graham, face ; John Hocking;*Sthigh ;. 
 Bennett Holtkamp,*| Edward Wearne, \ thigh; John Kneebone, leg;. 
 Hugh Williams, hand. 
 
 CAPTURED. Captain Charles E. Rowan. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 t Died while a prisoner of war. 
 
 Company G. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Thomas Davis,* William H. 
 Wheeler, William H. Whaples. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Lieutenant Benjamin G. Blowuey, head ; First 
 Sergeant Aaron Scott, hand ; Sergeant B. F. Shepard, thigh ; Corporal; 
 Walter Drew, side ; Corporal James Hickox, side and leg ; Corporal H. 
 H. Gage, hand; Daniel Benson,* thigh ; George Butler,f foot ; Jared O. 
 Blodgett, Myron J. Brown, groin; John A. Corbin, thigh; Joseph Darby, *f 
 left arm ; Daniel H. Gail, leg ; William Joyce, foot ; John Ladd, thigh ;. 
 Lewis Miller, hip. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service.
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 195 
 
 Company H. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. First Lieutenant George F. 
 Barnes ; Color Corporal Ward L. Morton, Corporal Henry Simons, Cor- 
 poral Thomas Morris,* James J. Curry,* Albert Farley, James Forsyth, 
 Thomas K. Johnson.* 
 
 WOUNDED. Captain J. L. Pierce, right arm and side ; First Sergeant 
 J. A. Francisco, f leg and side ; Sergeant Michael Hileman, Color Sergeant 
 M. M. Bruner.f arm and breast; Sergeant H. S. Vandervoort, leg ; Ser- 
 geant Charles P. Howard,! ann 5 Corporal Charles L. Mettz, hand ; Cor- 
 poral H. F. Hastings, arm ; Edward McGinniss.f wrist ; James Rees.f 
 arm ; Patrick Farrell, 1st, leg ; Patrick Farrell, 3d, arm ; Hiram W. 
 Nelson.f shoulder ; Geo. W. Andrews, foot ; John H. Foster, face ; Nor- 
 man P. Ward.ffthigh ; James McCaflerty, face and neck; Charles W. 
 Graham,f hand ; Charles D. Bunce,* Henson Moore, arm ; Samuel Wil- 
 cox, arm. 
 
 CAPTURED SEPTEMBER 22, 1863. Second Lieutenant Charles H. 
 Yates, Sergeant Michael Hileman, Corporals John A. Boothby.t Patrick 
 Flannery:}: and Alphonzo Marshall,^ and Privates George W. Andrews,}: 
 Richard Cullen, Daniel W. Dowd, John H. Foster, Peter Hawkes, William 
 Ingersoll.t Andrew Johnson, John Kurby,}: Nathaniel McWain, George 
 H. Stanchfield.J James M. Sallee, Edwin Van Dyke, Adam Vrowman,t 
 Alberto Wheelock.J John V. Wilkerson. 
 
 * Captured. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 
 J Died while a prisoner of war. 
 
 Company I. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. John Adams, Truman F. Bennett, 
 Henry Bonitell, John Bowman, Gains W. Young. 
 
 WOUNDED. John Fablinger, shoulder ; James Hutchinson, side ; 
 Francis S. Koontz, breast ; Frank M. Pogue.f leg ; August Stemlie, 
 shoulder; Hugh Williams, side ; Benjamin B.Wilson, shoulder; Thomas 
 Reynolds, shoulder ; Daniel Malone, scalp. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service. 
 
 Company K. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Corporal Thomas Porter, Anson 
 Brinkerhoff, Joseph Bowker, Mathew Dunbar, Michael Fox, Darius W. 
 Kenney. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Sergeant C. C. Cowen.f right shoulder; Sergeant 
 Garrett W. Luke, scalp wound ; Sergeant Charles N. Elston, right leg ; 
 Corporal Wm. E. Tilton, side ; James E. Black, arm ; Acting Color Cor- 
 poral Thomas A. Conlee, shoulder ; James F. Champlin,* Thomas C. 
 Graves,* foot ; Edward Graham, arm and thigh ; Hiram H. Hamilton,* 
 left leg; Cyrus Pomeroy,f leg; Curl Richardson, leg; Henry Schultz,* 
 left breast and arm ; Charles Smith, left leg hurt by the fall of a horse. 
 
 Captnred. 
 
 t Disabled for further field service.
 
 196 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 The casualties among the troops in Gen. Steedman's com- 
 mand in this memorable battle were as follows : 
 
 Second Brigade, Second Division, Reserve Corps, Col. Daniel McCook 
 
 commanding : 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Captured. Total. 
 
 52dOhio 2 . 3 5 
 
 85th Illinois 1 6 7 
 
 86th Illinois.... 1 ,517 
 
 125th Illinois. .. 1 247 
 
 Total........ 3 15 8 26 
 
 First Brigade, First Division, Reserve Corps, Gen. Walter C. Whit- 
 taker commanding : 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Captured. Total. 
 
 96th Illinois 45 130 40 215* 
 
 115th Illinois 24 137 6 167 
 
 40th Ohio 18 94 11 123 
 
 84th Indiana 20 87 11 118 
 
 18th Ohio Battery. 0909 
 
 T9tal 107 457 68 632 
 
 Col. Heber Le Favour's Demi-Brigade, attached to and fighting with 
 
 Gen. Whittaker's Brigade : 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Captured. Total. 
 
 22d Michigan 36 89 247 372 
 
 89th Ohio 23 64 140 227 
 
 Total 59 153 387 599 
 
 Second Brigade, First Division, Reserve Corps, Col. John G. Mitchell 
 
 commanding : 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Captured. Total. 
 
 78th Illinois 17 74 55 146 
 
 98th Ohio 7 38 18 63 
 
 113th Ohio 26 90 40 156 
 
 121stOhio 12 73 7 92 
 
 Battery M, 1st Illinois Artillery. .. 2 11 13 
 
 Total 64 286 120 470 
 
 The total casualties were 1,727 out of a command not exceeding 4,000 
 men, excepting Col. McCook's Brigade, which was not with Gen. Steed- 
 man on the right. 
 
 The detail of men who had been guarding a wagon train 
 during the battle numbering about thirty those who had 
 
 * This total of 215 was exclusive of the slightly wounded who remained .on duty 
 with the command. 

 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 197 
 
 been left at Rossville sick, a few detached men and several of 
 the slightly wounded joined the command on Monday and 
 Tuesday, so that there were, including musicians and the 
 medical staff, about two hundred and forty men with the Regi- 
 ment on the arrival at Moccasin Point. But the thinned ranks 
 closed up, and all resolved to do their duty and retain, to the 
 last, the bright name won on the field of Chickamauga. 
 
 Military writers vary widely in estimating the results of 
 the battle of Chickamauga. The campaign had for its object 
 the possession of Chattanooga, and that was still occupied by 
 the Federal forces. Nor had the battle itself been a complete 
 victory for the Confederates, for their army had about spent 
 its strength before the fighting closed, and at the very mo- 
 ment Gen. Thomas was drawing back through McFarland's 
 Gap they were moving to a defensive position. Even when 
 they discovered that the Union forces had fallen back they 
 made no attempt to follow, and did not occupy that portion of 
 the battle field where the two Brigades of the Reserve Corps 
 fought until the forenoon of Monday was well advanced. This 
 statement is made upon the testimony of the severely wounded 
 of the Regiment left upon the battle field, and also upon the 
 fact that at least two James Guppy, of Company D, and 
 William Joyce, of Company G remained upon the battle 
 field all night and left it some time after sunrise next morn- 
 ing, without seeing any organized force of Rebels. In his 
 official report of the action Gen. Bragg admitted a loss of 
 two-fifths of his army. Gen. Longstreet, who commanded the 
 left wing of the Rebel army, reported 1,080 killed, 6,506 
 wounded and 270 captured, on Sunday. It is known that ten 
 Brigades were directly in front of Whittaker's and Mitchell's 
 Brigades and the right Brigade of Brannan's Division, and 
 several of them were very full when the engagement opened. 
 The Rebel right wing suffered hardly less. The enemy was 
 confident of victory, and fought most desperately, but without 
 achieving the result promised by their chieftain. The best 
 authorities place their total strength at 70,000, while the Fede- 
 ral force was but 56,000, and it is doubtless true that the 
 entire Federal force on the battle field during Sunday after-
 
 198 HISTORY OF THE 96TH KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 noon was not more than one-half the number of the Confede- 
 rates. The troops under Gen. Thomas embraced portions of 
 every Corps in the army, the emergencies of the battle widely 
 separating Brigades and Divisions, and breaking up commands 
 to an extent hardly equalled in any other great battle of the 
 war. As a victory to the Confederates it was most barren. 
 The total loss to the Union arms was reported at 16,336, 
 of whom more than two thousand were killed. Fifty-one 
 cannon, 15,000 muskets and a large number of wagons and 
 ambulances fell into the enemy's hands. 
 
 The campaign had ended, and on the morning of Tuesday, 
 September 22, the Union forces occupied an entrenched line 
 about the city of Chattanooga, while Missionary Ridge, Look- 
 out Mountain* and the intervening valleys swarmed with the 
 men in gray, who calmly waited for the Federal forces to be 
 starved out of a position that seemed well nigh untenable. 
 
 The following is Colonel Champion's 
 
 OFFICIAL REPORT.* 
 
 On Friday, the 18th instant, the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois Regiment 
 left camp at Rossville, with the balance of the Brigade, about three 
 o'clock P. M., and went out on a reconnoissance about three miles on the 
 Ringgold road. As the head of the column (the NINETY-SIXTH being in 
 the advance) arrived at the Little Chickamauga, and was about crossing 
 the stream, we were fired upon by the enemy. Pour companies were 
 immediately thrown forward and deployed as skirmishers. The NINETY- 
 SIXTH then crossed the stream, and formed in line of battle on both sides 
 of the road and advanced to meet the enemy. A sharp skirmish ensued, 
 lasting about forty-five minutes, during which time we drove the enemy 
 about three-fourths of a mile. We lost one killed E. Haggart and 
 three wounded. The Regiment lay on their arms during the night, and 
 at daylight on the 19th, in obedience to orders, took up a position on the 
 ridge, north of McAffee's Church, where it lay in line of battle until 
 about noon of the 20th, when orders were given to move, with the balance 
 of the Brigade, in a southwest direction, toward Missionary Ridge. 
 Going to the assistance of Gen. Thomas, we arrived on the field of battle 
 about two o'clock P. M., and immediately went into action. The NINETY- 
 SIXTH occupied the extreme right of our front line. We charged the 
 enemy's left in the face of a murderous fire of infantry and artillery, at 
 
 * Colonel Champion's first report was of much greater length, and made numerous 
 personal mentions, but being warned that it must be brief he condensed it as herewith 
 given. The original report is not now obtainable, a fact to be regretted, as it was a very 
 full and interesting document.
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 199 
 
 short range, and maintained our position until every regiment on our left 
 nd in our rear had given way. We then fell back about five or six hun- 
 dred yards and re-formed. In the meantime a section of our artillery had 
 been planted about six hundred yards to the right of our previous posi- 
 tion, and we were ordered up to repel the charge of the enemy. We 
 repulsed the enemy after about twenty minutes' desperate fighting. We 
 then moved to the left of the battery and again charged the enemy, driv- 
 ing him down the ridge running nearly parallel with our first line, nearly 
 lialf a mile, until we received an enfilading fire from the 84th Indiana and 
 115th Illinois, and were compelled to retire. Our officers seem sanguine 
 that with five hundred more men we could have driven the enemy com- 
 pletely from the field. We then fell back and re-formed, with the rem- 
 nant of the regiment on the right of the first line of the Brigade, and as 
 the left of the line successively gave way, we fell back with it until night 
 ended the contest. Officers and men behaved with great gallantry, and 
 where all did so well discrimination would serve to be invidious. Among 
 the most conspicuous in rallying and encouraging the men during the 
 entire conflict were Captain Geo. Hicks, Company^ A, and Lieutenant 
 Charles W. Earle, Company C. Our loss was heavy in both officers and 
 men, including Lieutenant Colonel Isaac L. Clarke, killed on the field. 
 He behaved with great gallantry. 
 
 The Regiment went into action on Sunday with four hundred and 
 nineteen men, including the field, line and staff officers. 
 
 The losses of the NINETY-SIXTH (exclusive of captures and slightly 
 wounded) at last reports stood as follows : 
 
 Killed 42 
 
 Wounded 121 
 
 Missing 11 
 
 Total 174 
 
 The following is an extract from the official report of 
 Major- General Gordon Granger, Commander of the Reserve 
 Corps : 
 
 * * * The position of my forces on the morning of the twentieth, 
 and up to the hour of battle, was as follows : Col. McCook's Brigade 
 was moved to a point near the McAfee Church, and was placed in such a 
 position as to cover the Ringgold road ; Gen. Whittaker's Brigade, 
 together with Col. Mitchell's, retained the same position that they had 
 the evening before, and Col. Minty, who reported to me at daylight on 
 the morning of the twentieth with a brigade of cavalry, was posted at 
 Missionary Mills, which positions completely covered our extreme left 
 flank. 
 
 The enemy did not make his appearance in our immediate front 
 during the morning, but large clouds of dust could be seen beyond our 
 position arising from the Lafayette and Harrison roads, moving in the
 
 200 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 direction of the sound of battle. At 10.30 A. M. I heard very heavy 
 firing, which was momentarily increasing in volume and intensity, on 
 our right, in the direction of Gen. Thomas' position. Soon afterward, 
 being convinced, judging from the sound of battle, that the enemy were 
 pushing him hard, and fearing that he would not be able to resist their 
 combined attack, I determined to go to his assistance at once. It was 
 now about eleven o'clock A. M. I started with Gen. Whittaker's and 
 Col. Mitchell's Brigades, under the immediate command of Gen. Steed- 
 man, and left Col. McCook's Brigade at the McAfee Church, in position 
 to cover the Ringgold road. Gen. Thomas was at this time engaging the 
 enemy at a point between the La Fayette and Dry Valley roads, in the 
 
 vicinity of house, about three and a half miles from our place of 
 
 starting. We had not proceeded more than two miles when the enemy 
 made his appearance in the woods to the left of our advancing column, 
 about three- fourths of a mile from the road. They opened upon us quite 
 briskly with their skirmishers and a section of artillery. I then made a 
 short halt to feel them, and becoming convinced that they constituted 
 only a party of observation, I again rapidly pushed forward my troops. 
 At this juncture I sent back and ordered up Col. McCook's Brigade to 
 watch the movements of the enemy at this point, to keep open the La 
 Fayette road, and cover the open field on the right of the road, and those 
 that intervened between this point and the position held by Gen. Thomas. 
 As rapidly as possible, Col. McCook brought up his Brigade, took the 
 position assigned to him, and held it until he marched to Rossville from 
 the field of battle, at ten o'clock P. M. At six o'clock the enemy opened 
 an artillery fire upon Col. McCook, but he soon silenced their battery,, 
 which had done little or no damage to his troops. 
 
 At about one o'clock p. M. I reported to Gen. Thomas. His forces 
 were at that time stationed upon the brow of and holding a "horse-shoe 
 ridge." The enemy were pressing him hard in front, and endeavoring to 
 turn both of his flanks. To the right of this position was a ridge running 
 east and west, and nearly at right angles therewith. Upon this the 
 enemy were just forming. They also had possession of a gorge in the 
 same through which they were rapidly moving in large masses, with the 
 design of falling upon the right flank and rear of the forces upon the 
 "horse-shoe ridge." 
 
 Gen. Thomas had not the troops to oppose this movement of the 
 enemy, and in fifteen minutes from the time we appeared on the field, 
 had it not been for our fortunate arrival, his forces would have been 
 terribly cut up and captured. As rapidly as possible I formed Gen. 
 Whittaker's and Col. Mitchell's Brigades, to hurl them against this threat- 
 ening force of the enemy which afterward proved to be Gen. Hindman's- 
 Division. The gallant Steedman, seizing the colors of a Regiment, led 
 his men to the attack. With loud cheers they rushed upon the enemy, 
 and after a terrific conflict, lasting but twenty minutes, drove them from 
 their ground, and occupied the ridge and gorge. The slaughter of both 
 friend and foe was frightful. Gen. Whittaker, while rushing forward at
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 201 
 
 the head of his Brigade, was knocked from his horse by a musket-ball, 
 and was, for a short time, rendered unfit for duty; while two of his staff 
 officers were killed, and two mortally wounded. Gen. Steedman's horse 
 was killed, and he was severely bruised, yet he was able to remain on 
 duty during the day. This attack was made by our troops, very few of 
 whom had ever been in an action before, against a Division of old 
 soldiers who largely outnumbered them. Yet with resolution and energy 
 they drove the enemy from this position, occupied it themselves, and 
 afterward held the ground they had gained with such terrible losses. 
 The victory was dearly won, but to this army it was a priceless one. 
 
 There was now a lull in the battle; it was of short duration, however, 
 for within thirty minutes after we had gained possession of the ridge we 
 were vigorously attacked by two Divisions of Longstreet's veterans. 
 Again the enemy was driven back, and from this time until dark the 
 battle between these two opposing' forces raged furiously. 
 
 Our whole line was continually enveloped in smoke and fire. The 
 assaults of the enemy were now made with that energy which was 
 inspired by the bright prospect of a speedy victory, and by a conscious- 
 ness that it was only necessary to carry this position and crush our forces 
 to enable them to overthrow our army, and drive it across the Tennessee 
 River. Their forces were massed and hurled upon us for the purpose of 
 terminating at once this great and bloody battle. But the stout hearts of 
 the handful of men who stood before them quailed not. They under- 
 stood our perilous position, and held their ground, determined to perish 
 rather than yield it. Never had a commander such just cause for con- 
 gratulation over the action of his troops. 
 
 The ammunition which was brought in our train to this part of the 
 field was divided with Gens. Brannan's and Wood's Divisions early in the 
 afternoon, and we soon exhausted the remainder. All that we could 
 then procure was taken from the cartridge boxes of our own and the 
 enemy's dead and wounded. Even this supply was exhausted before the 
 battle was over, and while the enemy was still in our front, hurling fresh 
 troops against us. It was almost dark; the enemy had been driven back, 
 but we had not a round of ammunition left. All now seemed to be lost 
 if he should return to the contest. Anticipating another attack, I ordered 
 the command to be given to the men to stand firm, and to use the cold 
 steel. After an ominous silence of a few minutes the enemy came rush- 
 ing upon us again. With fixed bayonets our troops gallantly charged 
 them and drove them back in confusion. Twice more were these charges 
 repeated, and the enemy driven back, before darkness brought an end to 
 the battle. Night came and the enemy fell back, whipped and discom- 
 fitted. At three o'clock p. M. Gen. Garfield, Chief of Staff, appeared 
 upon that part of the field where my troops were then hotly engaged 
 with the enemy. He remained with me until dark, animating and cheer- 
 ing both officers and men. * * * At seven o'clock p. M. I receivt d 
 orders from Major-General Thomas to withdraw my troops from the 
 position they held at dark, to march back to Rossville, and to cover the
 
 202 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 rear of the forces falling back upon that place with McCook's Brigade. 
 These instructions were promptly carried out, and I went into camp that 
 night in accordance therewith. 
 
 My two Brigades numbered 216 commissioned officers and 3,697 men 
 when they went into the action. Between the hours of one P. M. and 
 dark there were killed, wounded and missing 109 commissioned officers 
 and 1,623 men a total of 1,732. These losses are subdivided as follows : 
 Killed, 234 ; wounded, 936 ; missing all of whom, with the exception of 
 a very small fraction were taken prisoners 461. 
 
 * * * It is with pleasure that I call the attention of the Command- 
 ing General to the bravery and gallantry displayed during the battle by 
 Brigadier-General James B. Steedman. He fearlessly rushed into the 
 midst of danger, and was ever present with his troops, handling them 
 with ease and confidence, rallying and encouraging them, and establish- 
 ing order and confidence. Gen. Whittaker and Col. Mitchell, command- 
 ing Brigades, were also conspicuous for their bravery and activity. They 
 managed their troops well, and contributed much to our success during 
 the day. Col. Daniel McCook, commanding the Second Brigade, Second 
 Division, properly and promptly carried out all orders and instructions 
 I gave him. Although his Brigade was not engaged in the battle, it held 
 a very important position, protecting the rear of those who were 
 fighting.* 
 
 Shortly following the battle, Lieutenant Wm. M. Loughlin, 
 then on detached service with the Pioneers, wrote a letter to 
 Colonel Champion, congratulating him upon the good name 
 won for himself and the Regiment, and received the following 
 reply : 
 
 HEADQUARTERS NINETY-SIXTH REGT. ILL. VOL. INF'T., 
 ' CAMP OPPOSITE LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, NEAR 
 
 CHATTANOOGA, October 10, 1863. 
 LIEUTENANT WM. M. LOUGHLIN : 
 
 Dear Lieutenant, I received your very welcome and kind letter of 
 the 3d instant. So far as it relates to myself personally I am inclined to 
 think the encomiums are, perhaps, hastily bestowed. But so far as the 
 NINETY-SIXTH Regiment is concerned it is deserving of all praise. Its 
 record on the terrible and bloody field of Chickamauga entitles it to rank 
 as one of the truest and bravest of any in the field, or that ever defended 
 the Old Flag. When it is remembered that the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment 
 went into the fight at two o'clock p. M. of Sunday with 415 officers and 
 men, and before sundown had lost 42 men, killed on the field, 121 wounded 
 and 11 missing, and that of the missing all thus far heard from were either 
 killed or wounded, making our loss in killed and wounded 174, and that 
 of the wounded so many have since died that our total loss in killed will 
 
 * A long list of officers conspicuous for their bravery is published in Gen. Granger's 
 report, included with which appear all of the field officers of the NINETY-SIXTH ; also, 
 Captain Hicks, of Company A.
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 203 
 
 be 55 or 60, you may rest assured that the NINETY-SIXTH did not fail to 
 do its whole duty. Three several times we charged upon and drove the 
 enemy, once laying down on the crest of a hill, and for half an hour 
 pouring a heavy fire into the enemy so near his guns that every discharge 
 from them, the hot air was literally blown into our faces, holding our 
 position until every Regiment in our rear and on our left had given way. 
 We occupied the extreme right of our lines, and for some reason or other, 
 -when there was any hard work to do we were called upon to do it. 
 
 I have not time to write you at length. Suffice it to say that other 
 Regiments were in that fight for two whole days and did not lose, com- 
 paratively nor actually, what we did in the two hours fighting. 
 
 My regards to all. 
 
 Very respectfully yours. THOS. E. CHAMPION. 
 
 The following letter, written by Major George Hicks to 
 the New York Tribune, is a graphic account of the part borne 
 in the battle by Gen. Steedman's Division : 
 
 THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. 
 GEN. STEEDMAN'S DIVISION THE RECORD IT MADE ON THE TWENTIETH. 
 
 [Prom our Special Correspondent, in the field, opposite Chattanooga, September 
 
 30, 1863.] 
 
 Among the many Divisions of the Army of the Cumberland which 
 acquitted themselves nobly in the battles of the nineteenth and twentieth 
 the First Division of the Reserve Corps, commanded by Brig. Gen. James 
 -B. Steedman, deserves some mention. 
 
 On the eighteenth the First Brigade of the Division, commanded by 
 Brig. Gen. W. C. Whittaker, was sent from Rossville to the Little Chicka- 
 mauga, on the road to Ringgold. Here, after sundown, a brief skirmish 
 was had with the enemy, in which neither party suffered any considerable 
 Joss. 
 
 On the afternoon of the nineteenth the tide of battle, which had been 
 running heavily on our right during the day, reached this Brigade, and 
 .an engagement of some fierceness was had with the enemy. The position 
 Jheld by the Brigade was on the extreme left of our lines, and the key to 
 Rosecrans' line of retreat. The position was much coveted by the enemy, 
 and they made repeated assaults to obtain it, but were handsomely 
 repulsed, and suffered quite severely, especially from our artillery. 
 
 During the night of the nineteenth the Second Brigade, commanded 
 by Col. J. M. Mitchell, of the 113th Ohio, was sent to the aid of Whitta- 
 ker ; also, Col. Dan. McCook's Brigade, of the Second Division of the 
 Reserve, and the 22d Michigan and 89th Ohio, which two Regiments were 
 -attached to Whittaker's command. 
 
 During the forenoon of the twentieth these forces, under the com- 
 mand of Gen. Steedman, held their position at that point, in line of bat- 
 tle, awaiting a more formidable effort, which it was supposed the enemy
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 would make to turn our left. But no assault was made, for the enemy 
 had withdrawn his troops from that point to mass them against Thomas. 
 While waiting there pursuant to orders from Gen. Rosecrans, the troops 
 listened with anxious impatience to the heavy cannonading and sharp 
 musketry which resounded along the line on the right, and which, 
 approaching nearer and nearer, begat fearful suspicions that it was not 
 Rosecrans but the enemy who were driving the opposing forces. Our 
 suspense was broken, and our fears confirmed when, about noon, urgent 
 orders were received to hasten to the relief of Thomas, who was in great 
 danger. 
 
 The troops did not then know in how critical a condition the Army 
 of the Cumberland was compelled to meet, unassisted, the flower of three 
 large armies which the Rebels had assembled, intending to overwhelm it. 
 They did not then know that while they were hastening to turn the tide 
 of battle, if possible, portions of Crittenden's and McCook's Corps were 
 retiring from the field. But they did know the time had come when 
 the Reserve must be tested, and the question determined whether or not 
 it were worthy of its honorable position in the great Army of the Cum- 
 berland. 
 
 Steedman's Division, followed by McCook's Brigade, was speedily 
 put in motion, and the columns moved forward at a rapid pace, some- 
 times breaking into a double-quick. The sun shone hot, and the dust in 
 the narrow road rose in dense, suffocating clouds ; but all thought of 
 heat, and dust, and fatigue was lost in the eager anxiety to relieve our 
 brave comrades who were in peril. After thus marching some three 
 miles, the head of the column reached a portion of the battle field from 
 which our forces had retired, and which the enemy occupied with hi& 
 mounted infantry. Formed hastily in line-of-battle, "Whittaker's Brigade 
 advanced upon them. They did not await our approach, but gave up 
 the ground, retreating in a direction which, had we followed, would have 
 diverted us from the main purpose. In passing over this portion of the 
 field the dead and dying of both armies were seen in considerable num- 
 bers, and some Rebels, separated from their commands, were encountered 
 on the right and taken prisoners by the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois. 
 
 Soon a point was reached directly opposite to and about three-fourths 
 of a mile distant from Gen. Thomas, and the whole Division turned 
 square to the right. Here they formed in close columns by regiments, 
 with division front ; and, with a line of skirmishers thrown forward and 
 along the left flank, the Division resumed its march. It was through an 
 extensive stretch of meadow land, overgrown with weeds almost breast 
 high, that our course lay. Heavy batteries of the enemy's artillery were 
 posted in the woods on our left, and as we advanced through the meadow 
 to form a junction with Thomas they opened upon us a fearful fire. But 
 few troops in the Division had ever seen more of war than is encountered 
 in brisk skirmishing, and none had ever been under such a fire. But 
 Whittaker, with his staff, and Col. Mitchell and staff, rode steadily in front 
 of their Brigades, and their troops, although the shells and shot fell fast
 
 18C3] CHICKAMAUGA. , 205 
 
 and thick around and among them, wavered not in their march, but kept 
 right on, leaving many of their comrades dead and wounded on the field. 
 At that moment the spectacle, to one not inured to all the pageantry of 
 war, was intensely grand. The brigade and regimental colors floated 
 gaily in the light of the midday sun. The far-stretching columns of 
 troops, with glistening weapons, moved forward with uniform motion, 
 presenting, at a distance, the appearance of one compact mass. On the 
 left dense masses of sulphurous smoke hung just above the trees, and in 
 front and along the lines the shells were bursting in the air, while the solid 
 shot, seemingly imbued with infernal energy, plowed the ground, bound- 
 ing and plunging over the fields, leaving all over the meadow little clouds 
 of dust to mark their course. That march, through that storm of shell 
 and shot, was a fit introduction to the scenes upon which that Division 
 was about to enter. But little time was occupied in reaching Thomas, 
 where Gen. Granger, commanding the Reserve, and Gen. Steedman were 
 already holding consultation with him. As we approached, Gen. Whit 
 taker, whose Brigade was in the advance, was told that it was absolutely 
 necessary that he should drive the enemy from the ridge on our right, 
 where heavy forces had been massed, as if for the purpose of flanking 
 Thomas. Indeed, the occupation of that ridge was so threatening that 
 if the enemy continued to hold it Thomas must have retired. Whittaker 
 aid he would take the ridge, and he did it. 
 
 This is the way it was done : The six Regiments of the First Brigade 
 were formed in two lines the first comprising the NINETY- SIXTH Illinois, 
 Colonel Thomas E. Champion, on the right ; 115th Illinois, Col. J. fl. 
 Moore, in the centre, and the 22d Michigan, Col. Le Favour, on the left. 
 Then came the order to advance. With a yell the first line bounded for- 
 ward on the double-quick. Up and down the little hills and through the 
 narrow valleys which intervened they pressed hastily forward until they 
 <;ame within short range of the Rebel musketry, which opened upon 
 them furiously, while the grape and cannister from the battery on the 
 ridge swept cruelly through their ranks. 
 
 Almost exhausted with their hurried march and their long continued 
 double-quick, the troops recoiled for a moment under that withering fire, 
 but ere the most timid could think of retreating, Colonel Champion 
 promptly gave the command to halt, lie down, and fire, which was obeyed 
 on the instant. There the line lay for five minutes, responding resolutely 
 to the fire of the enemy. That five minutes was a terrible ordeal for ouv 
 soldiers, for during that short period their ranks were more than deci- 
 mated. Then came the order to fix bayonets and charge upon the enemy. 
 The ardor of the men overcame their fatigue, and, tired as they were, 
 they resumed the double-quick march as they advanced up the ridge, right 
 in the face of a galling fire. If a man fell and many did he was left 
 to enrich the soil of Georgia with his life's blood, or, if able, to creep, 
 alone and unassisted, to the rear ; for none who were able, to march left 
 the ranks, which were kept well closed up, and the line was firmly main 1 
 tained.
 
 206 HISTORY OF THE 96iH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 By this time the 78th Illinois and 121st Ohio, of the Second Brigade 
 had come up and were advancing on the right of the first, and a little to 
 the rear. Never was support more opportune, for while Whittaker's men 
 were charging up the ridge, the enemy received a well-directed fire from 
 Col. Mitchell's forces, and, when the crest of the ridge was gained, the 
 enemy was discovered retreating in confusion, and their battery had dis- 
 appeared. With a loud huzza we followed them, but not far. Fresh 
 troops were sent against us, and the fire became as scathing as ever. We 
 halted in our advanced position, and held it, while the contending mus- 
 ketry, sharp and incessant, almost stunned the ear. The enemy con- 
 stantly strengthened his lines, and their fire became hotter and quicker. 
 The first line was ordered to fall back. The second line took its place 
 and held the position a short time, when the forces were ordered to retire 
 to the crest of the ridge from which the enemy had been driven. 
 
 That was the way the fight, on the part of Steedman's Division, 
 opened on that day. It had gained a great advantage, but it was not to 
 maintain it without a severe struggle. Bragg's Reserves the flower of 
 the Potomac Army were sent to dislodge us from our newly gained 
 position. But it availed them not. Battery M, 1st Illinois Artillery, was- 
 planted far to the right, in a commanding position, and such was the con- 
 formation of the ground that, as the Rebel lines advanced to the assault, 
 they came under the sure and effective range of our guns. Their battery- 
 had been planted in a new position, bearing upon ours, and the continued 
 roar of artillery soon was mingled wjth the sound of musketry. 
 
 Our lines were extended to the right so as to reach and support our 
 battery, which the Rebels were threatening to attack. A general assault 
 was soon made upon our lines, but it proved disastrous to the Rebels. 
 Our grape and cannister made great havoc in their ranks, while our 
 soldiers took careful aim before pulling the triggers of their Enfield mus- 
 kets. The Rebels were badly repulsed, and as they retreated we followed, 
 pursuing them a considerable distance. But while this move exposed us 
 to the fire of their artillery, they were much less in danger from our bat- 
 tery. Other troops, in heavier force, took the place of those whom we 
 had driven, and the battle waged fiercely again until we were ordered to 
 retire. 
 
 Let the simple truth be told. That retreat, in fact, that whole battle 
 in which our Division was engaged, was not conducted with precisely 
 the same order observed on a dress parade. I have read of such things ;. 
 I have heard of troops acting with arctic coolness and impassability under 
 the most galling fire, minutely observing every direction of the tactics. 
 It maj r be so, but it was not so with our Division on that day. When the 
 men were ordered to advance they kept their line pretty well, but there 
 were many whose eagerness carried them ahead of it, and some whose 
 timidity kept them in rear of it. In retreating, the men paid but little 
 attention to keeping their lines well dressed, and had the appearance of 
 a mass rather than a line. Nay more ; some of the troops on the left 
 actually broke, and were thrown into some disorder. But it is also- 

 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 207 
 
 true that when the desired point was gained the troops were readily 
 halted and rallied with but little difficulty. Once, the 115th Illinois 
 which did exceedingly well that day seemed unable to rally ; but Gen. 
 Steedman was near at hand, and, seizing the colors from the standard 
 bearer, advanced toward the enemy, saying to the men: "Boys, I'll 
 carry your flag if you'll defend it!" They rallied around him and did 
 noble deeds. There was not one instance of failure to rally the troops, 
 though the leaden hail fell so thick and fast among them that nothing but 
 their native heroism and the animating courage of their officers could 
 have kept them up to the work. Let it not be forgotten that on thai 
 afternoon there was but little fighting, except upon Thomas' lines, whose 
 right Steedman held, and on the right the fiercest fighting apparently w;is- 
 done. There was nothing to prevent the enemy from sending almost 
 overwhelming forces against us, and we learn from prisoners, and we 
 judge from the incidents and character of the contest, that they were 
 fighting Steedman with the odds of at least three to one in their favor. 
 Thomas was holding their whole army in check, saving from irretrievable 
 disaster the Army of the Cumberland ; and there was nothing akin to a 
 holiday parade in the terrible momentum of their assaults to break 
 through that bulwark, or the heroic endurance with which our soldiers 
 met and repulsed them. More depended upon the individuality of the 
 soldier than upon the harmonious movements of regiments and brigades. 
 This was felt by our officers and soldiers. There was little maneuvering, 
 but there was a great deal of fighting. There was no waiting for com- 
 mands in detail no firing of volleys by platoons and companies. When 
 we had gained a position in advance, and the line was halted in view of 
 the enemy, the men fired at will, each intent only on doing his own duty 
 well. After that repulse another assault was made, and with the same 
 result. The Rebels advanced, were checked ; we drove and followed 
 them until fresh troops were arrayed against us, and we in turn were 
 forced to retire. But this time we drove them further, and kept them at 
 bay longer than before. One of our regiments, the NINETY-SIXTH 
 Illinois, pursued them nearly half a mile, and held that advanced positioa 
 until it began to receive an enfilading fire from some of our own troops. 
 Thus the contest continued until dark, and all the time we held the 
 ridge. Sometimes a regiment or more would fall back beyond the ridge, 
 but enough always remained to hold it. At last Gen. Thomas.gave the 
 order to retire, but it failed to reach a portion of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 Illinois and a remnant of the 121st Ohio, who at the time occupied a 
 position on the right, somewhat advanced beyond the line, and there, for 
 a considerable time, they continued to fight with unabated vigor. The 
 order to retire was at last given to this devoted band, who reluctantly left 
 their position. That closed the fighting for the day. We retired from 
 the field, not knowing that the enemy was at the same time also retreat- 
 ing, baffled and discouraged, in fact, beaten. So the bloody field was left 
 unoccupied that night. No, not wholly unoccupied, for James T. Guppy, 
 a private of Company D, NINETY-SIXTH Illinois, not knowing that our
 
 208 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 troops had fallen back, slept upon the battle field, and, next morning, as 
 he awoke, found a Rebel surgeon near him looking for Rebel dead, and 
 who advised him, if he ever wished to see his Regiment again, to hurry 
 on to Chattanooga. The fight was over, and while the Union army was 
 sad the Rebels were not exultant. The fight was over, and Steedman's 
 Division had made its record. It had done more than that. Said Gen. 
 Thomas to Gen. Steedmaa : " You have saved my Corps." 
 
 That was a deed worthy to be proud of, for, from what disaster did 
 not that Corps save our army and our cause ! 
 
 But there was little feeling of pride that night among the troops of 
 the First Division of the Reserves. We were busy reckoning up our 
 losses, and they were appalling 3 The long list of killed and wounded is 
 a sad proof of the trial by fire to which, that afternoon, our Division 
 was subjected. 
 
 Was ever such havoc made with a staff as that which Gen. Whitta- 
 ker's suffered .? There were eight of them, including the General. Three 
 were killed, three wounded, one captured or killed, and only one escaped. 
 How often has it happened that a Regiment, in one afternoon's engage- 
 ment, has endured a greater loss in killed and wounded than the NINETY- 
 SIXTH Illinois? It took into battle 415 men. It lost 42 killed and 121 
 wounded considerably more than one-third. Of its 23 field, staff and 
 line officers engaged, 11 were killed and wounded. It happened that that 
 Regiment, during the fight, was always in the front line, and was greatly 
 exposed to the enemy's artillery, but, under the cool and able leadership 
 of Colonel Champion, it maintained its place, and, with the 121st Ohio, 
 was the last to leave the field. 
 
 Whittaker's Brigade of six Regiments lost nearly one thousand men, 
 killed and wounded, and Col. Mitchell's Brigade of four Regiments lost 
 nearly four hundred. 
 
 There were many noble men who fell on that hard-fought field 
 many who deserve special mention. I know but few of the many, yet 
 let me speak of two or three. 
 
 Capt. S. B. Espy, Assistant Commissary on Gen. Whittaker's staff, 
 was a very lion that day. He was advised to remain with his trains ; but, 
 too noble spirited for that, he remained on the field, fearless of danger, 
 doing wonders in cheering and rallying the men under the destructive 
 fire of the enemy, He was one of Illinois' noble sons, and his loss is 
 severely felt. 
 
 And there was a Quarter-Master Sergeant, William S. Bean, who, like 
 Capt. Espy, chose the field of danger rather than the post of safety. He 
 might have remained in the rear, and the breath of censure couia not 
 have touched him; but he was right where the bullets flew thickest and 
 fastest, and did the work almost of a General in encouraging the bold and 
 animating the timid. He was a genuine hero. 
 
 Capt. Wells, of the 113th Ohio, and Lieut. Col. Kinman, of the 115th 
 Illinois, were two of the best men and bravest soldiers who yielded up 
 aheir lives on the twentieth on their country's altar.
 
 
 JOHN G. SCHAEFER, 
 
 FIRST SERGEANT, COMPANY A.
 
 
 fist
 
 1863] CHICKAMATJGA. 209 
 
 And the scores of privates, corporals and sergeants, men of families, 
 who had left all wife, children, home for their country, from a pure 
 sense of duty ; young men, who left college walls and the merchant's 
 desk, and the plow, and the anvil, all because their country called them, 
 to face death on a battle field ; darling sons, the hope and stay of widowed 
 mothers, whose early death will break more than one sorrowing heart 
 what of these ? Alas ! too many such there are as brave, as heroic, as 
 truly martyrs as ever died in the cause of humanity to mention here by 
 name. Would you know them ? Read the list of the killed ! 
 
 We will not, in our sorrow for the heroes dead, forget the surviving 
 brave. These, thanks to a merciful Providence, are even more numerous 
 than the dead. Among the many who did well, Gen. Steedman, and 
 Major Smith, and Capt. Moe, of his Staff, merit special praise. And Gen. 
 Whittaker and Col. Mitchell, and their Staff Officers, and the Regimental 
 Commanders, are most highly honored by the soldiers, for they were 
 brave and unflinching leaders. 
 
 Let me refer to two men in humbler positions. One is Lieutenant C. 
 W. Earle, commanding the Color Company of the NINETY-SIXTH. He 
 stood by the colors throughout the fight, and, though all but two of the 
 Color Guard were killed and wounded, and the colors were cut to pieces 
 by the bullets and grape and cannister that pierced its folds, he faltered 
 not one instant. He is a Second Lieutenant, and but a boy, yet few full- 
 grown men, in much more exalted positions, excelled him in cool, cheer- 
 ful courage. 
 
 The other is Capt. Clason, of the 121st Ohio, who, with the little 
 remnant of the Regiment, fought so stubbornly and unyieldingly to the 
 very last, preserving their colors and keeping them afloat proudly in the 
 face of the enemy, until the last shot was fired. 
 
 And Col. Le Favour, who led his 22d Michigan on a bayonet charge, 
 after they had expended all their ammunition, should not be forgotten 
 when the roll of honor is made out. But time and space would fail to 
 name every man who flinched not from his duty on that memorable day. 
 The 84th Indiana, the 40th, 98th and 89th Ohio, and the 78th Illinois all 
 of Steedman's Division has each its list of heroes. 
 
 Enough that, at that critical hour, the Reserve failed not. And it 
 could have done more had it been necessary, for Col. McCook's Brigade 
 was not engaged. As to our Division, it has confidence in its officers, 
 while they are proud of their men ; and it is now ready to test its mettle 
 again with a Rebel foe. It is with not a little of pride that I can write 
 of such a Division, and its fight on the twentieth, parva pars fui* 
 
 MILES, f 
 * Of which I was a small part. t A soldier. 
 
 14
 
 210 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 NOTE. To write fully of the experiences of each of the members of the Regiment 
 who participated in the battle of Chickamauga is impracticable, if not impossible, for 
 it would require a volume to record what would be of interest. And yet, it does not 
 seem best to omit these personal incidents altogether, even though but a few can be 
 rescued from the oblivion into which the years are rapidly passing them. Naturally 
 those which are the best known to the writer are such as occurred in the Company of 
 which he was at the time a member, or to individuals whom he knew most intimately or 
 has met most frequently in the years that have intervened. These, if any, must be 
 recorded. It is hoped that no one will attribute the mentions to favoritism or the omis- 
 sions to a want of appreciation on the writer's part of the genuine merit of those whose 
 names do not appear. It was simply impossible that any one man should know more 
 than a minor portion of the incidents that would be of interest while a battle was raging, 
 or that, entertaining no thought at the time of writing of them, he should cherish any 
 considerable portion for a score of years, or gather more than a fraction of them in the 
 limited time now at the command of THE EDITOR. 
 
 Early in the engagement the horse ridden by Gen. J. B. 
 Steedman was shot. As the animal fell the General was 
 thrown violently forward, and badly bruised on the head and 
 face, the injuries being such as to cause the blood to flow freely 
 and give the commander the appearance of having been badly 
 wounded. Gen. W. C. Whittaker, commander of the Brigade, 
 was struck in the abdomen, his injury being painful but not 
 so serious as to take him from the field for more than a half 
 hour or so. He thought himself mortally wounded for the 
 moment, and his words, which he supposed were his last on 
 earth, were of good cheer to his command, and an encour- 
 agement to them to do their duty. Rarely has a Staff fared 
 so roughly as did that of Gen. Whittaker. Capt. S. B. Espy, 
 of the 115th Illinois, Acting Brigade Commissary, and Lieut. 
 Mason, of the 84th Indiana, who was serving as an Aide, 
 were killed outright. Capt. James Allen, of the 40th Ohio, 
 who was in the English army at the siege of Lucknow, and who 
 had been decorated by the Queen for bravery, was severely 
 wounded through the arm. Lieut. John M. Moore, of the 
 84th Indiana, and at the time A. A. A. General of the Bri- 
 gade, was shot through the thigh and crippled for life. Lieu- 
 tenant G. W. Pepoon, of the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois, then an 
 Aide, and who, although continually riding the lines, was the 
 only one who escaped unharmed, left the field at dark in 
 charge of Lieut. Moore, walking or riding beside him, and
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 211 
 
 helping to hold him on his horse until Rossville was reached. 
 Captain Charles E. Rowan, of the NINETY-SIXTH, was captured 
 on Saturday afternoon, and Lieut. Jesse Hannon, of the 115th 
 Illinois, was captured just before the battle closed on Sunday. 
 
 In the Regiment no mounted officer escaped except the 
 Colonel, and he was twice dismounted. The gray horse 
 which he took from Illinois, but which had been disposed of 
 some time previously, was finally brought and bore him safely 
 from the field. Toward the close of the fight, and when the 
 line had been reduced to a mere skirmish line, the Colonel 
 took a musket and used it for a time, the soldiers loading it 
 for him. Always his presence was an inspiration, and his 
 position so conspicuous that it was marvelous how he escaped. 
 Major J . C. Smith, on staff duty, had many thrilling experi- 
 ences and narrow escapes, but rode safely through the storm. 
 Sergeant-Major Quinn rode into the battle a horse from which 
 a Rebel Major had been shot at Franklin. Early in the fight 
 Quinn was wounded, a bullet passing through his shoulder and 
 lungs, and so disabling him that when the lines retired he was 
 left in the enemy's hands. He was subsequently paroled and 
 furloughed home, meeting death by drowning a few months 
 later. Quarter-Master Sergeant Bean was shot from his horse 
 while bravely riding the lines, and instantly killed. 
 
 The experiences of the Color Guard were almost without 
 precedent. Nine men moved forward under the flags in the 
 first charge on Sunday afternoon, and a tenth subsequently 
 joined them. Only one retired that evening, all of the others 
 having been killed or wounded. Color Sergeant M. M. Bruner, 
 of Company H, was disabled by a raking shot across his breast 
 and through one arm. Corporal David Isbell, of Company 
 A, had an arm shattered. Turning to leave the field he was 
 again struck and doubtless killed, as he was not afterward 
 heard from. Corporal Hamilton Whitney, of Company B, 
 escaped until almost night, but was then shot through, and left 
 for dead upon the field, but fortunately survived, being paroled 
 and sent to Chattanooga ten days later. Acting Color Corpo- 
 ral Squire Inman, of Company C, was badly wounded in the 
 leg, and left on the field, where he died within a week. Cor-
 
 212 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 poral William F. De Graff, of Company E, was severely 
 wounded in the leg, but survived, only to be mortally wounded 
 in a subsequent battle. Corporal Walton Heed, of Company 
 F, was killed. Corporal John A. Robison, of Company F, 
 lost his good right arm. Corporal J. W. Swanbrough, of 
 Company G, carried the regimental flag into the fight, and 
 bore both flags from the field, being uninjured, except from 
 the bruises occasioned by the falling branch of a tree, although 
 the flags were literally riddled and the flag-staffs splintered in 
 his hands. Corporal Ward L. Morton, of Company H, who 
 was sent to act with the Color Guard after the disabling of Ser- 
 geant Bruner, was killed. Acting Color Corporal Thomas 
 A. Conlee, of Company K, was wounded in the shoulder. It 
 must ever remain a mystery how Corporal Swanbrough escaped 
 that day. In every advance the colors waved at the very front, 
 and whenever the line became in any way scattered the flag was 
 the rallying point. Once, after the line had been forced back- 
 ward, there seemed a disposition not to halt just where 
 ordered, but to form a line a little to the rear. ''John," said 
 the Colonel, addressing Corporal Swanbrough, "can you 
 carry the colors a little farther up the ridge ? " and the reso- 
 lute color bearer started forward, while the men quickly gath- 
 ered around him and formed the line even farther to the front 
 than had first been planned. His example, and the fact that 
 the line was moving, gave them courage, and they made ready 
 response. 
 
 Lieutenant Vincent, of Company A, was severely wounded 
 in the leg while using a musket. Josephus Metcalf, of Com- 
 pany A ; Eli Thayer, of Company D, and George W. Dimick, 
 of Company E, were each struck on the head and stunned, 
 regaining consciousness only to find themselves prisoners. 
 Each endured a long confinement, and the two last named 
 died without ever rejoining the Regiment. 
 
 In Company B, Charles Fox fell while calling encourag- 
 ingly to his comrades to go forward. Near him fell Thomas 
 Potter and William Kimball all fatally shot in the first 
 charge. Emery Dart was among the bravest, but suddenly 
 disappeared, and was doubtless killed outright, although no
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 213 
 
 one noticed him as he fell. John H. Cruver had an arm shat- 
 tered at the elbow early in the afternoon, which disabled him 
 for farther service. W. W. Tower was severely wounded in 
 the leg, and long disabled, but returned to receive a fatal 
 wound a few months later. Sergeant Bangs tarried too long 
 when the Regiment fell back, and, in the momentary confu- 
 sion, missed his command and found himself with the 22d 
 Michigan. Taking part with them in a charge, he became a 
 prisoner with a large portion of that regiment. Sergeant 
 Whitmore was badly wounded in the shoulder, but returned 
 in a few months, and was subsequently killed. 
 
 Lieutenant Earle, commanding Company 0, was wounded 
 in the arm, but did not leave his command. On Tuesday morn- 
 ing, before the surrender of the skirmish line on Missionary 
 Ridge, he was again hit, this time on the wrist, but not dis- 
 abled. John Fidler, of Company C, was wounded in the hand or 
 arm, and turning to leave the line was again hit and instantly 
 killed. Sergeant Murray was struck in the shoulder near 
 the spine, and so badly paralyzed as to render him entirely 
 helpless. He lay between the lines all through the afternoon, 
 and in this trying position was subsequently twice wounded. 
 His great fear was that, in his helpless condition, he would 
 be burned to death from the tires catching in the woods, and 
 at his earnest request a Rebel soldier scraped away the leaves 
 and drew him upon the bare ground. Corporal Lewis H. 
 Bryant was at one time of the opinion that the lines were 
 retreating too far, and thrusting the butt end of his musket 
 against the ground, began reloading, muttering between his 
 teeth that he wasn't going back another step. In a few mo- 
 ments a bullet passed through both his legs, and he was com- 
 pelled to go to the rear. Henry P. Barnum was terribly shot 
 through the face, and for a few moments was inside the Rebel 
 lines. He was bleeding profuseiy, and terribly thirsty, when 
 a soldier in gray, at his request, gave him a drink from a can- 
 teen. Fearing that he would bleed to death, and remember- 
 ing that some one had told him that if ever severely wounded 
 he must cord the injured member, he tried to devise some 
 way by which he might tie a handkerchief or canteen strap
 
 214 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 about his neck and stop the hemorrhage, but before his experi- 
 ment had proceeded far the Union lines again advanced, and 
 he was sent to the rear, but received very little attention for 
 some days. Leonard S. Doolittle was very severely wounded 
 through the leg, below the knee, in the last advance move- 
 ment. George Farnsworth, of Company G, assisted him to 
 his feet and fairly carried him until he had fainted from pain 
 and loss of blood. The Rebels were close upon them, and 
 reluctantly the brave soldier laid down his unconscious bur- 
 den. Doolittle was a prisoner for about ten days. William 
 Bonner was shot through the body in the first charge, and 
 subsequently carried a short distance to the rear, where he 
 doubtless died. Corporal Lewin had a long, raking shot on 
 the shoulder and back, but rejoined the Regiment next day, 
 and after the capture on Missionary Ridge was the sole rep- 
 resentative of the Company with the command. 
 
 In Company D, Sergeant McKey was instantly killed. Ser- 
 geant Quigley, who had previously served for many years in 
 the Regular Army, was fatally shot", doubtless dying in a 
 few hours. Elias Hosiey was shot through the body. That 
 night some of his comrades assisted him to the rear a long 
 distance, and until he begged them to desist, saying that he 
 could not endure the pain. Making him as comfortable as 
 they could, they left him, with other wounded, at a house, 
 where he died a few hours later. Edmund Stevens, who had 
 been hurt by the shell that disabled Lieutenant Clarkson, 
 fought on until shot through the body. He was left for dead 
 upon the field, but subsequently revived ; was exchanged in a 
 few days, and eventually recovered, although never again 
 able to take his place in the field. Corporal Orson V. Young, 
 whose heel was severely bruised by the fragment of a shell, 
 limped around all of the afternoon, fighting bravely to the 
 last, although his injury was such that he would have been 
 fully justified in going to the rear. Lieutenant Clarkson, 
 whose face and jaw had been terribly cut, and whose wound 
 was thought at the time to be fatal, was carried to the ridge 
 and placed in an ambulance. He recovered in time, but bore 
 serious scars to the day of his death. John C. Thompson's
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 215 
 
 injury was not of the regulation pattern, he having his knee- 
 cap knocked out of position by a fall from a fence which the 
 command was crossing while on the way to the right. After 
 Captain Blodgett was obliged to leave the field, First Ser- 
 geant Collier took command of the Company. Soon he was 
 shot through the thigh, and the command devolved upon 
 Sergeant Linklater. 
 
 In Company E, a large proportion of the casualties resulted 
 from a single charge of grape shot, which cut out almost 
 every man for several files near the centre. No less than 
 twelve were killed or mortally wounded during the battle, 
 the largest number of fatalities in any one Company. Several 
 of those most severely injured fell into the enemy's hands. 
 Charles F. Hayth, whose wound was not serious, remained 
 at a house near the battle-field to care for the wounded, and 
 was taken prisoner the next day, enduring a long confinement. 
 Lieutenant Funk was struck in the face, his jaw being frac- 
 tured, and the missile passing downward into his shoulder. 
 He was disabled for further field service. 
 
 In Company F, Lieutenant Simms, who had served safely 
 through the Mexican War, was desperately wounded in the 
 hip, and died at Nashville shortly afterward. William Bu- 
 chanan and William S. Nash bore him from the field and 
 literally carried him to Rossville, part of the time supporting 
 him between them, and part of the time taking him singly on 
 their backs. James Pimley, who had but just returned from 
 imprisonment, having been captured at Franklin, was one 
 of the many killed outright. Thomas Shannon captured a 
 .Rebel Major, and was proudly conducting him to the rear, 
 when an officer from some other command sought to relieve 
 him of his charge and ordered him to the front. Shannon 
 objected, and triumphantly walked away, with the remark 
 that there were plenty more at the front, and suggested that if 
 the officer wanted any he should go up where the fighting was 
 and get one. 
 
 In Company G, the first man hit was William Joyce, a 
 musket ball cutting his foot. In a very tempest of bullets he 
 deliberately removed his shoe, examined the wound, and
 
 216 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 then, as if disgusted with himself at having spent so much 
 time with so trivial a matter, replaced the shoe and resumed 
 firing. A moment later Daniel Benson and Thomas Davis 
 fell, each shot in such a way as to be disabled. Both were 
 assisted to the rear for quite a distance, but not so far but that 
 they were captured next day, and held by the enemy about 
 ten days. Davis died soon after being paroled. William H. 
 Whaples was killed early in the fight. William H. Wheeler 
 was also among those hit in the first charge. It was rumored 
 ten days later that he was alive and had been paroled, but 
 the report could not be verified, and it is probable that he was 
 killed outright or died in a few hours. Corporal Ilickox was 
 twice quite severely wounded in the second charge, and Daniel 
 Gail, received a bullet wound in the leg. George Butler 
 was disabled near the close of the fight, and has never fully 
 recovered. First Sergeant Aaron Scott lost a finger during 
 the afternoon, his musket being shattered by the same bullet. 
 He was in a kneeling posture, and in the act of capping the 
 piece. Turning to Lieutenant Blowney, he coolly remarked 
 that he could be of no farther service, bade him good-by and 
 left the field. Corporal Walter Drew, although quite seri- 
 ously hurt, refused to leave the field, and fought bravely to 
 the last. John Corbin, when shot through the leg, insisted 
 that he should stay and continue to fight ; but the persuasions 
 of his comrades and the loss of blood soon induced him to 
 accept the opportunity offered of riding back on a caisson. 
 Sergeant Shepard was severely injured in the thigh, and got 
 back to the rear with great difficulty, being disabled for many 
 months. 
 
 In Company H the losses, exclusive of the captures of 
 the following Tuesday morning, were very severe. Lieu- 
 tenant Barnes was hit early in the engagement, receiving a 
 mortal wound. Lieutenant Yates was one of the most con- 
 spicuous line officers in the Regiment, doing gallant service. 
 Being captured two days later, he endured a long imprison- 
 ment, returning to the Regiment in the spring of 1865. First 
 Sergeant Francisco was three times hit, the first bullet clip- 
 ping his leg, the second his side, and the third his ankle.
 
 18C3] CHICKAMAUGA. 217 
 
 When the second bullet struck him he fell to the ground, and 
 supposed himself mortally wounded. Springing up, he started 
 to run, but quickly fell for want of breath ; at the same time 
 he thought he could feel the blood running from his side 
 upon his hand. Turning to look, as he got breath again, he 
 discovered that it was not blood, but the water from his can- 
 teen that was running out through a pair of holes, and that 
 the bullet had struck his waist-belt but had not penetrated hi& 
 side, although for a time he was badly " winded." However, 
 he resumed his place, and fought on until hit a third time, 
 when he received a wound that disabled him for further ser- 
 vice. Corporal Simons was kneeling when shot, being just 
 in the act of firing. Turning to a comrade he said, as cheer- 
 fully as it is possible to conceive, " 'Tis sweet to die for one's 
 country," and closed his eyes. The two Patrick Farrells did 
 not forget their native politeness, but each saluted their com- 
 mander when hit, and asked permission to retire. 
 
 Company I did excellent service, notwithstanding the de- 
 moralization of its Captain, and had five men killed or mor- 
 tally wounded. Among the most severely wounded who 
 survived was James Hutchinsou, who at the time was believed 
 to be fatally hurt. Sergeant Thomas J. Smith was sent to 
 the rear with Colonel Clarke after the latter was wounded, 
 remaining with him until his death, which occurred Tuesday 
 afternoon while crossing the Tennessee River in an ambu- 
 lance. He escorted the body to Bridgeport, and attended 
 its shipment to friends at the North. 
 
 In Company K, Sergeant Elston found himself confronted 
 by a soldier in gray, near the close of the fight. They were 
 but a few yards apart, but Elston demanded the surrender of 
 his opponent with an air of authority that the .Rebel was com- 
 pelled to recognize. It happened that Elston's musket was 
 empty at the time, but as the man who stood in front of it 
 was not aware of that fact, it was just as well. A moment 
 later the plucky Sergeant was badly wounded, and demanded 
 of his prisoner assistance to the rear, which was readily given 
 until a wounded artillery horse came along, when the Ser-
 
 218 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 geant turned his prisoner over to some retreating troops, and 
 rode back to camp. 
 
 Following the battle Jacob Elberth, of Company F, who 
 had been detailed at the camp and taken no part in the 
 engagement, on learning of some of the strange and terrible 
 experiences of his comrades, uttered a cry of surprise and 
 fell to the ground, dying instantly, of heart disease it was 
 supposed. 
 
 Often the gun barrels became so hot that they could hardly 
 be handled, and so foul that it was difficult to load them. 
 There were a dozen instances at least in which muskets 
 were shattered in the hands of the soldiers. Henry C. Payne, 
 of Company C, had two guns ruined and used his third. 
 Two days later he was captured, and subsequently died in 
 prison. "W. V. Trout, of Company B, was also among those 
 who had a gun shattered. Trout assisted in carrying Colonel 
 Clarke to the rear a short distance, and then resumed his 
 place in the ranks. 
 
 There was no organized force of stretcher-bearers in the 
 Reserve Corps, and as a consequence those who were disabled 
 by wounds had to be left where they fell, unless helped from 
 the field by comrades. As a consequence the ranks were 
 at times somewhat thinned by the going to the rear of those 
 who assisted their friends to a place of safety, although in 
 some Companies not a man left from first to last, those who 
 fell at the extreme advanced positions passing into the hands 
 of the enemy. The bodies of all of those of the Regiment 
 killed on Sunday were left upon the battle field unburied. 
 But, still worse, more than thirty of the severely wounded 
 were also left to endure the sufferings from their wounds, 
 with the attendant thirst, and from the chilly night air. It 
 was impossible to remove them, as nearly all had fallen in the 
 very front of the battle, when the situation was so desperate 
 that men could not be spared, and where the positions taken 
 could not be maintained until the injured could be carried to 
 the rear. . To them the night seemed like an age, and the sur- 
 vivors still recall it as a hideous nightmare. Most of those 
 who were able to travel at all made their way to Rossville. 

 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 219 
 
 The few ambulances at hand were crowded to their utmost, 
 but could accommodate only a mere fraction of the severely 
 wounded. Wounded horses were compelled to carry one or 
 two persons, as their strength would permit. A few ammu- 
 nition wagons were halted and filled with human wrecks. 
 Artillery caissons were taken possession of by wounded men. 
 Many walked, fatigued and faint, back through the weary 
 miles. Some, exhausted from the terrible strain, halted at a 
 wayside house to rest, and, becoming too sore to resume the 
 march, were made prisoners next day. There were many 
 touching scenes along the way, and no one can fittingly de- 
 scribe the devotion manifested by comrades for their wounded 
 friends. In some instances men were carried in blankets for 
 miles ; in other cases they were borne upon the back, or two 
 comrades would support a third between them, toiling on 
 wearily through the hours, and along the road that was 
 at once so strange and so long. None had ever been over the 
 road before, and they only knew in a half-certain way that it 
 led to Rossville and rest. And many of these were not 
 strong, robust men, but boys, tired, hungry, campaign-worn, 
 slender in stature, though mighty in courage and devotion to 
 duty. They had been lions while the battle lasted, but now 
 that the night had come and the fighting was over, tenderly 
 hunted up their fallen comrades and, at fearful cost of nerve 
 and strength, aided them back along the road to safety. A 
 score of men lost their haversacks or canteens, bullets having 
 cut the straps that held them ; others had bullet holes through 
 their accoutrements, or found their cartridge boxes shattered, 
 while a majority could point to bullet holes through their hats 
 or clothing. Nearly every one had shared the narrow escapes 
 of the battle, and the killed and wounded by no means em- 
 braced all of the real heroes of that eventful day. 
 
 Of the 419 who went into the fight more than 130 never 
 again marched with the Regiment ; for, in addition to those 
 killed, many were permanently disabled, or died in Rebel 
 prisons. Toward night on Sunday the flag of an Alabama 
 Regiment was passed over by the troops of the Brigade, and 
 it is claimed that its capture is entirely due to the NINETY-
 
 220 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 SIXTH, but so eager were the soldiers in pursuing the Rebels 
 that it was not cared for at once, and fell into the hands of 
 other troops or of some officer who never officially accounted 
 for it. The work of the Surgeons was most trying. Some- 
 times a half hundred wounded would be clustered about them, 
 each needing attention. There were but few ambulances, and 
 when the battle closed and the troops fell back to Rossville, 
 some of the severely wounded could not be carried. Warned 
 by the officers to do so, Surgeons Pearce and Evans went back 
 to Rossville, where they resumed their" work, spending most 
 of the long night in extracting bullets and binding up the 
 lacerations of the scores of victims of their own and other 
 .Regiments. Next day they went to Chattanooga and thence 
 across the river. Their work was most trying, but patiently 
 and tenderly, for days together, they plied their humane task, 
 sleeping little until all were made as comfortable as the unt%- 
 ward circumstances would permit. 
 
 The experience of the wounded after the battle was 
 often trying. During Monday the buildings in Chattanooga 
 were crowded to their utmost capacity, but word was sent 
 that all who could walk or ride should be taken to the north 
 side of the river, and by Tuesday only a few of the seriously 
 wounded remained. On Monday night hundreds of the 
 maimed lay in the grove just above the river bank without 
 other shelter than their blankets. Next morning an ambu- 
 lance train was ordered to Bridgeport, and a wagon train fol- 
 lowed, each vehicle being loaded with wounded. But many 
 were still left. Some made their way back on foot to the 
 hospital tents, stationed from one to three miles in the rear, 
 and a day or two later those thought to be able to make the 
 trip were taken by teams to the railroad. The first teams 
 were able to go by the river road, a distance of about thirty 
 miles, but within a few hours the Rebels held the opposite 
 bank, and made this route impracticable. As a consequence, 
 the trains were obliged to make a circuitous route, traveling 
 more than sixty miles. The road was exceedingly rough, and 
 the trip usually occupied the greater part of three days, two 
 nights being spent in camp. Thousands of wounded soldiers-
 
 1863] CHICK AMAUGA. 221 
 
 were jolted over this long, stony road, and at nightfall, when 
 a, halt was made, or next morning, before the train started, 
 shallow graves were dug in which to bury those who had died 
 #n route. From Bridgeport rude hospital cars were provided, 
 most of the wounded being sent to Nashville, but a few to 
 points farther north. The sufferings on the long trip and in 
 the hospitals were severe, but, as a rule, they were borne with 
 a, cheerful fortitude, as remarkable as had been the bravery of 
 the heroes in the battle. 
 
 The Regiment had fought its first and greatest battle. In 
 the supreme moment it had been found able and willing to 
 meet the demands made upon it. Its long casualty list could 
 be pointed to as an evidence of its valor. Its survivors were 
 battle-tried, and worthy of the high name accorded the com- 
 mand. It was now ready for the hard service still before it, 
 and resolutely it again set its face to the enemy, resolved to 
 defend as gallantly, in the future battles, its tattered battle 
 flag and the cause of which that flag was the emblem, as it 
 had at CHICKAMAUGA.
 
 222 HISTORY OF THE 96TH KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF CHICKAMAUGA. BY GEO. HICKS, CAPTAIN 
 COMPANY A, NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS. EXTRACTS FBOM 
 AN ADDRESS DELIVERED IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA, WEST INDIES. 
 
 Prefatory Note to the Editor. 
 
 KINGSTON, ISLAND OF JAMAICA, January 12, 1886. 
 DEAR COMRADE : 
 
 It would give me great pleasure to prepare, for the forthcoming History of our 
 Regiment, as requested, a full and complete account of the important part the Regiment 
 bore in the great battle of Chickamauga ; but it will be quite impracticable to do so in a 
 manner at all adequate and satisfactory. I should need to refer to many general and 
 special reports, to which I have not access, and, especially, I should wish to go over the 
 incidents of the engagement with representatives of each Company, which is utterly 
 out of the question. 
 
 Instead, therefore, of attempting what, at the best, would be very defective, I beg 
 to send you, as a contribution, simply, toward an account of the action of our Regiment 
 in that battle, some extracts (revised) from an address delivered here twelve years ago, 
 in which I gave my personal recollections of Chickamauga. 
 
 You will notice how much is omitted that should enter into a full statement of 
 what was done and what was suffered by the Regiment in that battle ; for I have made 
 no attempt to describe in detail what was meritorious and worthy of special note in each 
 Company. Of necessity, my recollections deal specially with the soldiers of the Com- 
 pany of which I was then the commander ; and you and all of our comrades will under- 
 stand that when I make particular mention of any of these it is because they com& 
 vividly within the scope of my recollections, and not because I wish them to be con- 
 sidered more eminently worthy of mention than soldiers in other Companies. In fact,, 
 in all that is commendable they are to be regarded as types of forth to be found in every 
 Company. 
 
 I have endeavored to be so faithful in what I have set forth that I trust those who 
 read my recollections of the battle will feel that there is no occasion to make any abate- 
 ment from such words of praise as my heart and judgment have prompted me to utter. 
 
 I am, yours sincerely, GEO. HICKS. 
 
 C. A. PARTRIDGE, Esq., Waukegan, 111. 
 
 PRELIMINARY. 
 
 ******* 
 
 SHALL I tell you what sort of men were the Volunteers 
 who enlisted with me ? Some were farmers, owning and cul- 
 tivating their own homesteads ; many were stalwart sons of 
 farmers ; a number were clerks in public offices and in mer- 
 cantile houses ; others were mechanics ; several were school 
 teachers ; some were studying for a profession ; a few were 
 day laborers. Some were heads of families, leaving wife and
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 223 
 
 children at home ; but the majority were young men from 
 eighteen to twenty-five years of age. Nearly all were men of 
 intelligence and character. Doubtless some, partaking of the 
 general excitement and moved by the popular impulse, enlisted 
 without seriously counting the cost ; but by far the greater 
 number volunteered from an imperative sense of duty to their 
 country and to the cause of humanity, both of which they felt 
 to be imperiled. What noble hearts they were ! How worthy 
 of highest eulogium ! 
 
 Of the many, let fare speak especially of two, with whom I 
 had become intimately acquainted prior to the war. These 
 young men were bosom friends, heart companions much 
 alike in their outward circumstances of life, as well as in their 
 principles, sympathies and tastes, and closely associated in 
 Christian labors. Both were educated, intelligent, cultured ; 
 and their presence would have graced any drawing-room in 
 the land. Each was the eldest son in a large family, with 
 brothers and sisters looking up to him for guidance, and each 
 was the stay and staff of a widowed mother. It was not 
 without serious thought, and many an anxious prayer, and the 
 most solemn conviction of duty, that those widowed mothers 
 could give up their first-born, and those young men could 
 break away from such home ties, and abandon the bright 
 prospects of life opening before them, to venture all upon the 
 field of battle. The Governor of the State and the President 
 of the Republic were pleased, in the course of the war, to 
 honor me with military rank ; but the highest honor I received 
 was when such mothers entrusted their sons to my charge and 
 such sons chose me to be their Captain in the war. One of 
 these young men was made my First Sergeant* and the other 
 
 was chosen to be Quarter-Master Sergeant of the Regiment, f 
 
 ******* 
 
 Ten such Companies as mine constituted a Regiment, ours 
 being the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois Infantry. As a rule, from 
 three to six Regiments constituted a Brigade, three Brigades 
 a Division, three Divisions a Corps, and three Corps an Army. 
 The Army of the Cumberland, in addition to its three Corps,. 
 
 *John G. Schaefer. t William S. Bean.
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 comprised a Reserve Corps .of three Divisions, and to this 
 Heserve Corps our Regiment was attached. 
 
 For nearly a year we were soldiers without seeing a battle. 
 "We had enough of marching over the hard pike roads of Ken- 
 tucky and Tennessee ; we had plenty of drilling ; plenty of 
 rough campaigning ; now and then a little skirmishing ; but 
 no hard fighting. Our turn came at last, and after that it 
 3ame often and continuously. Our turn came at the battle of 
 Chickamauga a battle which the soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 Illinois will remember as long as they remember anything. 
 
 If we judge by the number of killed and wounded, the 
 battle of Chickamauga was the severest battle in the West, 
 and, next to Gettysburg, the severest battle of the war. For 
 us of the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois it was, beyond all comparison, 
 our great battle. 
 
 I shall try to tell you something about that battle to 
 describe that which is well-nigh indescribable. What I saw 
 of the great battle was confined to a limited part, for the bat- 
 tle was fought in the woods, and no one actively engaged with 
 his Company or Regiment could see much beyond his own 
 Regiment or Brigade. For one, during the battle, I found I 
 had very little leisure for any observation beyond the range 
 of my own immediate duties. Therefore, if I attempt to 
 describe what I saw of the battle, I must speak chiefly of my 
 own Company and Regiment ; and if I venture to speak of a 
 ^soldier's feelings in entering into and going through a battle, 
 I must of course rely chiefly upon recollections of my own 
 personal experiences. So I must beg that, for the time being, 
 you will kindly allow me to forget that I am a stranger in a 
 strange land, and permit me to speak as freely and with as 
 little reserve as if I were addressing a private circle of indul- 
 gent and intimate friends. 
 
 MARCHING TO THE FRONT. 
 
 Gen. Bragg, with his Confederate Army, had retreated 
 from Tennessee into Georgia, where he occupied the strong- 
 hold of Chattanooga. Gen. Rosecrans, commanding the Army 
 of the Cumberland, followed with three Corps under Gens.
 
 
 WILLIAM F. TAYLOR. 
 
 CAPTAIN COMPANY E

 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 225 
 
 Thomas, McCook and Crittenden, while the Regiments of 
 the Reserve were stationed at various distances in the rear, 
 guarding railway lines. By dividing his forces and executing a 
 flank movement, threatening the enemy's communications, 
 Rosecrans compelled Bragg to retreat from Chattanooga. 
 While the enemy was retreating, followed by Rosecrans, rein- 
 forcements from the East and South were hurried forward to 
 strengthen Bragg, who soon was able to turn at bay and 
 assume the offensive. Rosecrans, falling back toward Chatta- 
 nooga, endeavored to bring together again the three Corps, 
 which were widely separated, and urgent orders were sent to 
 the Reserve to hasten to the front. 
 
 As soon as the orders were known we were all on the 
 alert, and speedily put ourselves in marching order. We 
 made forced marches over the Cumberland mountains and 
 down into the Tennessee Valley. I well remember how weary 
 at one time were the soldiers, plodding on from early dawn 
 until long after dusk ; then, after a hurriedly prepared supper, 
 lying down upon the ground to snatch two or three hours of 
 sleep ; then, aroused by the bugle, cheerfully resuming the 
 march, push^iffsteadily on through the hours of the night and 
 into the new cray. So we hastened to the front, eager to bear 
 our part in the conflict and share in the anticipated victory. 
 SkirJfifckia^ along the slope of Lookout Mountain, leaving 
 Chattanooga a little to one side, we passed on a few miles 
 further to Rossville, at the foot of Mission Ridge, about mid- 
 way between Chattanooga and Chickamauga Creek. We had 
 reached an important point, for Rossville Gap was one of the 
 two available avenues of approach to Chattanooga from our 
 front. Here we halted and rested for a day or two, while the 
 three Corps to the front were endeavoring to form a junction 
 and establish a line of battle on the bank of Chickamauga 
 Creek, where they might withstand the confident onslaught of 
 Bragg's largely reinforced army. 
 
 On Friday, the 18th of September, 1863, the distant can- 
 nonading indicated that the expected battle had begun. Dur- 
 ing the day our Regiment was ordered to prepare for action ; 
 the sick and those disabled by the long march were left at 
 
 15
 
 226 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Rossville, with the tents and luggage ; our musicians also left 
 drums and fifes, that they might be free to assist the wounded ; 
 the soldiers took three days' rations in their haversacks, and 
 forty rounds of ammunition in their cartridge boxes, and 
 marched out to feel for the enemy. My Company being on 
 picket duty, and not relieved until next day, did not partici- 
 pate in this movement. The Regiment encountered a small 
 force of the enemy's cavalry, and suffered some loss in the 
 brief skirmish which took place. The Regiment lay in close 
 proximity to the enemy that night. 
 
 On Saturday my Company rejoined the Regiment. The 
 Brigade was deployed in line-of-battle, taking up a defensive 
 position to repel any assault that might be made with a view 
 to obtain possession of Rossville Gap. Some of the Regi- 
 ments had, for a brief time, a sharp encounter with a force of 
 the enemy, but the attack was successfully repulsed, and was 
 not repeated. During the day we were under the spasmodic 
 fire of artillery, which inflicted no loss upon us. We remained 
 in line of-battle, prepared to resist any attack, and the hours 
 of Saturday wore on, uneventful to the Regiment ; but the 
 distant cannonading, heavy and continuous throughout the 
 day, gave evidence that the battle elsewhere was severe. 
 
 WAITING FOR ORDERS. 
 
 We lay upon our arms through the chilly hours of that 
 night, out under the open sky of heaven, without tent or 
 blanket. Long before sunrise the men were ordered to be in 
 readiness to form line-of-battle at a moment's notice. 
 
 Our breakfast was speedily despatched. Every soldier 
 had his oyster can, or tin can of some sort, in which he 
 roughly pulverized his coffee grains with the butt end of his 
 bayonet ; then filling the can with water, and holding it upon 
 a stick over the bivouac fire, a good draught of coffee was 
 soon ready for him. A piece of bacon, fastened upon a forked 
 stick, held over the fire, was broiled in a few minutes, the 
 drippings being carefully caught upon his hard biscuit. Then, 
 with his biscuit and bacon and cofiee he made as good a 
 breakfast as heart of soldier could wish. Next, the Entield
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 227 
 
 muskets were carefully cleaned, extra ammunition was dealt 
 out, and we formed line-of-battle and rested and waited. 
 
 While we waited we began to hear the distant rumbling of 
 artillery. A little later the cannonading had greatly increased 
 in violence was multiplied at many points grew more con- 
 tinuous. Evidently a great battle was in progress, and as the 
 morning hours drew on we made sure that we should have a 
 part in it ; for the tide of battle was surging toward us, the 
 noise of battle was becoming louder, the sound of the artil- 
 lery was drawing nearer. But the battle was not in our 
 immediate front. We shifted our position now and again, 
 sometimes moving a little distance forward in line-of-battle, 
 sometimes moving in column to the right, and again to the 
 left, but most of the time simply resting and waiting until it 
 should become known where we were needed. 
 
 Perhaps I should tell you that when a Regiment is formed 
 in line-of-battle the men are in two ranks. Those of the 
 front rank stand side by side, close enough to touch each 
 other's elbows. The men in the rear rank form a similar line, 
 standing just behind the men of the front rank. In the rear 
 of the second rank are the Sergeants and the Officers. In the 
 centre of the front rank are the Colors and the Color Guard 
 a guard composed of a chosen Corporal from each Company of 
 the Regiment. The skirmish line consists of one rank of 
 men, not close together, but from five to ten feet apart. When 
 moving by the front, in line-of-battle, the soldiers form a con- 
 tinuous line, marching side by side in the two ranks. In 
 moving by the right flank, or the left flank, they march in 
 column, following one another, four abreast. 
 
 The morning was wearing slowly away, and, as the can- 
 nonading grew continuously fiercer and more vehement, the 
 nerves were drawn to a sharper tension and the pulse began 
 to throb with a quicker beat, and we still rested and waited 
 for orders. 
 
 In was a beautiful, cloudless Sabbath day, one of the 
 famous battle Sundays of the war. While we rested, the 
 Sabbath hours were variously employed. The two sergeants 
 I have mentioned had been accustomed to meet on Sunday
 
 228 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 for united study of the Bible, and I noticed that on this day 
 they were seated together on a fallen tree, with their muskets 
 beside them, reading from the New Testament, as was their 
 wont. One the Quarter-Master Sergeant might have re- 
 mained idle and safe in the rear with the wagon train ; but he 
 enlisted to be a soldier, and his heart would not permit him 
 to shrink from the toil and danger which fell to the lot of his 
 comrades. So he never gave up his musket, and often man- 
 aged to find time from his duties to take part in the Company 
 drill ; and now he was with us, to share in the duties and the 
 dangers of the battle-field. Like them, many other soldiers 
 also had their Testaments open, and were reading in them, 
 reclining upon the ground, waiting for orders to enter into the 
 battle. Others were conversing in low tones, and a few bois- 
 terously ; but the tone of bravado was rare, and was not long 
 maintained. Others simply waited listened and waited in 
 silent expectation. There was an intense earnestness, a sober- 
 ness, a thoughtfulness expressed on the countenances of the 
 men which I had not seen before. I noticed that some, who 
 had been accustomed to relieve the tedium of camp life with 
 games at cards, had strewn their cards upon the ground, pre- 
 ferring not to take them into battle. 
 
 I spoke of the impending battle to our Lieutenant Colonel 
 Clarke. I remember that some one has said : "I am afraid 
 of nothing but fear," and I believe it was some such feeling 
 as that which I expressed to him. I said to him that I was 
 extremely solicitous that my Company and myself should 
 acquit ourselves well ; that, while I felt great pride in their 
 acquirements in drill and their discipline and soldierly bear- 
 ing, all this would count for nothing, would be absolutely 
 worthless, if now, at the supreme moment, in the hour and 
 the test of battle, we should fail. Colonel Clarke said : "I 
 have no fear for our men. They will do their duty, every 
 man of them. And I have no fear for myself. I shall go 
 into this fight, and go through it, and come out of it all right." 
 Alas ! that for himself, and for so many, the result was other- 
 wise. I spoke to my men, wishing to gauge their temper. 
 As the ominous boom ! boom ! boom ! of scores and hundreds
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 229 
 
 of cannon near and far distant burst continuously upon the 
 ear, I said : " Well, boys, that sounds as if there would be 
 some work for us to do to-day." "Yes, Captain." "Well, 
 I hope Company A will do well whatever it has to do." 
 *' We'll try, Captain." " One thing, boys we must all try to 
 keep together." "We'll stick by you, Captain, as long as 
 you stick by us. " 
 
 Still, we waited ; and the sun got up high in the heavens 
 and poured down its rays straight and hot upon our heads, 
 and the pealing thunder of the guns was incessant. 
 
 The battle was going against us. As we afterward learned, 
 the day was already lost and the army was in a very perilous 
 situation. Gen. Rosecrans had left the field and was making 
 his way into Chattanooga, had left the field, and the Reserves 
 had received no orders. Portions of Crittenden's Corps were 
 retiring from the field. McCook's Corps had been driven 
 back and was in retreat, and, excepting Sheridan's Division, 
 was retreating in much confusion and disorder. Thomas only 
 was left to bear the whole brunt of the battle and prevent 
 what was already defeat from becoming irretrievable disaster. 
 
 We waited for orders, but no orders came. Staff officers 
 and orderlies had been sent during the forenoon to find Rose- 
 crans or Thomas to report the position of the Reserves and 
 to ask for orders. Some were taken prisoners on the way ; 
 some found their way blocked, and they returned ; and if any 
 finally reached Thomas they could not find their way back to 
 us. At last Gen. Steedman, commanding our Division, fully 
 satisfied that the Brigade of the other Division which was 
 with us was sufficient to guard the point where the Reserves 
 were stationed, determined to move, without orders, to where 
 the main army was evidently fighting a desperate if not a 
 losing battle. 
 
 MARCHING INTO BATTLE. 
 
 Before the movement began, Company A was sent some 
 distance to the left to extend our skirmish line and ascertain 
 if any force of the enemy was concealed there in the woods. 
 I had barely succeeded in placing my men in position when
 
 230 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 word came that the Division was in motion and that my Com- 
 pany must rejoin the Regiment with all possible speed. All 
 the troops were moving rapidly, and we exerted ourselves to 
 the utmost to rejoin our comrades. We found the main road 
 thronged with artillery and ammunition wagons, all hurrying 
 on, while the hot dust, inches deep, rolled up in volumes. 
 Leaving the road we pushed our way through the fields, pass- 
 ing Regiment after Regiment, until, hot and weary, we 
 reached the NINETY-SIXTH, which was at the head of the 
 column. Just as we arrived, the column was halted, for the 
 enemy's cavalry were threatening to dispute our progress. 
 Company A was again thrown forward on the skirmish line ; 
 but the cavalry retreated, and the march was resumed at 
 almost double-quick time. We found ourselves in a field over 
 which a wave of battle had already passed, leaving, as traces 
 of its progress, abandoned muskets and knapsacks, 'here and 
 there dead and wounded soldiers, a straggler or two in 
 blue, and a few soldiers in gray or butternut, whom we sent 
 as prisoners to the rear. Once more we halted, and pre- 
 pared to encounter an opposing force of cavalry, but the 
 cavalry speedily retired, and again we were in motion, hasten- 
 ing forward in the direction of the heaviest fighting. We 
 passed near a large farm house, which had been converted 
 into a hospital, filled with the wounded, while scores of 
 wounded soldiers lay stretched on the sward near by. Hurry- 
 ing on through the wooded fields we emerged into a large 
 open plain of meadow land and stubble field, with an extensive 
 field of corn to the right and woods to the left. 
 
 We were nearing the conflict, and the sharp crack of mus- 
 ketry began to be heard amid the din of the batteries. We 
 halted on the edge of the open field until the troops could 
 come up and be properly formed for the march forward. The 
 Regiments of the First Brigade were massed in column 
 doubled on the centre to march abreast, each Regiment pre- 
 senting a front of two Companies, the intervals between the 
 several Regiments being sufficient to permit the Brigade to 
 be deployed into a continuous line with the least possible 
 delay. The Second Brigade was formed in like manner in
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 231 
 
 rear of the First. At the head of their respective commands 
 were the General and Staff Officers, and Regimental Field 
 Officers. In front of all, advanced to some little distance, 
 was a line of skirmishers, consisting of one Company from 
 each Regiment of the leading Brigade, my Company being 
 on the skirmish line in front of the NINETY-SIXTH, occupying 
 the extreme right of this line, which extended some rods into 
 the field of standing corn. 
 
 At the word of command the troops moved forward in 
 this order, afterwards changing, while still in motion, into 
 columns by fours. We had but fairly begun the march over 
 the open field when we heard a sudden screaming, shrieking 
 sound in the air, a sudden boom above our heads, and 
 there was a cloud of white smoke where a shell had burst, and 
 rising up from the field near our feet a dozen little cloudlets of 
 dust, where fragments of the shell had struck the ground. 
 And then came another and another and another a host 
 of them, hot and quick ; for over there on the left, just in the 
 edge of the woods, a battery had been moved into position to 
 break our ranks and stop our march. The heavy, constant 
 booming of the cannon to our left, the sharper boom of the 
 bursting shells all about us, the thud of the solid shot as it 
 struck the ground and ricochetted over our heads, plunging 
 on and far away through the corn field, all this was fearfully 
 exciting. How the shells did fly toward us and about us ! 
 And with what a Satanic vim, with what an infernal energy, 
 they seemed to come, with an indescribable scream, and a 
 shriek and a rushing whizz, as if each shell were a malignant 
 demon, with a will of its own, determined to tear us to pieces ! 
 It was exciting and fearful, a fitting prelude to what was 
 before us. But, looking back from the skirmish line upon the 
 massed columns of our Brigade, while the air was filled with 
 little clouds of sulphurous smoke, and innumerable clouds of 
 dust were springing up all over the field, it was a magnificent 
 spectacle to see those thousands of soldiers, with flags proudly 
 flying, marching steadily through that storm of shot and shell 
 and never a break in the ranks ! Or, if there was a moment 
 of confusion, as when a shell burst in the rnidst of the NINETY-
 
 232 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 SIXTH, disabling some of our men, the broken ranks were at 
 once closed, and the march was not interrupted. 
 
 As we approached the farther end of the open field the 
 continuous piercing clang and racket of musketry sounding 
 in front gave sure token that the battle was raging fiercely not 
 far from us. On a distant knoll we observed a group of offi- 
 cers watching our advance. It was Thomas and his Staff. A 
 very anxious group it had been when the movement of our 
 troops in the distance was first noticed ; for, whether friend 
 or foe, it was impossible to tell. "If that is the enemy," 
 said Thomas, " we're lost ; if the Reserve, the army is saved." 
 
 IN THE BATTLE. 
 
 Gen. Steedman had galloped forward and reported himself 
 to Thomas. As we approached nearer the troops were halted, 
 the skirmishers were called in, and the Brigade was deployed 
 in line, the NINETY-SIXTH holding the right, my Company 
 having the extreme right of the line. We had halted barely 
 long enough to recover our breath, and wipe the perspiration 
 from our faces, and wash the dust out of our throats with water 
 from our canteens, when word came that the enemy was mov- 
 ing in large force to turn the right of Thomas' line, and that 
 the Reserve must hasten into position to protect the flank. 
 Our Brigade moved quickly to the right for a considerable 
 distance, and then faced to the front. Company A was again 
 deployed as skirmishers, and began to advance, when imme- 
 diately was heard, here and there, the sharp crack of the rifle. 
 The men advanced, returning the fire, but were met with a 
 rattling volley. "Ah, this is no skirmish work !" I thought, 
 and I shouted to the men to rally together as quickly as pos- 
 sible. By the time the Company could be formed, the Regi- 
 ment, with the Brigade, was abreast of us, and we resumed 
 our place at the right. 
 
 Facing the fire, the line pressed forward on the full run, 
 keeping the ranks tolerably well closing up the ranks as men 
 and officers fell dead or wounded upon the field driving the 
 enemy before us over the rise of ground, over the slight de- 
 pression, and up toward the top of the ridge still driving the
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 233 
 
 nemy and gaining the top of the ridge encountering a 
 withering tire halting and lying down firing a few rounds r 
 then forward once more, running, and yelling, and again driv- 
 ing the enemy on and over a little valley on and on and 
 up to the summit of another rise of ground when our ad- 
 vance was suddenly checked. "Lie down!" ran along the 
 line, and instantaneously the men prostrated themselves upon 
 the ground. For we were right in the teeth of a battery that 
 opened upon us a fearful storm of canister and grape, and the 
 showers of Minie balls from the doubled or trebled lines of 
 infantry that now confronted us made the fire terrific horri- 
 ble murderous ! By lying close to the ground the men were 
 somewhat protected, most of the balls and shot flying over 
 them. And our men were not idle ! They made good use of 
 their Enfields firing turning upon their backs and reload- 
 ing while still lying down then turning and firing again. 
 So they kept up the dreadful fight, while with clenched teeth 
 and bated breath and stiffened sinews, and nerves strung to 
 the highest tension, they received and endured and returned 
 the terrible fire of the enemy. How appalling the din of 
 battle ! How fiend-like the screech of the iron missiles, rush- 
 ing forth with deafening roar from the savage throats of the 
 artillery ! How furious the rattling clangor of musketry, 
 without stop, without a moment's pause, without any let 
 up or respite, persistent, incessant, unremitting ! How 
 unceasing the whistling of the bullets tzip ! tzip ! tzip ! 
 speeding with continuous whizz through the branches of the 
 low oak shrubs that thinly covered the ridge, denuding them 
 of their leaves, which fell dissevered in flakes of green con- 
 stantly dropping, dropping, upon the jackets of blue lying 
 beneath ! Ever and anon would be faintly heard the soldier's 
 muttered cry, "Oh !" or "I'm hit!" And some would leave 
 the ranks to seek a surgeon or hospital in the rear, and some, 
 wounded in leg or foot, but not in arm, would resolutely con- 
 tinue to reload and fire their muskets until, weak and ex- 
 hausted, they would crawl away to find shelter behind any 
 friendly tree, and some would remain helpless where they 
 lay, bravely suppressing every groan, and some would lie
 
 234 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 still and stiff and motionless ! And, without cessation, the 
 missiles of death still flowed in two deadly streams from us 
 and toward us, and the thought would force itself upon me, 
 "Oh, my God! is any cause so righteous and holy as to 
 justify such work as this !" 
 
 Clouds of powder smoke began to gather over us and to 
 envelop us. We breathed nothing but powder ! Clouds of 
 powder smoke hung heavily, like a dark curtain, between the 
 two armies, hiding them from each other's sight ; but through 
 the smoke the streams of bullets still made their way. Then 
 the enemy's fire slackened a little. Probably a portion of the 
 line opposed to us was yielding under our fire, and the battery 
 was being removed to a less exposed position. Masses of 
 fresh troops, however, were hurried forward to strengthen the 
 enemy's line, and another battery was brought into action. 
 When the fire slackened, it seemed to us that the enemy was 
 giving way, and our men instinctively began to get upon their 
 feet, and, with a rousing cheer, were about to dash forward 
 in another charge, when they were met by a fire fiercer and 
 hotter than ever. "Lie down !" was the word. On the right 
 of the Brigade it was promptly obeyed ; but on the left the 
 line recoiled from the fire of the new battery and the redou- 
 bled fire of the infantry, and gave way. The word was 
 passed along the line that our men were retreating. Some 
 one called out, "Fall back!" Then we heard the voice of 
 Colonel Champion " Don't move, men ! Who is it that says, 
 'Fall back?' Keep where you are! Hold your position !"" 
 But the Regiments on the left were falling back, and it was 
 useless, as it probably would have been unwise, to attempt to- 
 hold our position isolated from the rest. "Fall back, then, 
 but keep in line. Keep to your colors ! Don't scatter I 
 Keep to your colors ! Keep your line !" The line, however, 
 was not kept. The Brigade line was already badly broken, 
 and we could not keep the Regimental line intact. Some ot 
 our men retreated on the run ; others less rapidly ; still others 
 more slowly, keeping more with the colors and our Colonel. 
 Soon, instead of a well-preserved line, marching with regular 
 uniformity, one saw an irregular mass, moving back in not a
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 235 
 
 little disorder. The retreat was checked as soon as we had 
 repassed the ridge from which we had driven the enemy at 
 the first charge. Here our men were halted, and our officers 
 began to form them into line again. 
 
 The supporting line, which, upon our advance, was placed 
 in position a little to our rear, had partially given way even 
 before our line in front ; but Gen. Steedman, with some of 
 the Brigade and Division Staff Officers, promptly rallied it, 
 and it now moved forward in gallant style and took position 
 on the summit of the ridge which we had just passed, and 
 kept up a brisk fire, but not at such close quarters as had 
 made the conflict so destructive to us destructive also to the 
 enemy. Our battery, too, had come up, and was sent for- 
 ward toward the right, and began to take an active and effect- 
 ive part in the fierce contest. 
 
 While the forces now in front were keeping up the battle 
 strenuously, we were recovering from our disorder. But, 
 first of all, before anything else, we sought to quench the 
 intolerable thirst incident to the battle field. Our throats 
 were parched, and the canteens of our men were soon emptied. 
 I sent back one of my men with a dozen empty canteens slung 
 over his shoulder, with orders to find water somewhere any- 
 where and rejoin us as soon as possible. It was late in the 
 afternoon before he could again find the Company. I sent 
 two others back to the ammunition wagon for a supply of car- 
 tridges. Not a few of the men had expended every cartridge 
 they had taken into battle. Some had obtained a new supply 
 by cutting off cartridge boxes from dead comrades, and others 
 had picked up cartridge boxes which the wounded had thrown 
 away. Those who had cartridges shared with those who had 
 none, and when our men returned, as they did speedily, with 
 the box of ammunition, each man was fully provided with a 
 double supply. 
 
 While I was thus absorbed in looking after my Company 
 and getting it into fighting trim again, giving little heed to 
 what was going on with the rest of the Regiment, a Staff 
 Officer came up hurriedly, with arms outstretched, a sword in 
 one hand and a revolver in the other (he had been rallying
 
 236 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 stragglers), his manner and tone indicating intense excite- 
 ment. Doubtless 1 was equally excited ; probably we all 
 were. ' ' Captain ! why in thunder don't you form this Regi- 
 ment ? " "I am forming my Company, sir. "Where's Colonel 
 Champion ? " " He's taken command of the Brigade ; Whit- 
 taker's wounded. " ' ' Well, where's Colonel Clarke ? " " Why, 
 don't you know ? Clarke was killed at the first fire ! " As 
 our remaining field officer, Major Smith, was with Gen. Steed- 
 man, on staff duty, I at once assumed command of the 
 Regiment. "Attention, NINETY-SIXTH ! On the colors, right 
 and left, dress ! " That is the command prescribed in the 
 Tactics, and I gave it ; and then followed others not found in 
 the drill book. "Officers, get your men into line! What 
 are you men about ? Why don't you dress up there, on the 
 colors ? Oh, you men, get into line ! Hello, Sergeant, where 
 is your Captain? " "We havn't seen anything of our Cap- 
 tain." "Where's your Lieutenant? Isn't there any officer 
 with this Company ? " " He is wounded or killed ; I don't 
 loiow which. " ' ' Well, Sergeant, take command of the Com- 
 pany and do the best you can with it. * * * You Cor- 
 poral, back there! Where are you running to?" "I'm 
 looking for my Regiment." "Here it is. Come up here. 
 Bring those men with you." I noticed that the Color Guard 
 was greatly reduced in number. Yery few officers were with 
 our shattered Regiment ; but those who were present were 
 doing splendidly. One officer had tied his handkerchief 
 around his head, bandaging his ear, which had been pierced 
 "by a Minie ball. Another had wrapped his handkerchief 
 around his hand, from which the flesh had been partly torn. 
 Having roughly dressed their wounds they were busily pre- 
 paring their men for further action. The officers spoke to the 
 men in cheery tones, and the Sergeants were nobly filling the 
 place of officers left dead or wounded on the field, and the 
 men in the ranks were active and eager, providing themselves 
 with a new supply of cartridges, wiping out the barrels of their 
 muskets, fouled by repeated discharges, and forming the line 
 to renew the contest. 
 
 We were getting to look like a Regiment again, and officers
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 237 
 
 and men were encouraging one another and pledging faith to- 
 each other, with determination intensified tenfold because of 
 the great gaps in our ranks, when a Staif Oificer came riding 
 up at full gallop. "Who commands this Regiment?" "I 
 do." " Move to the right as quick as you can ; the devils are 
 outflanking us ! " " Battalion ! Right face ! Forward 
 double-quick march ! " Other Regiments of our Brigade 
 followed. When we had gone so far to the right that no part 
 of the column was covered by the line already engaged in 
 action we turned to the front, forming an extended line of 
 battle. Again it was a charge a running and yelling and 
 rapid discharge of musketry. Ere long we again encountered 
 a heavy fire halted lay down and returned the fire. It was 
 almost the same thing over again that we had had at the for- 
 mer charge, only the enemy had not now a battery close upon 
 us pouring its shot into our ranks. A few men seemed inclined 
 to fall back at once, but a word or two from the officers and 
 sergeants kept the line unbroken. The battle raged fiercely, 
 a very tempest of tire ; nor was it less fiercely tempestuous on 
 our left, at the point where we had made our first charge. 
 The strength of the Division had been brought up to hold that 
 ridge, and so vigorous and unflagging and well directed was 
 the fire of our infantry and artillery that the repeated furious 
 assaults of fresh forces of the enemy failed to break the line. 
 After a while the enemy's very severe fire in our front and to 
 the left slackened. For the time the extreme fury of the 
 tempest was abated. The foe had been repulsed. In vain 
 had Bragg hurled against us the reinforcements of confident 
 veterans who had come to him flushed with victories gained 
 in the East. The effort to drive us back had failed ; we held 
 the ground and the right flank was still secure. Here our 
 hearts were cheered by our Major Smith, who, having tra- 
 versed the line to our left, brought us glorious tidings of the 
 battle ; how victoriously the Division had withstood the des- 
 perate onslaught, and the whole line remained intact. Soon 
 a Staff Officer came along the line, urging us for heaven's 
 sake to maintain our position, telling us that Burnside had just 
 arrived with his Corps and was only halting behind some hills
 
 238 HISTOEY OF THE 96'fH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 until he could form his men into line, and then he would 
 be up to support us. We had heard rumors that Burnside 
 was to join Rosecrans, and this report of his arrival was 
 very cheering. 
 
 The enemy made one more and final effort to turn the 
 right of our line. Additional troops had been brought up to 
 extend his lines and overlap us on our right flank. Our 
 Second Brigade was put in motion to check this new move- 
 ment, and had orders to form line-of-battle on the right of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH. But the danger was imminent ; there was not 
 a moment to lose ; and once more the NINETY-SIXTH was 
 moved by the right flank at the double-quick. I observed that 
 our Colonel was now with us, near the left of the Regiment, 
 but I supposed he was there as Brigade Commander, not 
 knowing that Whittaker's wound had proved to be slight, and 
 that he had resumed his command. As we marched, our 
 direction was changed so as to move obliquely to the front, 
 gaining ground to the right and to the front at the same time. 
 The Second Brigade, moving rapidly, was up with us, when 
 the order was given to change direction and move direct to 
 the front, the intention being that that Brigade should pass us 
 and form its line on our right. Colonel Champion, with a 
 portion of the Regiment on the left, heard the order and 
 changed direction accordingly ; the rest of the Regiment 
 failed to hear the command, and continued the oblique march. 
 This left a gap, and the foremost troops of the Second Brigade 
 pushed into it. Then J began to hear, "Give way to the 
 right ! Give way to the right ! " And I gave way to the 
 right ; and kept on giving way to the right, until the Brigade 
 had formed its line, sandwiched between the severed parts of 
 our Regiment. I had discovered that the Regiment was 
 broken ; but it was utterly out of the question to leave the 
 front to hunt for any missing Companies. So a portion of the 
 Regiment still continued to occupy the extreme right of the 
 whole line, a position which during that Sunday afternoon 
 had been the critical point of danger. When the line of the 
 Second Brigade was fully formed it charged forward gallantly, 
 and we joined in the charge and ran as fast and as far, and
 
 1863] . CHICKAMATJGA. 239 
 
 yelled as loud and fired as rapidly as any. This was a very 
 successful charge, and was continued half a mile or more, the 
 enemy not making such strenuous fight as in the earlier part 
 of the afternoon, and we took a number of prisoners. Then 
 the line fell back to a more advantageous position, where we 
 could more easily repel an assault. My Regiment occupied a 
 little hill, heavily timbered. Here the men were allowed to 
 scatter themselves as if upon the skirmish line, taking posi- 
 tion behind trees about as they pleased, and keeping up a 
 slow, irregular fire upon the enemy, all being cautioned not 
 to run themselves out of ammunition. 
 
 It was now not quite an hour to sunset. Never did I long 
 for sunset as on that Sunday at Chickamauga. With us it was 
 not "Night, or Blucher," but "Night, or Burnside ! " But 
 no Burnside came, and our single line was left to hold its 
 own without support. The firing now was not very severe, 
 and gradually grew weaker, sensibly slackening all along the 
 line. At length it grew so still on our left 1 went out of the 
 woods to see what was going on. One of my Sergeants 
 called out, "Captain, you're not leaving us?" "Oh, no; 
 I'll be back in a moment." I discovered that the whole line 
 was in motion, retiring leisurely, and it was already at some 
 distance to the rear. I gave the word to call in our men and 
 fall back with the rest. I found that I had now but a very 
 few men with me ; and I should have thought that I had 
 wholly strayed from my Regiment were it not that I had with 
 me the colors of the Regiment, together with the commander 
 of the Color Company the intrepid boy-lieutenant, lion- 
 hearted, fearless, unflinching Charlie Earle, whose name 
 must be inscribed high among the highest on the roll of 
 Chickamauga heroes. 
 
 The line fell back half a mile or more, and halted. Most 
 of our Division had already retired still further to the rear. 
 Soon after halting we saw our Colonel coming up, looking for 
 us. He, with the portion of the Regiment separated from us, 
 had joined in the last forward advance of our own Brigade, 
 once more encountering the foe, and successfully holding the 
 advanced line until ordered to retire. When he discovered
 
 240 HISTORY or THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 his lost command, he exclaimed, "Oh, Captain ! there you 
 are!" "Yes, Colonel, here we are !" "I feared you were 
 lost," said the Colonel ; "how many men have you got with 
 you ?" " About fifty or sixty." "Well, I've got twenty-five 
 or thirty. Let's get them together." So we tried to bring 
 the men into Regimental line again. " Where's Company 
 E?" said one of the men, seeking to find his Company. 
 "Here it is I'm Company E," replied another. It seemed 
 that the reply was not far out of the way so few of the 
 Company could be found. "Never mind your Companies, 
 boys," said the Colonel. "Let us get into line, somehow 
 what there is left of us ! Get into line anywhere ! Dress up 
 on the colors !" There didn't appear to be much left of us to- 
 get into line, and certainly there was but little left of the 
 colors to align ourselves upon. Of the ten picked men form- 
 ing the Color Guard, nine had been killed or wounded. One 
 flag-staff had been quite shot away, and the other was cut 
 and badly splintered. The two flags were riddled with Minie 
 balls and grape shot, but what remained of our Color Guard 
 had gallantly clung to them. Our Color-Bearer had tied 
 the fluttering shreds about the splintered staff, which he now 
 held aloft as a guide for us in forming our line. Here our 
 troops formed their last line-of-battle to resist any attack that 
 might be made. Our foes had also retired a little and formed 
 their last line. Neither side molested the other. Both had 
 had enough of fighting for that day ! 
 
 RETURNING FROM BATTLE. 
 
 So that long, long Sunday afternoon at last came to an 
 end, the sun slowly disappeared, night closed down upon us, 
 and we breathed more freely, with a sense of infinite relief. 
 Not long afterward we received orders to retire from the field. 
 We soon reached the main body of our Division, and here we 
 began to gather up our missing men of the NINETY-SIXTH. 
 Some who had courageously borne their part in the heaviest 
 fighting of the day had followed other Regiments of the 
 Brigade as they fell back, thinking the NINETY-SIXTH was also 
 retreating. Some had been sent back to help the wounded
 
 Gen. \V. T. SHEU.MAN. 
 
 Gen. L. 5. GKANT. 
 
 Gen. GKO. H. THOMAS. 
 
 Gen. O. O. HOWARD. 
 
 I 
 
 W. ('. WniTAKEK. 
 
 Gen. Jos. HOOKER. 
 
 Gen. NATHAN KIMBALL.
 
 *" iat
 
 
 1863] CHICK AMAUGA. 241 
 
 off the field. Others had been sent back for water or for 
 ammunition, and when about to return had heard that it was 
 useless to go forward again, that our whole line was in full 
 retreat, and that there was nothing left of the Regiment ! 
 We learned that most of our wounded had been conveyed to 
 the rear, on their way to Chattanooga. Others of the wounded 
 were placed on the caissons of the artillery, or on the ammu- 
 nition wagons, or on horses for the ambulances were 
 crowded and we got them along somehow, as best we could, 
 as we moved back toward our camp at Rossville. The ambu- 
 lances and the artillery and the wagons clogged the road, and 
 it was too dark to move across the fields ; so we plodded along 
 slowly and wearily, and with frequent tiresome interruptions. 
 When we had gone two or three miles we came upon acres of 
 troops in bivouac, gathered about myriad fires, cooking their 
 supper. "Ah! there's Burnside's men!" we said. "What 
 Corps?" we asked. "McCook's." No Burnside there; he 
 must be farther on. After awhile we came upon other acres 
 of troops in bivouac. " "What Corps?" "Crittenden's." 
 Nothing of Burnside ! It was all a myth about Burnside. 
 Burnside, with his Corps, was at Knoxville, a hundred miles 
 away ! There was really no foundation for the camp rumor 
 that Burnside was on his way to reinforce us ; and the extended 
 cloud of dust which had been seen rising at a distance, and 
 which was supposed to be caused by the tread of Burnside's 
 approaching columns, was in fact occasioned by a force of 
 cavalry charging to protect a wagon train. 
 
 It was nearly ten o'clock that night when we reached our 
 camp. The wounded were cared for as best we could. At 
 our Company tents we found the small squad of men which 
 had been sent to the rear in charge of prisoners. " Hurrah ! 
 Here's our Captain ! He isn't killed, after all ! Why, we 
 heard there wasn't a man left of Company A!" "Some of 
 us are left, boys. But do get us some coffee as soon as you 
 can." The coffee, which was soon prepared, and some hard 
 biscuit, furnished a supper most welcome after the day's long 
 fast. Then, with the sensibilities of the mind and the heart 
 stunned by the dreadful work of that afternoon, and with 
 16
 
 242 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 physical powers almost utterly exhausted, we were glad to 
 throw ourselves down upon our blankets and obtain rest and 
 sleep. There was but one break to the night's rest. At mid- 
 night the officers of each Company were aroused by our Quarter- 
 Master, who told us that a Brigade of the Second Division 
 was wholly destitute of rations, the Brigade wagon train hav- 
 ing been captured by the enemy's cavalry, and he asked if we 
 would divide our rations with them. We kept awake long 
 enough to say " Yes," and fell asleep again. 
 
 OUR LOSS IN BATTLE. 
 
 At reveille next morning we assembled for roll-call. Those 
 who had become separated from the Regiment came in during 
 the night, and we could now count up our loss. 
 
 The Regiment went into battle a few more than four hun- 
 dred strong. When we left Illinois we numbered 1,000 men, 
 but a year of marching and drilling and roughing it in camp 
 had sifted out a great many. Some had died ; some had been 
 discharged ; many were in hospital. Many, also the less 
 robust had been sent from the Regiment, detailed to gar- 
 rison forts, to guard baggage wagons and provision trains, to 
 protect railway trains, to aid in building bridges and in repair- 
 ing roads. Our 400 with us on the morning of Chickamauga 
 were nearly all young men, who had endured the severe strain 
 of active military life much better than the middle-aged. The 
 battles of the war were fought chiefly by the young men. 
 The nation was saved by the boys ! 
 
 We went into the battle of Chickamauga with 400 men ; 
 we came out with a loss of about two hundred killed and 
 wounded. We could well spare half our rations ! Our loss 
 was extraordinarily large. When the reports of the battle 
 were all in from Rosecrans' entire army I carefully examined 
 the tabular statements of the numbers engaged and the losses, 
 and it appeared that, in proportion to numbers, no Regiment 
 had suffered so heavily in killed and wounded as the NINETY- 
 SIXTH Illinois. We afterwards bore our part in Sherman's 
 Atlanta campaign of a hundred and twenty days, and nearly 
 every other day were engaged in skirmish or battle, and every
 
 1863] CHICK AMAUGA. 243 
 
 -day, with hardly an exception, were under fire ; but in all 
 that long campaign our entire loss did not exceed the loss we 
 suffered during those few fateful hours on the field of Chick- 
 amauga ! 
 
 1 had looked forward to the test of battle with not a little 
 solicitude, lest our men should fail fully to meet the stern de- 
 mands of duty when the supreme hour of trial came ; but 
 how nobly they bore themselves throughout the fearful ordeal 
 of that Sunday afternoon, enduring a test such as rarely falls 
 to the lot of any Regiment in its first battle ! How many of 
 the men the boys in the ranks proved themselves to be true- 
 born heroes that day ! And the officers shared with the men 
 alike the danger and the loss. Of the twenty-three field and 
 line officers of the Regiment on duty that day eleven were 
 killed or wounded. Were all equally undaunted ? Was there 
 no exception ? The terrible storm of plunging shot and ex- 
 ploding shells, bursting suddenly upon us as we marched over 
 the open meadow field to enter into battle, seemed to unnerve 
 and quite bewilder one of our Captains, who, in our subse- 
 quent rapid movements, lost his Regiment, and was not again 
 ;seen that day by his soldiers. His Company was worthily 
 led in the battle by a Lieutenant, who, a few days afterward, 
 was promoted to fill the vacancy caused by the Captain's 
 resignation. 
 
 The morning roll call disclosed how heavy had been our 
 loss ; yet we dare not indulge ourselves in any tender, relaxing 
 emotions of grief. The heart must remain still firmly braced 
 to meet the peril of another day. The danger to our army 
 -with the cause of our country closely linked to that army's 
 fate was still imminent ; for we were in the presence of a 
 foe who was marshaling against us greatly preponderating 
 numbers. We were yet on the battle field, as it were, and 
 must steel our hearts to bear, if need be, still further loss. 
 And the loss was not delayed, for our picket guard sent out 
 that night did not return to us ; only a few of them, long 
 afterward, were seen again, when they rejoined the Regiment 
 as returned prisoners of war. We were yet on the battle field, 
 and on the battle field there is no room for emotions of grief.
 
 244 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 In battle there is an exaltation of feeling which lifts one quite 
 above the plane of all ordinary sentiments and feelings. I 
 recall an incident : During the few moments when my Com- 
 pany was rallying from the skirmish line, just as the battle 
 opened upon us, my leading Corporal* the man who always 
 marched so proudly at the head of the Regiment generously 
 shared with me the scanty store of water in his canteen ; the 
 next minute, as we were advancing, he fell lifeless before me, 
 and I pressed forward with the men with but half a glance at 
 his prostrate form, without being conscious of the slightest 
 feeling of pity, or sympathy, or any gentle, kindly emotion. 
 The supreme duty of the moment overwhelmed all else ! Nor 
 did our wounded soldiers yield to any feelings of self-pity. 
 We heard little groaning from their lips. When my Color 
 Corporal f was struck in the arm he came to me and said, in 
 quite his ordinary tone of voice : "Captain, I'm hit; this 
 arm is useless." " Go to the rear, Corporal ; take your mus- 
 ket with you if you can ; if not, drop it." I remember what 
 a noble type of manhood he was tall, upright, square-built, 
 broad-shouldered, keen-sighted, clear-toned, always manly in 
 bearing, trustworthy to the core, and every inch a soldier. 
 Alas ! I never saw him nor could hear of him again ! 
 
 In connection with that memorable battle the soldiers of 
 the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois had, in the person of some of its 
 members, nearly every experience of hardship that can fall to 
 the lot of a soldier. We all shared in the forced march by 
 day and night, and in the skirmish, and the shock of battle. 
 Some met instantaneous death. Others, less fortunate, lay 
 upon the field, fatally wounded, uncared for, suffering untold 
 agonies, until death came to their relief. Some, wounded and 
 retiring from the field, were struck a second time, and fatally. 
 Some of our wounded fell into the hands of the enemy. 
 Others lay for many miserable hours upon the field before 
 they were brought into our hospitals. Many died while in 
 hospital. Some others sent to a hospital over the mountains 
 because our hospitals could not receive them died on the 
 way. Some of our men, taken prisoners, endured all that 
 
 * William Price. t David Isbel.
 
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 245 
 
 could be endured, and cannot be described, of the miseries 
 and horrors of Libby and Andersonville. How many of the 
 wounded, how many of the prisoners, were never in line 
 again with the Regiment ! 
 
 When we had fortified Chattanooga, and lay within its 
 besieged lines, waiting for the coming of Grant and Sherman, 
 we then had leisure to estimate how great had been our loss 
 at Chickamauga. It seemed to us nor was it all illusion 
 that we had lost our best and bravest. The Regiment mourned 
 the death of its Lieutenant-Colonel staunch and true, a firm 
 commander in camp, a brave leader in battle. Each Company 
 had its list of heroes, beloved by their comrades and worthy 
 of all honor, the memory of whose patriotic devotion, even 
 to the sacrifice of their lives, shall never, never fade. For 
 myself, I mourn a host of true-hearted soldiers, my comrades 
 of the NINETY-SIXTH, who upon the field of Chickamauga gave 
 to their country a soldier's last and supremest offering. Among 
 them are numbered the two Sergeants of whom I have spoken, 
 who rest upon that battle field, somewhere, in unknown graves. 
 Lovely and pleasant were they in their lives, and in their death 
 they were not divided. My First Sergeant, valiantly engaging 
 in the battle with his chosen rifle, was really entitled (unknown 
 to all) to exchange the rifle for a sword ; for his commission 
 as Captain, granted to him because of his superb soldierly 
 acquirements, had been duly signed and was on its way to 
 him, while his life blood was ebbing away, enriching the soil 
 of Georgia. The other Sergeant was prominent in the battle, 
 performing notable deeds now joining in the onset where the 
 peril was the greatest, and now rallying the men along the 
 line of the Brigade wherever there appeared signs of faltering ; 
 but before the close of the battle he had shared the fate of his 
 bosom friend. Both had fought with a magnificent heroism 
 beyond all praise. Never was battle field consecrated to 
 humanity by the sacrifice of worthier soldiers.
 
 246 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 THE SACRIFICE AND THE GAIN. 
 
 The vast armies of the Union, gathered from every town 
 and village and neighborhood throughout the East and the 
 West, comprised patriots and heroes innumerable. During 
 the protracted years of that great war, waged on a scale stu- 
 pendous and destructive beyond all precedent, it happened 
 time and again that at some critical juncture occurring in a 
 battle of almost decisive consequences, the gallant work of 
 some Regiment, some Brigade, some Division, saved an army, 
 and went far to save the cause. Honoring all heroic souls in 
 the armies East and West, rejoicing in all that was gloriously 
 achieved by other soldiers, by other Regiments and armies in 
 many great battles now listed among the famous battles of 
 mankind, the soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois feel that 
 at Chickamauga they earned the right to claim kinship with all 
 soldiers who braved much and accomplished much for their 
 country. All honor to Thomas, the " Rock of Chickamauga ! " 
 All honor to Thomas and his Corps, grandly holding the whole 
 opposing army at bay ! But there came an hour when Thomas 
 was reaching the utmost limit of his power of resistance. 
 Unless speedily aided he would have been unable to withstand 
 the accumulating forces, which, overwhelming him, would 
 have brought immeasurable disaster upon the army, would 
 have made incalculably more difficult the subsequent task of 
 Grant and Sherman, and would have had a far-reaching effect, 
 which one shrinks from estimating, upon the issue of the war. 
 At that hour, at that critical juncture, our Division reached 
 the field and gave that aid which was imperatively needed; 
 Our Brigade was the leading Brigade, and being first on the 
 field the severest task fell to its share. Our Regiment, leading 
 the Brigade and the Division, was placed at once in the front 
 line ; and while other Regiments during the battle alternated 
 their position between the front and the supporting lines, the 
 exigencies of the battle kept the NINETY-SIXTH, with the briefest 
 intermission, continuously in front. It happened, therefore,, 
 that at the most critical juncture of the battle of Chickamauga, 
 the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois had a most important part to play-
 
 1863] CHICKAMAUGA. 247 
 
 The simple record is, that it did not fail ; and it can justly 
 claim its share of that high praise bestowed upon our Division, 
 when Thomas, at the close of the battle, said to our General, 
 " Steedman, your Division has saved the army ! " 
 
 In that battle we paid a heavy price ; but how inestimable 
 the value of what we purchased. If we consider as we 
 reasonably may that our few tragical hours at Chickamauga 
 constituted one of those critical periods of the war when a 
 different result might have long delayed, if not quite changed, 
 the final issue of the years of contest, we cannot murmur at 
 the sacrifice required of us. We are to think of the new 
 nation, of the South and the North, redeemed, disenthralled, 
 united, marching forth buoyantly among the nations, erect as 
 never before, entering upon a career transcending all former 
 possibilities and conceptions, in the blessings of whose onward 
 progress universal humanity shall share, inspiring the people 
 of Europe with higher aspirations for freedom and loftier ideals 
 of the worth of simple manhood, and touching the remote 
 peoples of Africa and Asia and the neighboring peoples of 
 the western hemisphere with influences whose beneficent 
 effects, multiplied with the years, only the ages to come can 
 fully disclose ; and then, if it be asked, "Was it worth the 
 while ? Was the cause so righteous and holy as to justify such 
 sacrifice of life ? " we would seek the answer from the lips of 
 those who, in their desolated homes and sorrow-burdened 
 hearts, have most painfully realized the full measure of that 
 sacrifice. Shall we ask the widowed mothers, whose first- 
 born sons now lie mouldering somewhere on that deadly field 
 of Chickamauga, whether, if they had the power, they would 
 cause the wheels of Time to roll back over the intervening 
 years, that they might have restored to them their sons as 
 they were in the full flush of their young manhood, leaving 
 undone all that was dared and endured and suffered and 
 accomplished by them and their comrades that fatal Sunday 
 afternoon ? What is their reply ? " We rejoice more in our 
 dead sons lying there in unknown graves, than we could in all 
 the living sons of Christendom who at such an hour would 
 shrink from like peril and sacrifice in such a cause. "
 
 248 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn KEGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Time does its own work ceaselessly and silently, without 
 beat of drum or blare of bugle, and each succeeding year is 
 carrying over to "the great majority " survivors of the battle 
 field. Meantime, those who remain are wont to meet at inter- 
 vals in reunion with each other ; and at each latest reunion 
 the magnitude of what was attempted and the vastness of 
 what was achieved are seen more and more clearly ; and the 
 heart swells with increasing pride in beholding the growing 
 strength and benignant greatness of the beloved country at 
 whose call they went forth, in her hour of need, to do battle 
 for her and for humanity. 
 
 " Be proud ! for she is saved, and all have helped to save her ! 
 She that lifts up the manhood of the poor, 
 She of the open soul and open door, 
 With room about her hearth for all mankind ! 
 Oh, Beautiful ! my Country ! ours once more, 
 What words divine of lover or of poet 
 Could tell our love and make thee know it, 
 Among the Nations bright beyond compare ? 
 What were our lives without thee ? 
 What all our lives to save thee ? 
 We reck not what we gave thee ; 
 We will not dare to doubt thpe, 
 But ask whatever else, and we will dare ! "
 
 1863] ON MOCCASIN POINT. 249 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BY A. R. THAIN, OF COMPANY D. 
 
 The Situation after the Battle of Chickamauga In Camp on Moccasin 
 Point Artillery and Skirmish Fire Bragg* s Starvation Policy- 
 Wheeler's Cavalry Raid Short Rations for Men and Mules Corn 
 The "Wusser" Arrival of Gen. Hooker Gen. Grant Placed in 
 Command Bridging the River at Brown's Ferry Supporting 
 Hooker in Lookout Valley Corn and Shells The March to Shell 
 Mound Nicajack Cove Building Winter Quarters Strange Archi- 
 tecture. 
 
 AFTER the battle of Chickamauga, Gen. Rosecrans with- 
 drew his army to the immediate neighborhood of Chattanooga, 
 and threw up a strong line of earthworks to protect his posi- 
 tion. He had a large bend of the Tennessee river behind him, 
 in the hollow of which the city lies, and on his front a line of 
 works crescent in form, the flanks resting on the river above 
 and below the city. The objective point of the campaign had 
 been Chattanooga, and that was in our hands ; and we now 
 prepared stubbornly to hold the prize which had been so gal- 
 lantly gained, and at so fearful a cost. 
 
 Lookout Mountain was abandoned to the enemy, and with 
 it the railroad and our direct wagon road to Bridgeport ; a 
 measure which nothing save the plea of military necessity 
 could justify, for it subjected us to constant annoyances, and 
 compelled us to transport supplies over Wallen's Ridge* by 
 a long and difficult road, open to attacks from the enemy's 
 cavalry. 
 
 Our Brigade withdrew from Missionary Ridge on the night 
 of September 21, and on the 22d we marched through Chatta- 
 nooga, crossed to the north bank of the river, and encamped 
 on Moccasin Point. This memorable piece of ground lies 
 within a loop of the Tennessee at the northern extremity of 
 
 This is variously called Waldon's, Waldron's and Wallen's Ridge, but there seems 
 to be the best authority for the last.
 
 250 HISTORY OF THE 96ra KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Lookout Mountain, its shape bearing some resemblance to an 
 Indian moccasin, the toe being thrust between Lookout and 
 Chattanooga, and the heel lying down toward Brown's Ferry.. 
 Judging from the size of the foot, and the length of stride 
 which must have gone with it, the next impression of that 
 gigantic moccasin must be searched for in some loop of the 
 Chattahoochee many miles toward the south. The side of the 
 point which lies next to the mountain is low and fertile, and 
 prior to our occupancy had been covered with a fine crop of 
 corn and beans which, fortunately for us, had been some- 
 what carelessly harvested. Our camp was situated several 
 hundred yards from the river, nearly opposite the northern 
 base of the mountain, and a little distance behind the camp 
 rose a considerable ridge the instep of the moccasined foot 
 on which was posted the 18th Ohio Battery. This loud- 
 mouthed neighbor occasioned us a good deal of anxiety during 
 our stay on the point. As soon as it was securely sheltered 
 by strong works it began to talk to the mountain in a very 
 emphatic way, and Lookout wrinkled his rocky brows and 
 began to talk back. These occasional dialogues would not 
 have troubled us in the least if the principal parties had kept 
 the conversation exclusively to themselves, but the Boanerges 
 who held forth from behind Pulpit Rock on the crest of Look- 
 out had an inconvenient way at times of talking at large to 
 the whole camp. At such times he had many listeners, who 
 paid very close attention to his remarks, but who fervently 
 wished that he would bring his fire-and-brim stone preaching 
 to a speedy close. The northeast side of a tree was the 
 favorite point for listening, and a puff of smoke on the point 
 of the mountain was the signal that a monosyllabic remark, 
 in the shape of a shell, would, in a few seconds, utter itself 
 somewhere on the point, and the question was where! The 
 9th Ohio and 10th Indiana Batteries were sent to assist the 
 18th Ohio, and all were bomb-proofed by the infantry, the 
 NINETY-SIXTH on one occasion working an entire night with 
 picks and shovels. But the artillery on Lookout, beyond its 
 disquieting effect, did us very little injury. The distance was 
 considerable, the elevation of the guns above the river was
 
 1863] FREQUENT ARTILLERY DUELS. 251 
 
 great, the marksmanship was not good, and to this should be 
 added not only the saving fact that owing to poverty the 
 Rebels were sparing in their use of ammunition, except in 
 hours of close conflict, but the farther fact that our artillery 
 was superior to theirs and responded very promptly to each 
 salutation. Indeed, the second shot from the point took 
 down their signal flag, and the admirable practice occasionally 
 indulged in by our artillerists was doubtless the means of 
 putting the enemy on their good behavior. After showing 
 us a few times that they could throw shells into our camp, 
 the battery on Lookout let us alone, and, with the exception 
 of the skirmish fire along the river, our camp was as peaceful 
 as though there had been no enemy in our vicinity. We 
 maintained a strong skirmish line along the bank of the river, 
 and at first many sharp shots were exchanged with the rebel 
 skirmishers, sheltered by rocks on the side of the mountain ; 
 but as the river is several hundred yards wide, their fire did 
 us little bodily harm, and served only to develop watchfulness 
 and caution. After a few days these two lines fell into the 
 regular routine of picket duty ; and, by that mutual under- 
 standing which soon arises between opposing pickets, they 
 seldom exchanged shots except when an unusually tempting 
 opportunity offered itself. Occasionally, however, the severe 
 artillery duels were renewed, and more than once the soldiers 
 sought their bomb-proofs and the officers vacated the log 
 building occupied as a Regimental headquarters. Once a 
 bullet passed between the logs of the building where the 
 chinking was out and spoiled an inkstand upon the Adjutant's 
 desk. In riding between the camp and Brigade headquarters 
 one day, the Adjutant found himself the target for Rebel 
 sharpshooters, but escaped injury, although the horse ridden 
 by him was disabled by a bullet. 
 
 Gen. Bragg had decided to force Gen. Rosecrans out of 
 Chattanooga by the gradual process of cutting off his supplies, 
 maintaining in the meantime as close a siege as possible, with 
 the expectation that we must soon abandon the place to avoid 
 starvation. ' Gen. Longstreet favored a flank movement, as 
 bolder, speedier and more likely to lead to success ; but the
 
 252 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Southern army had suffered so severely in the battle of Chicka- 
 mauga that his more cautious chief preferred the slower but 
 less hazardous methods of a siege. 
 
 The pretense of a siege was little more than a farce ; but 
 the question of how to obtain a sufficiency of supplies in the 
 face of a watchful enemy who held our direct line of commu- 
 nication, soon became serious enough. Our base of supplies 
 was at Bridgeport and Stevenson, close at hand by rail, and 
 easily reached by steamer ; but the possession of Lookout and 
 Raccoon Mountains gave the enemy full control of this short 
 and easy line, leaving us only the route over Wallen's Ridge 
 on the north side of the river, over a road so bad that trans- 
 portation was extremely difficult, and so long that it could not 
 be effectually guarded against cavalry raids. The difficulty 
 of supplying our army over this route was soon demonstrated. 
 On October first, Gen. Wheeler, with a large force of cavalry, 
 started on a raid toward our rear, with the intention of inter- 
 rupting, and, if possible, of destroying our communications. 
 On the second he captured a large wagon train in Sequatchie 
 Valley, coming from Bridgeport, laden with supplies. Being 
 closely pressed by Gen. Crook, with a force of cavalry, and 
 threatened by an infantry command under Gen. McCook, he 
 burned several hundred wagons, with their contents, and took 
 with him a large number of mules. Our cavalry gained some 
 advantages over him, recapturing eight hundred mules ; but 
 he carried his raid as far north as Murfreesboro, doing an 
 immense amount of damage before he recrossed the Tennessee, 
 in a badly demoralized condition, on the eighth. The effect 
 of this raid and other efforts of a similar nature soon began 
 to appear in our camps. The animals showed the effects first. 
 It is calculated that ten thousand horses and mules died of 
 starvation and of hard usage on the terrible roads. Forage 
 in the neighborhood of Chattanooga was soon exhausted, and 
 the watchful Rebel cavalry were ever lurking on our flanks, 
 seeking to capture or destroy trains sent to a distance to obtain 
 corn or fodder. So many draft animals died that the task of 
 supplying the army became more and more difficult. 
 
 Hon. H. W. Blodgett, of Lake county, on learning that
 
 1863] THE CAVALRY KAIDS THE BEAR. 253 
 
 the Regiment had suffered very heavily in the recent battle, 
 started at once for the front, and, on arriving at Bridgeport, 
 took a horse and followed after the wagon train which was 
 burned by Gen. Wheeler, overtaking it and being near its 
 head when the Rebel cavalry made their attack. He had an 
 exciting experience, but escaped, as did most of the train 
 guard. Mr. Blodgett reached the Regiment in safety, and 
 spent several days in the camp and hospitals. On the occa- 
 sion of one of these cavalry raids, Hamilton D. Crane, of 
 Company K, while driving a team, was fatally shot, being 
 taken to McMinnville, where he died from his wounds October 
 10. At one time a number of men from the Brigade were cap- 
 tured, but all were paroled within an hour or two, being first 
 stripped of everything possessed by them which their captors 
 either needed or fancied. 
 
 During the early part of this period trains passed along 
 the river road, but at great peril, several men being wounded 
 and the mules killed, so that a blockade was created. On 
 one occasion First Assistant Surgeon Moses Evans, of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, accompanied an ambulance train of wounded. 
 "While passing "The Narrows," he was wounded by a bullet, 
 which cut his ankle, but was not seriously injured. 
 
 The daily ration issued to the men was reduced, not to the 
 point of starvation, but to such a degree that we hung on the 
 edge of hunger for a number of weeks, and sometimes we 
 dropped over the edge, and found great difficulty in climbing 
 back again. The field of corn on the point delayed this 
 result in our camp for a time, a large ear of corn being about 
 equal to the daily ration then issued to us ; but soon the vast 
 hunger of the mules stripped the fields so bare that one might 
 search for hours and be rewarded with only a few poor " nub- 
 bins." Corn near the bank of the river was worth its weight 
 in Rebel lead. One man of Company D can testify that he 
 drew the Rebel picket fire four times one forenoon while 
 gleaning a few handfuls of corn. 
 
 The members of the Regiment usually alluded to this 
 camp as "Starvation Point "in after months. At no other 
 time during our entire period of service were the rations as
 
 25-i HlSTOKY OF THE 96lH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 low as here. On one occasion soap, candles, pepper and 
 vinegar comprised the bill of fare. The comments made 
 upon this occasion would be entertaining could they be repro- 
 duced. Later, corn alone was issued on a few occasions, and 
 the men would ask the officer issuing it, in a semi-serious way, 
 how they could be expected to eat corn without any soap or 
 candles, or if they would not prefer to keep the corn and give 
 them some pepper and vinegar. But notwithstanding the 
 short rations, the lack of blankets and clothing, the continuous 
 exposure, the constant danger, and the anxiety, felt if not 
 expressed, lest retreat should become necessary, and disaster 
 to the army and the cause result, the men were cheerful and 
 uttered few complaints. They were by no means discouraged, 
 but each had an abiding faith that help would come from 
 some source, and that the army would succeed in driving from 
 the strongholds in their front the then exultant enemy. 
 
 When the hungry quadrupeds were fed, the teamsters had 
 to mount guard over the feed-troughs ; for if they did not, 
 hungry bipeds clad in blue, who were ever on the watch for 
 ways and means to eke out their scanty rations, would filch 
 corn from the very mouths of the mules, regardless of the 
 silent glances of reproach cast after them by those much- 
 abused partners in adversity. 
 
 The corn, when obtained either by fair means or foul, was 
 first parched, then ground in a coffee-mill, or grated upon 
 the perforated sides of a tin canteen, and when made into 
 mush and fried in pork fat it was a dish fit for a king, that 
 is a very hungry king. 
 
 The following episode took place at the hungriest point of 
 the quarter-ration period. Two members of Company D were 
 on guard in the woods some distance north of our camp. 
 They were very hungry, and had not between them so much 
 as a grain of parched corn. Inspired by hunger, their imag- 
 inations made out endless bills of fare, and their memories 
 recalled the many appetizing things which they had eaten 
 before leaving home. When by these mental exercises they 
 had whetted their appetites to a keenness which was almost 
 unbearable, they saw, to their great joy, a quadruped ap-
 
 IS 63] A PORCINE PRIZE. 255 
 
 preaching through the bushes. It was one of those long, 
 lean, hound-like Southern hogs, which were known among the 
 soldiers as "wussers." It looked like the genius of starva- 
 tion, wearing a swine-like form. Indeed, if it had been the 
 sole survivor of that Gadarene herd into which the devils 
 entered, and had eaten nothing during the intervening centu- 
 ries, it could not have been much leaner. A whole herd of 
 such swine could hardly have cast one respectable shadow. 
 
 It is probable, however, that this particular "wusser" had 
 been born and bred on Moccasin Point, and had been eaten 
 out of house and home by Uncle Sam's men and mules. In 
 the struggle for existence then going on around Chattanooga, 
 his fitness to survive had been for some time a constantly 
 decreasing quantity, and it had almost reached the vanishing 
 point. But he still lived ; and hunger being uncritical, he 
 seemed to those two soldiers a prize worthy of a vigorous 
 campaign. 
 
 But how to secure such shadowy game was a difficult 
 question. As well attempt to catch a grayhound by direct 
 chase ; and a bullet, though aimed with the greatest skill, 
 might easily miss an object which was so thin that you had to 
 look twice before you could see it, except the head, which, 
 owing to its bony structure, stood out distinctly in all the 
 unlovely angularity of its osseous outlines. But something 
 must be done, and done quickly ; and so one of the soldiers 
 shot at the shadow and hit it, in the head of course, for it 
 was nearly all head, at the junction of the jaws, for it was 
 mostly jaw ; and then began a chase which, for vigor and 
 speed and the urgent nature of the interests involved, has 
 rarely been equaled. The lower jaw of the pig dropped 
 square down, but otherwise it held its forces well together ; 
 and with a continuous squeal issuing from its throat, it started 
 through the bushes at a high rate of speed, followed by the 
 comrades in hard pursuit. An epic poem might be written 
 on the chase, if a bard could be found worthy of the theme. 
 It might be entitled, " Hunger in Pursuit of Famine's Master- 
 piece." 
 
 " Long time in even scale the contest hung ; "
 
 256 HISTORY or THE 96 f ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 but at last one of the pursuers seized a large iron bolt which 
 had fortunately been dropped by some passing wagon, and 
 threw it with such strength and skill that the porcine prize 
 soon lay at their feet. 
 
 Panting and triumphant, they bore it to the picket post ; 
 skinned it, roasted it bit by bit at their fire, and ate it all at 
 one meal. But then they were very hungry, and it was very 
 lean. If the proverb, "The nearer the bone the sweeter the 
 meat" is true, that was the sweetest meat, as it averaged, ever 
 eaten by man. 
 
 But soon after this gastronomic episode reached such a 
 happy termination, our direct line of communication was 
 opened up, and the reign of hunger came to a close. The 
 way in which this was done deserves special mention, not 
 merely because the NINETY-SIXTH helped to bring it about, 
 but also because it was executed with a skill and boldness 
 which took the enemy by surprise, and at once put an end to 
 the fiction that Chattanooga was in a state of siege. 
 
 Early in October Gen. Hooker, from the Army of the 
 Potomac, arrived in Nashville, bringing with him the Eleventh 
 and Twelfth Corps. He did not at once march to our relief, 
 for, having come the entire distance by rail, he had no wagon 
 train ; but he effectually protected our line of communication, 
 from Nashville to Bridgeport, and we lived in daily hope that 
 some bold movement would soon enable us once more to 
 assume aggressive operations. 
 
 Following Chickamauga there was a reorganization of the 
 army in and around Chattanooga. In this reorganization 
 the troops of the old Reserve Corps were scattered through 
 the various commands. Of the Brigades which had fought at 
 Chickamauga, Col. Mitchell's became the Second, and Col. 
 McCook's the Third Brigade of the Second Division of the 
 Fourteenth Corps. Gen. Whittaker's Brigade, to which the 
 NINETY-SIXTH was still attached, became the Second Brigade 
 of the First Division of the Fourth Corps. Besides the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, there was the 115th Illinois, 40th Ohio, and 
 84th Indiana, these Regiments having comprised the old 
 Brigade, and the 51st Ohio, 99th Ohio, 35th Indiana, and
 
 'orp'l ALEXANDER R. THAIN. 
 erg't ORSON V. YOUNG. 
 
 
 GEORGE E. SMITH, JR. 
 
 Capt. THEODORE F. CLARION. 
 
 First Lieut. J. H. LINKLATER. 
 
 RICHARD 8. THAIN. 
 ROBERT J. DOUGLAS.
 
 ,,......
 
 
 
 1863] GENERAL GRANT ARRIVES. 257 
 
 8th Kentucky, these last Regiments having been formerly the 
 Third Brigade of the Third Division of the Twenty-first Corps. 
 All of these Regiments had lost heavily at Chickamauga, and 
 the eight had for duty but about two thousand men. The 
 Twentieth and Twenty-first Corps were for the time being 
 discontinued, the Fourth and Fourteenth Corps absorbing all 
 of the troops that had been actively engaged in the battle. 
 
 October 18, by an order of President Lincoln, the Military 
 Division of the Mississippi was created, and Gen. Grant was 
 placed in command. Pending the arrival of Gen. Grant, 
 Gen. Thomas assumed command of the army at Chattanooga ; 
 and Gen. Rosecrans withdrew from his position as leader so 
 quietly, that for some days it was not generally known that he 
 had been relieved from command. He was favorably re- 
 garded by his men ; but the smoke of Chickamauga had 
 clouded his reputation as a commanding General, and, justly 
 or unjustly, he went to the rear. 
 
 Gen. Grant arrived at Chattanooga October 23, and with 
 characteristic promptitude and vigor he addressed himself to 
 the task of changing the military situation. But with justice 
 to others, it should be said that before his arrival a bold and 
 promising measure for our relief was nearly ready for execu- 
 tion. For some time Gen. Smith had been building pontoon 
 boats, with a view of establishing a bridge at Brown's Ferry, 
 a few miles north of our camp at Moccasin Point, thus open- 
 ing a way into Lookout Valley, preparatory to the advance 
 of Gen. Hooker on the direct road from Bridgeport. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th, at three o'clock, a fleet of 
 pontoon boats left Chattanooga, loaded with a force of 1,300 
 picked men under command of Gen. Hazen. Their intention 
 was to float down the river under cover of the darkness, glide 
 past the enemy's pickets unseen, capture their post at Brown's 
 Ferry, and transform the fleet of boats into a bridge before 
 the enemy could rally a force strong enough to resist the 
 movement. 
 
 The distance from Chattanooga to Brown's Ferry by the 
 river is nine miles, but across the neck of the point it is only 
 four miles. For some distance below the city the force on 
 17
 
 258 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 the pontoons had nothing to fear, for both banks of the river 
 lay within our lines ; but where the river turns northward 
 along the base of the mountain, they knew that a line of 
 Rebel pickets extended along the left bank of the stream for 
 miles, and past these they must glide unseen and unheard. 
 Closely hugging the right bank of the river, and under the 
 shelter of a friendly fog, the movement was executed so suc- 
 cessfully that the first boat reached the appointed place at 
 dawn, captured or dispersed the Rebel force stationed at the 
 Ferry, and by ten o'clock the bridge was stretched from bank 
 to bank. 
 
 This brilliant movement was not accomplished without 
 opposition. Our guns on Moccasin Point and the Rebel guns 
 on Lookout had a violent quarrel about the new bridge. The 
 guns on Lookout sent their protests down the river in the 
 shape of shells ; but a line of boats miles away, and rising 
 only a foot or two above the water, is hard to hit, so Lookout 
 protested in vain. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh we left our camp and passed the 
 night near the eastern end of the bridge, and on the twenty- 
 eighth we crossed over to form a junction with Hooker's 
 column, which was advancing toward Lookout Valley from 
 the west. The enemy resisted Hooker's advance with great 
 vigor at first. A heavy fire from Lookout assailed the head 
 of the column as it pressed into the valley on the twenty- 
 eighth, and at one o'clock A. M. on the twenty-ninth a fierce 
 assault was made on Geary's Division of the Twelfth Corps, 
 at Wauhatchie. This desperate night attack seemed to call 
 for our presence on the scene of action, and at sunrise we 
 began to advance toward the western base of Lookout ; but 
 it soon became evident that " Fighting Jo, " as Hooker was 
 popularly termed, would be able to take care of himself, and 
 our reinforcing column sought shelter behind a range of hills 
 from the annoying artillery fire which from the crest of Look- 
 out had disputed our advance. 
 
 At this point occurred the only disaster of the day in our 
 entire command. A shell exploded near a tree behind which 
 a number of men were standing, mortally wounding a member
 
 1863] OPENING THE CRACKER LINE. 259 
 
 of the 101st Illinois, severely wounding George Shaw, of Com- 
 pany D, NINETY-SIXTH Illinois, and inflicting slight wounds 
 on Henry J. Ring, Walter Crapo, and D. G. Stewart, of the 
 same Company. That unlucky shell spoiled George Shaw's 
 marching step, and has ornamented him with an honorable 
 limp ever since. 
 
 On the thirtieth we recrossed the river and returned to our 
 camp on Moccasin Point. 
 
 This dash into Lookout Valley will be remembered by our 
 men, personally, as being remarkable chiefly for two things 
 corn and shells. To our hungry men it seemed almost like 
 an entrance into paradise to find corn ; not poor, occasional 
 ears such as we had lately gleaned after long search or at the 
 risk of our lives, but large, golden ears, stored away in cribs. 
 We began to draw rations of corn with a celerity which soon 
 emptied the cribs and filled our haversacks. Corn was King 
 all along the line. Ears were passed from hand to hand as 
 gifts worthy of being tests of true comradeship. Corn was 
 eaten from the cob with apparent satisfaction, and parched 
 corn was regarded as a luxury. 
 
 But with an over-generosity which we did not at the time 
 appreciate, the Rebel artillerists on Lookout offered to shell 
 our corn ; at any rate they shelled us with great vigor, and 
 much to our discomfort. A fragment of a shell actually made 
 its way into Henry Ring's haversack, in search of corn, a 
 kindness which called forth anything but thanks from the 
 Antioch soldier. 
 
 But this movement, crowned with such entire success, 
 brought speedy relief to our entire army. With the exception 
 of a short detour to avoid the guns on Lookout our direct 
 line to Bridgeport was once more open ; and abundant supplies 
 came to us by wagon train, and up the river by steamboat, 
 demonstrating the fact that Bragg's attempt to reduce Chatta- 
 nooga by siege was a failure. But the reign of plenty did 
 not come to us on Moccasin Point. On October 31st, at an 
 early hour, we bade good by to that memorable camp, and 
 moved in the direction of Bridgeport. We did not, as was 
 usual when starting on a march, draw three days' rations, but
 
 260 HISTOKY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 each man received three small squares of hardtack. The 
 ' ' cracker line " was open, but very little had come over it as 
 yet. But we began the march with hearts as light as our 
 haversacks ; for he is a poor soldier who cannot provide for 
 the partial supply of his wants when on the march, and hunger 
 had taught us that there is much virtue in an ear of corn. 
 Corn continued to be King until we arrived at Shell Mound, on 
 the afternoon of the second day, but there he was ignomini- 
 ously dethroned, for again we drew full rations for the first 
 time in many a day. 
 
 The principal natural curiosities at Shell Mound are a large 
 mound of shells on the bank of the Tennessee, and Kickajack 
 Cave, which furnished nitre for a powder factory until the 
 advance of our army put a stop to operations. This cave has 
 a splendid entrance hall, some three hundred feet wide, four 
 or five hundred feet long, and thirty or forty feet high.. 
 Beyond this noble hall the cave turns to the left, becomes 
 narrower, and extends into the mountain for a great distance. 
 
 According to an Indian tradition, one of their braves made 
 a wager that he would ride through the cave on his pony, and 
 find an exit at a distant point. He entered the cave full of 
 bravery and bad whisky, and after a considerable length of 
 time he and his pony came out on the other side of Raccoon 
 Mountain, sixteen miles away. It may be ; but that pony 
 must have been web footed, for a stream runs through the 
 cave, and, in exploring it, much of the distance has to be 
 made by water. 
 
 To the left of this cave Nickajack Cove cleaves its way 
 into the mountains in a southerly direction. It is of consid- 
 erable width at its entrance, but narrows as it advances, and 
 ends abruptly against the side of a mountain about three miles 
 from the entrance. 
 
 About half way up this sheltering cove, on an easy slope 
 of the left hand mountain, we went into winter quarters, with 
 wood and water right at our doors. Only the NINETY-SIXTH 
 and the 40th Ohio occupied this cove, the other Regiments of 
 the Brigade being camped near Shell Mound. For a week or 
 more after the camp was laid out, an epidemic of architecture
 
 1863] AN EPIDEMIC OF ARCHITECTURE. 261 
 
 raged in the cove, with most astonishing results. If the four 
 winds of the earth had brought strange structures from all quar- 
 ters and had set them down on the hill side, there might have 
 been greater variety in materials, but hardly greater variety in 
 styles. No particular order of architecture was followed, for 
 the reason that each man was an original architect and did 
 not wish to cramp his individual genius by conforming 
 slavishly to conventional styles. So each man did what was 
 well pleasing in his own eyes ; and the result was a picturesque 
 combination of all known orders of architecture, with a strong 
 dash of dis-order. 
 
 A description of one Company D mansion will give a 
 faint idea of one structure, which was like nothing else on the 
 whole mountain side, and the same might be said of every 
 other structure in the camp. 
 
 It was about twelve feet square, built of three-inch planks 
 split from the heart of straight-grained trees, notched together 
 at the corners, with one opening for a door and another for a 
 window. The roof had a single slope from front to back, and 
 was covered with "shakes." At one end was a large fire- 
 place and chimney, built of mud and stones at the bottom, 
 and mud and sticks at the top. A description of the interior 
 might demoralize the dictionary, and so will not be attempted ; 
 but at night, when a large fire burned in the fireplace, and the 
 boys sat around it on bunks and benches, that cabin contained 
 a vast amount of comfort.
 
 262 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. .Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 BY A. R. THAIN, OF COMPANY D. 
 
 The March to Lookout Mountain Before the Battle The Colonel's 
 Speech Nature of the Battle Field The Forces Engaged in the 
 Battle Crossing Lookout Creek Climbing the Mountain Rough 
 Nature of the Ground Our Advance Skirmishing Artillery Fire 
 The Charge The Rebels Fall Back The Battle in the Clouds A 
 Modern Sinai Doubling Point Lookout Cheers of Victory Steep ^ 
 Charge over the "Nose" Writing on the Wall Last Stand of the 
 Enemy Was it a Battle ? Facts Say Yes Rebel Loss Our Loss 
 Our Captures The Bivouac on Lookout Planting the Flag on Point 
 Lookout Cheering the Flag The NINETY-SIXTH on the Summit 
 Description of the Scenery Battle of Missionary Ridge Return to 
 Nickajack Cove The Winter. 
 
 BUT it was decreed by the military powers that we should 
 not settle down to the full enjoyment of our shanty city until 
 we had taken part in stirring scenes at the front. On Novem- 
 ber 19 we drew six days' rations, and were ordered to hold 
 ourselves in readiness to march. Sherman's troops were 
 passing by the Cove on the way to Chattanooga, and every- 
 thing indicated that Gen. Grant was preparing for an aggres- 
 sive movement on a grand scale. 
 
 The column that tiled out from our camp was not a long 
 one, for notwithstanding the return of a number of those 
 slightly wounded, the hardships had been such as to break 
 down many men, and there were less than two hundred and 
 fifty for duty. Colonel Champion was in command. There 
 had been several changes among the officers since Chicka- 
 mauga. The vacancy caused by the death of the lamented 
 Lieutenant Colonel Clarke had been filled by the promotion 
 of Major J. C. Smith, but the latter was still on staff duty. 
 Captain George Hicks, of Company A, had been promoted 
 to Major and was with the command. First Lieutenant 
 William Yincent, who was still absent nursing wounds, had
 
 1863] THE MARCH TO LOOKOUT. 263 
 
 been promoted to Captain, and Second Lieutenant Pool to 
 First Lieutenant. Second Lieutenant William Dawson had 
 been commissioned First Lieutenant in Company F, to succeed 
 Lieutenant Simms, who had died from his wounds. A com- 
 mission as First Lieutenant had also been issued to Second 
 Lieutenant Charles H. Yates, of Company H, the intention 
 being that he should fill the vacancy caused by the death of 
 Lieutenant Barnes, but as Yates was a prisoner of war he 
 could not be reached, and the commission was subsequently 
 recalled. In Company I Captain John Barker had resigned, 
 and Lieutenants Tarpley and Moore had each received pro- 
 motion. No Second Lieutenants were commissioned at this 
 time, as the Companies were all below the minimum number. 
 As the column started out for a renewal of the campaign there 
 was but one Captain along the line Captain Taylor, of 
 Company E and but a dozen line officers in all. 
 
 We marched from the Cove on the twenty-third, leaving 
 everything standing,, with the expectation of returning to 
 pass the winter there. We arrived at Wauhatchie late in the 
 evening, and bivouacked for the night. 
 
 The morning of the twenty-fourth was misty and disagree- 
 able. The elements seemed to frown on us as we lay in the 
 valley, but the elemental frown which lay between us and the 
 summit of Lookout in reality turned a friendly side to us and 
 a frowning side to the enemy. That foul day was the fairest 
 day of all the year for the execution of the purpose which our 
 leaders had in view. 
 
 The mist which had clung closely to the contour of the 
 valley had lifted somewhat when we fell into line after a hasty 
 breakfast. While we stood in regimental line facing the 
 mountain, Colonel Champion took station on our front, seated 
 on horseback, as if for a parade. Each man seemed to divine 
 that something unusually serious was before us, and silence 
 fell along the line. From the back of his horse the Colonel 
 made a speech, the shortest, perhaps, that he ever made on a 
 public occasion, but it is doubtful if he ever made one which 
 produced a deeper impression. He said: "Boys, I have a 
 few words to say to you. Before night I expect we will have
 
 264 HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH EEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 to climb the side of yonder mountain. You all know that at 
 Chickamauga the NINETY-SIXTH covered itself with glory, and 
 I hope that to-day we shall do nothing that will lessen the fair 
 fame of the Regiment. I expect every man to do his duty ; 
 I shall try and do mine." That speech gave us the first inti- 
 mation of the arduous task which lay before us. For a few 
 moments not a word was spoken, but we thought volumes. 
 All eyes were lifted toward Lookout, and the rugged giant 
 seemed to be answering the Colonel's speech. Standing on 
 his bema of rock, with his cloudy toga wrapped about him, 
 he seemed to say to his audience of five States and to the two 
 armies at his feet, that human valor could not avail against 
 his natural strength. 
 
 We knew something about the difficulties of the proposed 
 battle ground. From our former camp on Moccasin Point we 
 had become familiar with the rocky outlines of the mountain, 
 and knew something as to the position and strength of the 
 Rebel works ; and that morning, through occasional breaks in 
 the clouds, we caught glimpses of Point Lookout, with its 
 crowning battery ; we could see the sheer descent of the 
 palisades, declaring, with cold, stony logic, that the crest of 
 the mountain could not be carried by direct assault, and lower 
 down we knew that there were steep ravines, rock-strewn 
 slopes, terrible tangles of felled timber, and strong lines of 
 works filled with watchful foes. We were willing to face 
 men, but were we not asked to do that and to fight with the 
 elemental forces of nature at the same time ? Yery little time 
 was left us, however, to debate the chances of success or 
 failure. The time for action had come, and at once we set 
 out to make, if possible, a secret side entrance on the lofty 
 stage of that splendid theatre of war. 
 
 The troops commanded by Gen. Hooker in the battle of 
 Lookout Mountain were, Gen. Geary's Division of the Twelfth 
 Corps, Gen. Osterhaus' Division of the Fifteenth Corps, and 
 Gens. Whittaker's and Grose's Brigades of the Fourth Corps. 
 The Reserve Corps, to which we had belonged until within a 
 few weeks of this time, had been incorporated into various 
 commands, and we now belonged to the Second Brigade, First
 
 1863] CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN. 265 
 
 Division, Fourth Army Corps, our Corps commander being 
 Gen. Granger, with Gen. Charles Cruft as Division com- 
 mander for the time being, and Gen. Whittaker as Brigade 
 commander. 
 
 The general plan of the battle was that while Gen. Hooker 
 was making a direct attack on the mountain in the face of the 
 Rebel works, a flanking force under cover of this attack and 
 concealed by the fog, should cross Lookout Creek, scale the 
 side of the mountain, advance in line-of -battle along the side 
 of the mountain, with their right resting on the palisades, and 
 strike the enemy on the flank and rear. 
 
 Gen. Geary's Division and our Brigade formed this flank- 
 ing force ; Gen. Grose's Brigade of our Division being left 
 in the valley to seize the road bridge just below the railroad 
 crossing, repair the bridge, cross over and form a junction 
 with our line when we should have advanced that far. 
 
 From Wauhatchie we marched up Lookout Valley under 
 cover of the fog, and before crossing Lookout Creek to make 
 the direct ascent of the mountain we laid aside our knapsacks 
 and all the dead weight that we could possibly spare. In our 
 coming struggle with altitude and gravitation we must carry 
 no needless burdens. The man, his musket, and something 
 to put in it, was about all that such ground permitted. Even 
 the horses of the field and staff were left behind. Lookout 
 Creek was so high from recent rains that it was not easily 
 crossed. Our Regiment clambered across on an old dam 
 which was in part overflowed, reaching the right bank at about 
 8 A. M. The direct ascent of the slope was effected with no 
 opposition save that offered by the difficulty of the ground. 
 When the right of our column neared the palisades we formed 
 in line-of-battle, our right resting near the perpendicular 
 rocks which rose grimly above us, our line stretching far down 
 the slope toward the creek, and then we advanced toward the 
 Rebel works, sweeping the entire side of the mountain. Much 
 of the ground over which we advanced was rough beyond 
 conception. It was covered with an untouched forest growth, 
 seamed with deep ravines, and obstructed with rocks of all 
 sizes which had fallen from the frowning wall on our right. 

 
 266 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 The ground passed over by our left was not quite so rough ;; 
 but, taking the entire stretch of mountain side traversed by 
 our force in driving the enemy around Point Lookout, it was 
 undoubtedly the roughest battle field of the war. 
 
 At first our Regiment was in the second line, but soon 
 we were ordered to take the right of the first line, as close 
 under the palisades as possible, which position we retained 
 during the day. This necessarily required us to face the 
 steepest and roughest ground along the whole line, and 
 brought us nearest the sharpshooters, who were posted along 
 the crest of the ridge; but that which seemed to threaten 
 our destruction was, in fact, our safety, for the guns of the 
 upper battery could not touch us, even when their depressed 
 muzzles almost kissed the rocks ; and though the steep, raking 
 shots of the sharpshooters, fired from the edge of the cliff, 
 had a very wicked sound as they went whizzing down the 
 regimental line, most of them were too high to do any injury. 
 
 But our advance at first was unopposed and seemingly 
 unnoticed. The attention of the enemy was centered on 
 Osterhaus, who was engaged in forcing a crossing directly 
 on his front. The silence was almost painful for a time. 
 Every moment we expected to hear it broken by sharp shots 
 from the rocks overhead, or by a rattling volley from behind 
 the innumerable boulders in front of our advancing line. But 
 nothing was heard save the tramping of many feet, and the 
 hard breathing of men unused to mountain climbing. 
 
 But soon heavy skirmishing began on our left toward the 
 base of the mountain. Grose was forcing his way across 
 Lookout Creek and preparing to bring his right into alignment 
 with Geary's left, and farther down the creek Wood was rang- 
 ing his battle front, with the intention of climbing into the 
 clouds over the rebel works. 
 
 At 11 A. M. our left connected with Osterhaus' right, and 
 the line-of-battle was complete from the palisades to the- 
 mountain's base, thence curving away toward the northern end. 
 of Lookout ; a sickle of Mars, whose blue blade and fire-tipped 
 edge was that day to sweep around its point as a pivot, and. 
 reap a glorious harvest.
 
 1863] SWEEPING ABOUND LOOKOUT. 2CT 
 
 The upper slopes and northern end of the mountain were 
 now assailed by a fierce artillery fire from batteries in Look- 
 out Valley and on Moccasin Point. A number of command- 
 ing hills in the valley took a strong interest in the topography 
 of Lookout, and began to drop shells in advance of our line 
 in places where they were likely to do the most good for us 
 and over the shoulder of the mountain we could hear Bran- 
 nan's guns on Moccasin Point, defying their old antagonist 
 with a fury which boded ill for all who lay within the range 
 of that upsoaring tempest of iron. 
 
 And the batteries of the enemy were prodigal of powder, 
 now that the hour of conflict had come. The guns on the side 
 of the mountain swept the slope, along and up which our 
 troops were making their toilsome advance, and the high- 
 perched battery on the crest of the mountain threw iron gages 
 at the feet of its circle of antagonists in both valleys, chal- 
 lenges which were promptly accepted and gallantly answered, 
 1 The auricular effect of this artillery fire on us, who were 
 close under the palisades, was grand and startling beyond 
 description. The rocky sounding board rising on our right 
 tossed back the reports of our own guns, and multiplied them 
 into a continuous roar, and when the guns above our heads- 
 made answer it seemed as though the entire vault of the sky 
 had exploded with each report. A little later in the day, when 
 this battery was thundering out of the clouds which densel}- 
 shrouded the crest of the mountain, it would have required 
 but little stretch of the imagination to have supposed that 
 "cloud-compelling Jove" had appeared as champion of the 
 Confederacy, and, from a new Olympus, was hurling thunder- 
 bolts of modern make with more than his old-time vigor. 
 But alas for the cause which no champion could save ! for the 
 blue-coated Titans needed no Ossa on Pelion to aid them ia 
 their upward climb, and in a few hours they would pluck the 
 thunderbolts from the cloud. This artillery fire quickened 
 our advance along the side of the mountain, and opposition 
 was soon developed on our immediate front. It was a skir- 
 mish fire at first, but it became more and more spirited as we 
 advanced. A Rebel soldier came running toward us with
 
 268 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 uplifted hands, in token of surrender, and taking this as an 
 earnest of victory, our men clambered over the rocks with 
 cheers, driving the advance line of the enemy before them. 
 Soon we came in sight of their works, but to our joy we saw 
 that they had been constructed to resist a direct attack from 
 below, and that from our position we could rake them with an 
 enfilading fire, or even pass around their refused flank and 
 attack them in rear. 
 
 No doubt our leaders ordered a charge, but with such 
 advantages in plain sight, to charge and capture the works 
 hardly called for a formal command. Soldierly instinct was 
 enough ; or, if anything more had been necessary, the yet 
 fresh memories of that bloody field, lying eight or nine miles 
 on the other side of Lookout, would have made us irresistible 
 had the opposition been twice as great. 
 
 Col. "W. F. Dowd, of the 24th Mississippi, who commanded 
 this part of the Rebel line, says, in a description of the battle 
 published in the Southern Bivouac, that his orders were "to 
 hold his post till hell froze over ; " and, thinking at this junc- 
 ture that the ice was about five feet thick, he ordered his men 
 to fall back. 
 
 But the gallant Colonel does not seem to have been well 
 informed as to the temperature of the infernal regions at that 
 particular time, for the resistance which he opposed to our 
 advance was such as a thin skin of ice would oppose to a 
 Cunarder when under full headway. Our charge on the 
 entrenchments was like the rush of an avalanche. The enemy 
 forsook their works and retreated along the side of the moun- 
 tain toward the Craven House, leaving many prisoners in our 
 hands. 
 
 No regular line-of-battle confronted us after this until we 
 reached the eastern side of the mountain ; but the broken 
 Rebel line maintained an active skirmish fire, and the rough 
 nature of the ground afforded them such ample cover, and at 
 the same time made our advance so difficult a task, that our 
 progress, though steady, was not rapid. 
 
 The cloud, which had not been very dense when we charged 
 on the enemy's works, now settled very densely along the side
 
 1863] THE BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS. 
 
 of the mountain, and was at once a source of perplexity and 
 a great protection. Wrapped in a seamless mantle of vapor r 
 we became confused as to locality, direction and distance. 
 Some of our men became entangled in the felled timber,' 
 which, at this point, obstructed the slope, and were separated 
 from their command. But the cloud effectually concealed us 
 from our unassailable foes on the upper part of the mountain, 
 who could have inflicted severe loss on us had the day been 
 clear. 
 
 This battle has been poetically termed "The Battle above 
 the Clouds," but literally it was a battle in the clouds. It 
 seemed like a war waged by the elements rather than a battle 
 fought by men. The viewless artillery of the skies seemed to 
 bellow above our heads and beneath our feet, and the bursting 
 shells were dread thunderbolts. To some minds it seemed 
 like cloud and fire capped Sinai, when God came down on it& 
 dread top to give the law. From the veiled summit burst 
 thunderings and lightnings, and the mountain quaked a& 
 though the feet of Jehovah were treading its high places ; and, 
 as of old, a vast concourse of spectators in the valley below 
 were anxiously waiting to see what results would come forth 
 from the clouds. And did not God, by the results of that 
 day and the day following, say to the States which lie around 
 that commanding summit, ' ' Let the oppressed go free ? " The 
 original Emancipation Proclamation was written by the God 
 of Battles with fire and steel, and President Lincoln some- 
 what tardily copied it with pen and ink. 
 
 At 12 o'clock our line was swinging around Point Lookout, 
 the right of our Regiment being the pivot, and the left of the 
 line sweeping around toward Chattanooga. Is it too much to 
 say that the clock of history struck high noon when that mighty 
 index finger pointed due north on that rocky dial face? Cer- 
 tainly the afternoon of the Southern Confederacy began to 
 decline from that hour. 
 
 The cloud now began to lift, and spectators in Chattanooga 
 Valley could dimly see our advancing line. They needed no 
 courier from the mountain side to tell them that those advanc- 
 ing flags meant victory ; and as we had little breath for cheer-
 
 270 HISTOKY OF THE 96'rH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 ing, they cheered for us with all their might. The Brigade 
 Bands in the valley began to play, and we wrote the score 
 which inspired them. 
 
 Before 2 P. M. we had reached the eastern side of the 
 mountain, and were driving the enemy toward the Summer- 
 town Road. Members of the NINETY-SIXTH will never forget 
 the headlong charge over the "nose " of Lookout to the relief 
 of the 40th Ohio, when in the eagerness of their advance they 
 were actually in the rear of part of the Rebel line, and were 
 in danger of being crushed by superior numbers. The descent 
 between us and the enemy was almost as steep as a Gothic 
 roof, and down this declivity we slipped and rolled rather 
 than charged on the astonished foe. Bullets and shells they 
 had expected, and had become somewhat accustomed to, but 
 when we threw a whole Regiment of men at them they 
 promptly retired. This movement on our part was a most 
 timely and telling one, for the position of the 40th was peril- 
 ous. Colonel Champion grasped the situation in an instant, 
 and, with the instinct of the true soldier, gave orders for a 
 left wheel. The Regiment executed his orders unhesitatingly, 
 and, gaining a position along a rude fence, poured a destruc- 
 tive fire into the ranks of the startled enemy. Instantly the 
 40th saw the movement, and not only ceased to retreat, but 
 instantly rushed forward across the opening and charged 
 the foe, capturing a section of artillery and a large number of 
 prisoners. As soon as their relief was assured the NINETY- 
 SIXTH swung to its former position, still occupying the extreme 
 right of the army and again advancing. 
 
 Our lines were now plainly visible to the Army of the 
 Cumberland in Chattanooga Valley, and as they saw the flash 
 of guns and the gleaming of steel brought out distinctly by 
 the dark background of rock above us, it required no Daniel 
 to interpret the meaning of that stern writing on the wall. 
 It said of Bragg, whose headquarters lay directly over against 
 us on the crest of Missionary Ridge, "Thou art weighed in 
 the balances and found wanting." One libration of the scales 
 the day before had shown his weakness before Chattanooga ; 
 and now Lookout, which was expected to weigh heavily
 
 1863] THE MOUNTAIN EVACUATED. 271 
 
 against us in the hour of conflict, was being lifted lightly in 
 air by the ascending beam of another victory, its vast bulk 
 and great natural strength being outweighed by the courage 
 and audacity of our attack ; and on the morrow the sharp 
 crest of Missionary Ridge being the pivot of the beam the 
 broken fragments of Bragg's army "weighed and found 
 -wanting " would be tumbled out of war's dread scale in the 
 confusion of utter defeat. 
 
 There was no severe fighting on the mountain after 2 P. M. 
 'The Rebel line, reinforced by Gen. Jackson's Division from 
 the upper part of the mountain, occupied a very strong posi- 
 tion some distance south of the Craven House, and there they 
 made a determined stand to retain possession of the Summer- 
 town Road, the only road by means of which they could 
 speedily withdraw their forces and artillery from the moun- 
 tain. By this time our ammunition was almost expended, 
 and exhausted as we were by our hard climb up and around 
 the mountain, we were in no condition to drive the enemy 
 from their last position by dint of bravery and bayonets. 
 Later in the day reinforcements came to us from the Chatta- 
 nooga side of Lookout, bringing such supplies of ammunition 
 &s they could carry on their persons, but the battle was not 
 renewed. A skirmish fire was maintained until late into the 
 night, varied by a considerable demonstration made by the 
 enemy between nine and ten to cover their intended retreat. 
 They withdrew during the night so cautiously and silently that 
 the mountain was in our possession for some time before we 
 became aware of it. 
 
 There has been some dispute among military critics as to 
 whether that rough-and-tumble fight over the shoulder of 
 Lookout was a battle or not. Some say that though it was 
 striking in spectacular effect, affording abundant materials for 
 the use of the artist and poet, yet from a military stand-point 
 it hardly deserves to be called a battle. But if these adverse 
 critics had viewed the battle from the front rank of the force 
 which fought it, they might have been converted to the con- 
 trary opinion. This strange misconception arises in part from 
 the smallness of our loss -on that eventful day, and in part
 
 272 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 from the dwarfing effect of the grand movement which rolled 
 the Rebel lines from the crest of Missionary Ridge on the 
 day following. But the smallness of our loss was due to 
 favorable natural conditions, and Missionary Ridge has glory 
 enough of its own without reaching across the valley to rob 
 Lookout of its laurels. 
 
 Had the day been clear our loss would have been very 
 heavy. So great were the natural advantages possessed by 
 the enemy, that, could they have overlooked the move- 
 ments of our forces, they would not have been driven from 
 their natural fortress except by an engagement which would 
 have reddened the rocks of Lookout with the blood of many 
 brave men. A captured Colonel declared that if it had not 
 been for the cloud their sharpshooters would have riddled our 
 advance like pigeons, and would speedily have left our com- 
 mand without leaders. The men who took part in that 
 engagement know that it was a formidable undertaking, and 
 let no one attempt to take their glory from them. It is true 
 that General Fog commanded on the side of the mountain, 
 while Gen. Hooker commanded in the valley, and the former 
 covered our advance so effectually with his cloudy battalions 
 that our loss was comparatively slight ; but even with this 
 advantage in our favor we earned our battle laurels by hard 
 climbing and gallant fighting. The glory of a battle should 
 not be measured by its mortality list, but by the courage of 
 the men engaged in it, and by the measure of their success. 
 
 And the battle was by no means a bloodless one on either 
 side, as may easily be gathered from the loss suffered by one 
 Rebel Regiment, the 24th Mississippi. According to the 
 report of their Colonel they had three hundred and fifty-six 
 men and officers present for duty in the morning, of whom 
 one hundred and ninety-nine were killed or wounded! during 
 the day. The -iOth Ohio, of our Brigade, suffered a consider- 
 able loss, both in killed and wounded, including Maj. Acton, 
 who was killed. The loss in our Regiment was small, because 
 we were so close to danger that much harm passed harmlessly 
 over us. 
 
 The following is the
 
 : -.^*r\J- 
 
 ,.*.** or- ^
 
 
 1863] THE LOSSES. 273 
 
 LIST OF CASUALTIES. 
 
 KILLED. Esau Rich, of Company B. 
 
 WOUNDED. Adjutant E. A. Blodgett, hand ; First Lieutenant Robert 
 Pool, Company A, head ; Sergeant John Vincent, Company A, ball en- 
 tered just below right eye and passed out back of left ear, but he recov- 
 ered ; Harry Menzemer, Company A, slightly ; Nicholas Wearmouth, 
 Company A, left side ; Harlow D. Ragan, Company A, hand ; Second 
 Lieutenant George H. Burnett, Company B, scalp wound ; James Lit- 
 wiler, Company B, face ; W. V. Trout, Company B, foot and leg ; Cor- 
 poral Henry A. Webb, Company D, head ; R. 8. Thain, Company D, leg ; 
 Sergeant R. J. Cooper, Company E, hip ; James Junken, Company E, 
 side ; William S. Nash, Company F, chin and left shoulder ; Corporal 
 John W. Swanbrough, Company G, foot ; Joseph K. Clark, William 
 Joyce and John King, all of Company G, were each wounded in the 
 head ; First Lieutenant George W. Moore, Company I, leg ; Harrison 
 Gage, Company I, arm ; Daniel Malone, Company I, leg ; First Lieu- 
 tenant E. E. Townsend, Company K, foot ; Corporal Henry W. Goding, 
 Company K, head ; Thomas Carleton, Company K, leg ; Oscar W. 
 Cowen, Company K, body. 
 
 Some of these wounds were slight, and did not disable the 
 recipients. A few, however, proved severe. When Sergeant 
 Vincent was shot, all thought that his wound was necessarily 
 fatal, and supposed they would never see him again ; but he 
 was so full of courage and manly strength that he soon recov- 
 ered, and, notwithstanding the loss of an eye, returned to the 
 Regiment, doing gallant service and carrying the colors in 
 several engagements. Corporal Swanbrough's wound was 
 received while carrying the colors. He had been the only 
 one of the Color Guard to escape at Chickamauga, and was 
 now among the first hit. His wound disabled him for only a 
 few weeks. Lieutenants Moore and Townsend were each dis- 
 abled for a time, but not permanently. Indeed, not one of 
 the entire list of wounded was absent from the command for 
 more than a few months. 
 
 Our Brigade captured two pieces of artillery and a large 
 number of prisoners ; and when we reached the top of the 
 mountain the next day, we found in the abandoned camp of 
 the enemy a great variety of stores and supplies which they 
 had left behind in their precipitate retreat. 
 18
 
 274 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 That night bivouac on the "nose " of Lookout will never 
 be forgotten by the men who tried to court sleep amid a chaos 
 of rocks, swept by a keen northwest wind. We longed for 
 our knapsacks, but they were miles away and a thousand 
 feet below us in Lookout Valley. Camp fires seemed indis- 
 pensable, but they were a dangerous luxury, for certain sharp- 
 shooters on the rocks above us, like the "King of Shadows," 
 loved " a shining mark," and more than one camp-fire group, 
 while cooking their much-needed supper, were disturbed by 
 officious offers of the enemy to settle their coffee with lead. 
 But shots in the dark are uncertain ; and, in spite of Rebel pro- 
 tests, we speedily promoted old Lookout, putting shining stars 
 on his shoulders and decorating his rugged breast with a slop- 
 ing sash of camp fires, very comforting to us, and a blazon of 
 victory to our comrades in the valley. 
 
 But when we sought sleep that night we were made to 
 realize that rubber blankets form a poor protection against 
 cold ; that rocks are uncomfortable pillows, and that though 
 a slightly sloping bed may be favorable to slumber, yet when 
 it rises fifteen or twenty degrees above the horizontal line, 
 sleep will be in inverse ratio to the steepness of the slope. 
 But so great had been the fatigues of the day that though our 
 pillows were no softer than those pressed by the head of Jacob 
 of old, and our bivouac was rougher than the ancient Bethel, 
 yet we snatched sleep enough for a soldier from the jaws of 
 difficulty, and were ready in the morning for whatever might 
 lie before us. 
 
 The morning of the 25th dawned clear and beautiful. 
 Boreas had wielded his windy besom so diligently during the 
 night that not a wisp of fog or cloud clung to the crest of 
 the mountain, nor cobwebbed a corner of the rocky ravines. 
 But fog had served us so well the day before that we were 
 almost in love with it, and we began to wish that the vapory 
 army which had departed during the night might return again 
 to assist us. All illusions as to distance and danger were now 
 dispelled. From where we lay the crest of the mountain was 
 startlingly near, and the unassailable strength of the position 
 was only too evident. Point Lookout and the palisades on 

 
 1863] THE FLAG ON THE MOUNTAIN. 275 
 
 either side frowned above us, and so close at hand that to all 
 appearance an army of schoolboys might have stoned us out 
 of our position. As the light increased we watched anxiously 
 for some evidence of hostile presence on the rocks above us, 
 but as we saw neither nutter of flag nor flash of steel, nor 
 glimpse of moving gray, and heard not so much as the snap- 
 ping of a twig on that summit which had been the especial 
 seat of battle thunder the day before, we began to suspect 
 that the eagles of war had forsaken their eyrie, and that by a 
 bold climb we might gain the deserted nest. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH might properly have claimed the honor 
 of making that climb, for they had hugged the base of the 
 precipice during the battle. But time and the elements, sup- 
 plemented by the tornado of shot and shell at Chickamauga, 
 had so riddled the regimental colors that they could hardly be 
 distinguished from the flag of the enemy ; and as there was 
 at hand a regiment with a stand of colors new and bright, our 
 Brigadier, who was a Kentuckian, with pardonable partiality, 
 gave the honor to his native State. General Whittaker asked 
 for volunteers from the 8th Kentucky to plant the Union flag 
 on the mountain by climbing a narrow rocky stairway which 
 leads up to the point through clefts in the rocks. Fifteen 
 men at once volunteered, and began the ascent. Looking 
 back on events we now know that there was no danger in the 
 enterprise ; but looking up at the little band of brave men as 
 they reached the base of the upright rocks that morning and 
 began to climb that stony stair, we feared that they might be 
 devoting themselves to captivity or death. 
 
 But our suspense was short. Our eyes were soon glad- 
 dened by seeing our flag waving from Point Lookout. Never 
 did it seem so grand as when the sun kissed its silken folds 
 on the apex of that ragged cliff, and never was our national 
 banner greeted with such cheers as then stormed the moun- 
 tain from all sides to hail our victorious flag. All the breath 
 which we had spent the day before in climbing the mountain 
 seemed to come back to us, and we poured it out in cheer 
 after cheer, which surged around the crest of Lookout, and 
 rolled down into the valley in cataracts of sound.
 
 276 HlSTOBY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 But the men who had fought the battle had many comrades 
 who united with them in cheering over the victory. The 
 multitudinous shout of a great army came up to us from below. 
 Fifty thousand throats hailed Lookout under his proper flag, 
 and the mountain monarch seemed proud of his new honors, 
 and nodded to all the hills around to prolong the shout and 
 multiply it with echoes. The shout ran up the Tennessee to 
 our extreme left, and told Sherman, who was then preparing 
 to attack the northern end of Missionary Ridge, that another 
 victory had been gained. 
 
 To our Regiment and the 8th Kentucky was assigned the 
 honor of holding the mountain, while the rest of our Brigade 
 went with Gen. Hooker toward Rossville Gap to assist in 
 storming Missionary Ridge. In a short time we were com- 
 fortably reposing on the upper part of Lookout, near its north- 
 ern end, taking in the magnificent view which it commands. 
 
 At your feet lie parts of Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, 
 while in the blue distance far to the east dim summits loom 
 up, whose rocky roots strike under the soil of the two Caro- 
 linas. Here, on your left, is Lookout Valley, out of which we 
 climbed yesterday. Over against you is Sand Mountain, 
 standing on a line with Lookout, the two mountains looking 
 like mated monsters, who, if properly yoked, might draw a 
 whole State after them. Yonder, toward the north and west, 
 is Raccoon Range ; and here, beneath you, a great loop of the 
 Tennessee incloses Moccasin Point with bead work of silver, 
 and within that loop lies our former camp ground, so close at 
 hand that we wonder the Rebels did not shell us out of it. 
 
 To the right of the Point the river sweeps northward in a 
 semi-circle as graceful as Ulysses' bow of shining horn ; and 
 Chattanooga, the fair Penelope who has been so rudely wooed 
 of late by Southern suitors, grasps the bow near its centre, 
 and stands waiting for deliverance. She will not have long 
 to wait, for Ulysses is here, and before night that inverted 
 bow will flame from tip to tip with bolts more terrible by far 
 than those which sped from the twanging bowstring of the 
 ancient hero, and at sunset our Ulysses will stand in this moun- 
 tain hall without a rival.
 
 1863] THE BATTLE OF MISSION RIDGE. 277 
 
 Off toward the east stretches Missionary Ridge, frowning 
 like the wrinkled front of Mars. It is a false and schismatic 
 gospel which is now preached from that ridge, but before day- 
 light shall fade, the feet of them that bring good tidings shall 
 climb its smoking sides, and their evangel, though turbulent 
 and fierce in its utterance, will yet bring liberty to the 
 oppressed and peace to our land. 
 
 Chattanooga Valley, which lies between us and the Ridge, 
 seems calm and level, as viewed from this elevation ; but go 
 down into it and it breaks into a ground swell of hills and 
 ravines, a battle field which carpet knights would not care to 
 tread. 
 
 Two-thirds of the distance across the valley from where 
 we stand rises Orchard Knob, a fortified hill somewhat higher 
 than its fellows, and on it Gen. Grant now stands to direct 
 the battle which has already begun. Gen. Sherman, having 
 crossed the river on a pontoon bridge near the mouth of North 
 Chickamauga Creek, is now assailing the northern end of 
 Missionary Ridge. The distance is so great, and the obstruc- 
 tions to vision are so many that we cannot see the movements 
 of the troops ; but Lookout is busy catching battle sounds in 
 his rocky palms, and tossing them back across the valley ; 
 and we know that in the midst of that tumult men are climb- 
 ing the outlying hills at the northern end of the ridge, with a 
 storm of iron and lead beating in their faces. 
 
 It is noon, and with occasional pauses the storm of battle 
 on our left still rages. It is three o'clock, and our centre 
 begins to stir a little, as though impatient of so long a delay. 
 Gen. Hooker has been toiling across Chattanooga Valley all 
 day, repairing burned bridges and overcoming various obstruc- 
 tions ; and now he is ready to strike the ridge at Rossville 
 Gap, and roll the Rebel line back toward Sherman. 
 
 It is half-past three, and the centre has not yet moved; 
 but the air over Orchard Knob seems tense with suppressed 
 thunders, and they must soon utter their voices. 
 
 It is twenty minutes to four and hark ! Bridge's Battery 
 over yonder is speaking in a very significant way. Six guns,
 
 278 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 fired in regular order, like the tolling of a mighty clock, say 
 to listening ears, " The time has come" 
 
 The valley below us gives birth to an army. Arising from 
 the entrenchments, where they have been lying for hours, our 
 men, with cheers, begin a charge, which, if successful, will 
 carry them over a mile and a half of uneven ground, exposed 
 at every step to a terrible artillery fire, and then up a ridge 
 eight hundred feet high, seamed with three lines of works filled 
 with resolute foes. 
 
 For a little distance a screen of timber conceals our advanc- 
 ing line, but now it appears in the open valley, stretching in a 
 magnificent line from Rossville Gap ofi ? toward the Tennes- 
 see. And now Missionary Ridge becomes volcanic along its 
 entire crest. Seventy pieces of artillery are playing on our 
 line, and the air over their heads is dotted with white, circular 
 clouds, born from the fiery hearts of bursting shells ; making 
 that "the valley of the shadow of death" to many who will 
 not climb the ridge with victorious feet. Brave boys ! it was 
 in their hearts to do it ; and we will crown them as victors 
 though they fall in the early stages of that glorious race. 
 
 But our artillery is not silent. Orchard Knob, which gave 
 the signal for the battle to begin, confronts its huge antagonist 
 with miraculous audacity, and slings shells as though it were 
 little David standing in the valley of Elah, and yonder wrath- 
 ful ridge were the forehead of Goliath. Forts Wood and 
 Negley fire their guns so fast that they seem bent on empty- 
 ing their magazines along the enemy's line before sundown ; 
 and Moccasin Point, though almost out of the fight on accouut 
 of distance, sends its compliments over the heads of our 
 troops, done up in hard packages, to be distributed by "free 
 delivery" when they reach their proper destination. Fort 
 King speaks with a royal voice ; Fort Palmer shouts like a 
 giant, and every gun along our line hurls iron defiance at 
 those flaming batteries, which pay no attention to anything 
 save that line of Blue which is steadily sweeping towards the 
 base of Missionary Ridge. 
 
 Well might the heroes of all time covet the privilege of 
 standing here to view the grand spectacle. Here is all the
 
 1863] A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE. 279 
 
 pomp and magnificence of a great battle within easy view, and 
 yet so far removed that all the horrors of wounds and death 
 are eliminated from the scene. Here is a panorama of war 
 four miles in length, a panorama where the guns paint their 
 own smoke as it rolls in sulphurous clouds from their hot 
 mouths ; where the fire is not streaks of pigment on canvas, 
 but leaps and flashes like the live lightnings of heaven ; where 
 lines of men move forward, and battle flags flutter, and the 
 sound of the battle ah, who can paint that! filling the valley 
 with unceasing roar, and enlisting every echo lurking in sur- 
 rounding hill or mountain to add its voice to the astounding 
 tumult. If we could forget that our comrades are marching 
 under those sulphurous clouds which are now flecking the 
 whole valley and raining jagged fragments of iron out of their 
 deadly bosoms on the defenceless heads of our brave men, we 
 could enjoy to the fiill the scenic grandeur of the spectacle. 
 But with the close sympathy of comradeship we join in the 
 charge ; the hot breath of the batteries blows into our faces ; 
 the iron hail of battle smites against the rocks of Lookout ; 
 and Missionary Ridge is not four miles away, but close at 
 hand, daring us to climb its embattled sides. 
 
 Look at that line now ! for we cannot join it except by 
 sympathy. It moves forward as though the guns in front of 
 it were firing blank cartridges, and it were taking part in a 
 harmless sham battle. There is no straggling, and the line 
 is nearly continuous from right to left. No doubt conflicting 
 emotions agitate thousands of panting breasts along that line ; 
 but to us it moves forward as though not a man of them all 
 could feel fear, and nothing could stop them save the hand of 
 God. 
 
 Now they near the base of the ridge, and with a trium- 
 phant dash they capture the first line of works. If their 
 endurance were equal to their courage they would climb the 
 ridge at once, but even heroes must take breath, and they 
 pause for a time before putting their lives in jeopardy on the 
 high places of the field. 
 
 Sense of time is lost at such hours, and seemingly before 
 the heart can beat sixty strokes they are on their feet again,
 
 280 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 and have begun the perilous ascent. And now there comes 
 across the valley the quick, sharp rattle of musketry, which 
 soon deepens into a continuous roll, more dreadful to experi- 
 enced ears than the loudest cannonade. It tells us that the 
 tug of war has come at last ; that foemen are looking into 
 each others' faces ; that angry eyes are glancing over deadly 
 tubes and selecting individuals out of the struggling mass to 
 aim at ; that every man who faces that slope will have to pass 
 a score of bullets on his way to the crest, and that many of 
 them will never reach the crest through that downrushing 
 tempest of lead. The marvel is that any of them dared to 
 face it and lived through it ; for twenty-eight balls were 
 counted in one small tree after the battle. 
 
 But to us who view the battle from Lookout, that grand 
 line moves slowly but steadily up the ridge, takes the second 
 line of works, and, as though that were not worth a pause, 
 presses resolutely up towards the third and last line. That 
 line is not at all like the trim lines-of-battle often seen in 
 pictures, but irregular, scattering, bent upward here and down- 
 ward there ; a very crooked line drawn across a very rough 
 page, dotted with flags at the points of highest elevation an 
 altogether unmilitary line except that it will go forward. 
 
 The sun is now balancing level rays across the back of Look- 
 out, and what our men do to win the day they must do quickly. 
 Yes, and they are doing it ! The grand old Army of the 
 Cumberland are bent on taking a look over towards Chicka- 
 rnauga from the crest of Missionary Ridge before the sun 
 goes down, and though Bragg himself is putting men into the 
 entrenchments above them they will not be denied. 
 
 Yonder is a flag within a few rods of the works ! It flut- 
 ters and disappears! Another Color Sergeant is added to 
 the honorable roll of the many who have fallen to-day carry- 
 ing the flag. Now it is up again in new hands and forward 
 it goes it is at the works on them and part of our line 
 goes surging over the crest of Missionary Ridge. But not at 
 that point alone, for the whole line gains the crest at nearly 
 the same time, and when all have done so well it would be 
 invidious to make comparisons.
 
 1863] THE RETURN TO NICKAJACK. 281 
 
 As our Regiment did not take part in this engagement 
 except by viewing the picture which has been faintly outlined 
 -on these pages, a general description of the battle is not neces- 
 sary. Suffice it to say that it completely delivered Chatta- 
 nooga from the presence of the enemy, and shattered their 
 strength to such a degree that we enjoyed nearly two months 
 of almost unbroken quiet. 
 
 We remained on Lookout Mountain for a full week after 
 the battle. For summer weather ours was an ideal camp ; 
 but winter was now at hand, and when strong winds played 
 leap-frog over the back of the mountain, and cold clouds 
 trailed their gray hair through the trees which sheltered our 
 -camp, we began to think longingly of our comfortable cabins 
 in Nickajack Cove. There were plenty of tents and blankets, 
 as the camp equipage of two Rebel Brigades had fallen into 
 our possession, but the position was too exposed to permit of 
 comfort. During a severe wind storm one night a tree was 
 blown over, falling across one of the tents and fracturing a leg 
 for Lieutenant Pool, of Company A, and disabling him for 
 several months. Corporal W. H. Richards, and one or two 
 other members of the Company were also considerably 
 bruised. 
 
 We soon took up our line of march for that sheltered nook 
 among the mountains, going down the west side of Lookout, 
 and early in December we were back in our shanty city and 
 snugly established in winter quarters. 
 
 The winter was unusually severe, both North and South ; 
 ibut we had abundance of wood close at hand, we were well 
 .housed, and as we had direct railroad communication with the 
 North, our men fairly reveled in boxes from home filled with 
 a bewildering variety of articles. 
 
 Shortly following the battle of Chickamauga, the mails 
 brought a Captain's commission to one of the many whose 
 lives had passed away, First Sergeant John G. Schaefer, of 
 Company A, one of those who had successfully passed the 
 examination of the Board designated to choose officers for the 
 Regiments of colored troops then forming in that department. 
 During the autumn and winter, Sergeant Wallace Tear, of
 
 282 HISTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Company K, who, after the battle, had been acting as Sergeant 
 Major of the Regiment ; First Sergeant Richard Garrett, of 
 Company E ; First Sergeant John H. Collier, of Company D ; 
 First Sergeant J. M. Woodruff, of Company I, and Lovett S. 
 Rivenburg, of Company E, were each accorded promotions a& 
 Lieutenants in Colored Regiments. Quartermaster Jeffers 
 was also assigned to duty at Chattanooga, and subsequently, 
 on the recommendation of Gen. Grant, appointed an Assistant 
 Quartermaster in the Regular Army. A little later Captain 
 Allen B. Whitney, of Company B, resigned, and First Lieu- 
 tenant E. J. Gilmore was promoted to Captain, and Second 
 Lieutenant George H. Burnett to First Lieutenant. 
 
 During the early part of September, Mrs. J. C. Smith, 
 wife of Major Smith, went south, intending to visit her hus- 
 band, then on duty at Murfreesboro, but as the army was 
 advancing she remained in Nashville for some weeks. Accom- 
 panying her were their three little boys. Following Chicka- 
 mauga she spent much time in the hospitals, rendering such 
 service as a thoughtful, patriotic woman could to the many 
 sick and wounded in that city. She was startled, in October, 
 to find that her own children were prostrate with the dread 
 disease of small-pox. Her experience was a most trying one, 
 and one of the boys little Freddie Parker Smith died No- 
 vember 4. The father could not leave the front, and alone 
 she consigned her loved one to the ground. Late in Decem- 
 ber she took the two remaining boys with her to Nickajack, 
 spending about a month at the headquarters of the Regiment. 
 
 Among the incidents of the camp at Nickajack were the 
 wounding of Captain Taylor, of Company E, and J. E. Clark- 
 son, of Company D. A negro, found outside of the lines, 
 was arrested and taken to camp. At headquarters he was 
 searched and a revolver taken from him. T,he gun was of a 
 peculiar make, and as Lieutenant Colonel Smith took it out it 
 was discharged, the bullet striking Captain Taylor, passing 
 through one leg and into the other, lodging in such a way that 
 it could not be removed. The Captain was disabled for quite 
 a time, and still feels some ill effects from the wound. The 
 injury to Clarkson, which was of a similar nature, but less 
 serious in its effect, was received while cleaning a revolver.
 
 1864] A NEW STAND OF COLORS. 283 
 
 Colonel Champion obtained a leave of absence early in the 
 winter, and spent some weeks at his Illinois home. Several 
 line officers and enlisted men also obtained furloughs, usually 
 for thirty days, and visited their families or attended to busi- 
 ness matters at their homes. 
 
 During the period covered by this and the preceding chap- 
 ter, the losses to the Regiment were not wholly incurred in 
 battle, or as the result of wounds. George J. Cooper, of 
 Company B, died of disease at Louisville, Ky., November 18 ; 
 Mason C. Beecher, of Company D, died at Nashville, Tenn., 
 September 27 ; Arnold Willett, of Company D, died at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., October 28; Andrew Farrier, of Company D, 
 died at Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 2 ; Samuel Fenn, of 
 Company E, died at Stephenson, Ala., October 10 ; John 
 Harding, of Company E, died at Evansville, Ind., December 
 24 ; William Mathew, of Company E, died at Chattanooga, 
 Tenn., October 14; George Sidner, of Company F, died at 
 Nashville, Tenn., November 12 ; John G. Thrasher, of Com- 
 pany G, died at Shellmound, Tenn., December 11 ; L. C. 
 Crowell, of Company H, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., Novem- 
 ber 3 ; William J. Forbes, of Company I, died at Pleasant 
 Valley, 111., November 20 ; Butler Newton, of Company K, 
 died at Nashville, Tenn., November 7. 
 
 January 1, 1864, a pair of new flags from Lake and Jo 
 Daviess Counties were presented to us by a committee consist- 
 ing of Judge J. D. Platt, L. P. Woodworth and Edgar Scace, 
 of Jo Daviess, who received in return our tattered battle flags r 
 which were separated and taken one to each county. It was 
 a matter of regret that, owing to some disarrangement of 
 plans, the Lake County members of the committee were not 
 present. The new flags were very beautiful, with their gilded 
 lettering shining on their unsullied silken folds ; but the old 
 flags, though torn and soiled, had a beauty which the new did 
 not possess, for had they not passed through Chickamauga, 
 and had they not led us over Lookout ? We parted with the 
 rolls of glorious rags with regret, and resolved to make our 
 new flags famous when we should enter on another campaign.
 
 284 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Good-by to Nickajack A Leisurely March over Historic Ground The 
 Camps at Tyner and Ooltewah Building Houses for a Day Blue 
 Springs Reached Frequent Scouting Expeditions Engagement 
 Near Dalton Sergeant Harriman Killed More Wounds and Captures 
 Taunts from the Skirmish Line Ten Hours under Fire One Hun- 
 dred Miles in Six Days An Accidental Shot A Ready-Made Camp 
 Frequent Furloughs Captain Rowan and Lieutenant Earle Return 
 from Prison Drilling Renewed Reading Clubs Formed Vaccinat- 
 ing the Regiment Scurvy and the "Potato Squad" Deserters 
 Drummed Around the Lines The Army Concentrating Waiting 
 for the Order Forward ! 
 
 TOWABD the end of January the weather became mild and 
 pleasant, and on the twenty-fifth the Regiment was not greatly 
 surprised by an order to be ready to march next day, the 
 reported destination being Cleveland, Tenn. The health of 
 the Regiment had been excellent, and many even of the 
 severely wounded from the recent battles were again with the 
 command. The prospective excitement of a new campaign 
 helped in some degree to overcome the regret at leaving that 
 <;amp in the mountains, but as the column marched out of the 
 cove at nine o'clock of Tuesday, January 26, many a linger- 
 ing look behind was cast at that strangely built city on the 
 hillside. The other Regiments of the Brigade being at Shell- 
 mound, the NINETY-SIXTH and the 40th Ohio marched only 
 about four miles and camped on the banks of the Tennessee. 
 Lieutenant Colonel J. C. Smith was still in command of the 
 Regiment. Col. Jesse H. Moore, of the 115th Illinois, was 
 temporarily in command of the Brigade, Gen. Whittaker 
 liaving gone to Kentucky to take his seat in the Legislature of 
 that State. Gen. D. S. Stanley was in command of the Division. 
 It is, perhaps, worthy of note that the Regiment left Nickajack 
 just one year from the day they marched from Danville, Ky. 
 
 "Wednesday, January 27, the march was not resumed until 
 about noon, a delay being made to allow the wagon trains to 
 pass through that purgatory of transportation known as "The 

 
 1864] THE MARCH THROUGH CHATTANOOGA. 285 
 
 Narrows." The road through this portion of the route, which 
 is bad enough at best, was worse than usual, and so trying 
 upon both teams and wagons that but a half dozen miles were 
 traversed by the infantry in rear, the camp for the night being 
 near the high trestle bridge at Whiteside or Falling Waters. 
 On the twenty-eighth the inarch was a leisurely one, the camp 
 for the night, which was reached at three p. M., being at the 
 base of Lookout Mountain. Lookout greeted the command 
 with the familiarity of an old acquaintance, and seemed to 
 promise the soldiers a gracious reception if they would honor 
 him with another visit. 
 
 The invitation was accepted at seven o'clock on the morn- 
 ing of the twenty-ninth. The gay and easy march over the 
 "nose " of Lookout was in striking contrast with the toilsome 
 climb over the same "nose," several hundred feet nearer the 
 rocky eyebrows, two months before, for the engineers and 
 pioneers had built a fine macadamized road of easy zig-zag 
 slopes and ample width, and though not at that time entirely 
 completed it was an Appian Way compared with the former 
 road, and made the march over the mountain seem like a 
 triumphal procession. The march through Chattanooga was 
 with drums beating and the new colors unfurled. Passing 
 Orchard Knob a halt was made for the night at the foot of 
 Missionary Eidge. There were visible many traces of the 
 November battle, bullets being picked up here and there, 
 while fragments of shell were so frequent as to indicate that 
 there had been a somewhat lavish use of iron on the part of 
 the Union batteries in Chattanooga, both during the siege and 
 in the battle. Those of the men not too weary with the march 
 wandered along the slopes, halting at intervals to count the 
 bullet holes in trees or stumps, or picking up relics of the 
 sanguinary contest, until nightfall shut out the view, and the 
 bugle warned them back to evening roll call. 
 
 Saturday, January 30, the command crossed the historic 
 ridge, halting to rest upon its summit, and when the extreme 
 strength of the Rebel position was seen, all admired, more 
 than ever before, the valor which had driven a determined 
 enemy from such a natural stronghold. At noon it began to
 
 286 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 rain, making the roads very disagreeable ; but the march was 
 not a long one, for before night the column halted and went 
 into camp at Tyner Station, nine miles from Chattanooga, on 
 the Knoxville railroad. A good camp was fixed up, and 
 although Sunday brought a severe rain storm the men made 
 themselves comfortable. Several Rebel deserters came to 
 this camp, each telling a pitiful tale of short rations and gene- 
 ral dissatisfaction in the Southern army, reports that subse- 
 quent events did not confirm. These deserters were sent 
 under guard to Chattanooga and thence to Nashville or farther 
 north. The railroad was being rapidly repaired toward Cleve- 
 land, and on Monday the first train passed Tyner. Mrs. B. 
 G. Pierce, wife of Surgeon Pierce, came to the Regiment, 
 remaining for some weeks. 
 
 Wednesday, February 3, the Regiment again broke camp, 
 marching six or eight miles, and halting at Ooltewah. It was 
 given out that this was to be a permanent camp, and much 
 pains was taken in the erection of cabins, small, straight pine 
 poles being used for the walls, and the canvas tents being 
 spread over them for roofs. Inside were bunks, and fireplaces 
 were improvised beside the doorways. Boards were not 
 abundant, but cracker boxes made a partial supply of material 
 for doors, and, where other material could not be obtained, 
 blankets or pieces of tent were used to shut out the wind or 
 rain. Guard duty was quite heavy, as Rebel cavalry hovered 
 in the neighborhood and threatened the camps of the scattered 
 troops. But the camp, which Thursday had seen so carefully 
 erected, was abandoned on Friday, the Regiment marching 
 eight miles, going in the direction of Cleveland. Colonel 
 Champion, who had just returned from leave of absence, 
 assumed command of the Brigade, and Adjutant Blodgett 
 acted as Assistant Adjutant General. 
 
 Saturday, February 6, the command marched four miles 
 in a rainstorm, camping at Blue Springs, not far from the 
 railroad which runs from Cleveland to Dalton, connecting the 
 Chattanooga and Knoxville with the Chattanooga and Atlanta 
 railroad. The next day was spent in fixing up a camp in the 
 grubs upon a side hill. There was not a little apprehension
 
 1864] FORMATION OF THE VETERAN CORPS. 287 
 
 at this time for the safety of this part of the line. Quite a 
 large proportion of the members of many of the regiments 
 organized in 1861, and who had served more than two years, 
 had "veteranized," as the act of reenlisting was called, and 
 were absent on furlough, so that the army was, for the time 
 being, greatly weakened, and it was thought that the Rebels 
 might take advantage of this fact and seek to break the lines 
 in the vicinity of Cleveland. Several recent demonstrations 
 on the part of their cavalry had tended to confirm this belief, 
 and the troops at Blue Springs were kept well in hand and 
 ready for any emergency that might arise. Reveille sounded 
 early each morning, but the old practice of standing in line 
 through the damp and chilly morning hours was not revived, 
 although the men kept on their accoutrements and were in- 
 structed to have their canteens and haversacks filled, so that 
 they could march at a moment's notice. 
 
 There were few measures during the war that gave evi- 
 dence of greater wisdom and forethought than the originating 
 and adopting of the act under which the reenlistment of the 
 volunteers of 1861 was secured. Nor was there any event 
 that gave more eloquent testimony to the devotion and cour- 
 age of the American volunteer soldier. The men who reen- 
 listed in Tennessee had experienced all the hardships inci- 
 dent to severe campaigning, and all the dangers of repeated 
 and terrible battles. They had, during the autumn and early 
 winter, fought three desperate engagements. For weeks they 
 had been on short rations. Even at that time they were, at 
 many points, subsisting on such provisions as could be obtained 
 in the war-worn and not over-populous region about Knoxville 
 and Loudon. The weather was desperately cold. Indeed, 
 many of them were enduring hardships and severities such as 
 were hardly equalled at Valley Forge. But in the face of 
 these hardships, with the certainty that it meant more toilsome 
 marches and terrible battles, these brave men, at the call of 
 the President, responded, in some Regiments almost unani- 
 mously, and reenlisted for another three years. As promised, 
 these veterans were given a thirty days' furlough to their 
 homes, and at the time now written of only the non-veterans,
 
 288 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 as those who did not re-enlist were called, and the troops that 
 could not "go in again," not having yet served two years, 
 were at the front. Hence it was necessary that the utmost 
 watchfulness should be observed. Consequently the country 
 between Cleveland and Dalton was tramped over almost daily 
 by reconnoitering parties. 
 
 Monday, February 8, the NINETY-SIXTH was ordered out 
 to scout the country toward Dalton, and left their camp at 
 Blue Springs about four o'clock p. M., marching eight miles 
 and going into bivouac. Next morning the march was 
 resumed, the command going four miles farther, and to within 
 two miles of the Rebel lines, and then returning to camp. 
 No organized force of Rebels was encountered, but there were 
 evidences that they were not far away. It was remarked by 
 soldiers that most of the citizens along the route were loyal, 
 and at one point the ladies came out and sang patriotic songs. 
 The weather was pleasant, and while the march was rapid 
 and fatiguing, the men seemed to enjoy it rather than other- 
 wise. On their return the camp at Blue Springs was nicely 
 policed, and many cabins were erected during Wednesday 
 and Thursday . 
 
 On Friday, February 12, the NINETY-SIXTH, the 84th 
 Indiana and a Battery were again out on a scout, going to 
 Red Clay, on the Georgia line, and halting for dinner on the 
 very spot where the Rebels had breakfasted. That afternoon 
 they returned to Blue Springs, and on the following Sunday 
 Companies A, F, D, E and K were again out, going over 
 nearly the same ground. The weather was rainy and their 
 trip an unpleasant one. The troops now threw up some 
 entrenchments at Blue Springs. 
 
 Tuesday, February 16, the Paymaster came to camp, and 
 each of the men received a small handful of crisp greenbacks. 
 A rain storm prevailed for a day or two, and was succeeded by 
 severe cold weather. 
 
 On Saturday Companies B, C, G, H and I went out on a 
 scout, .under command of Captain James, marching about 
 thirteen miles and returning the same night. The resignation
 
 JOHN H. HOLDEN. 
 
 COMPANY A.
 
 1864] THE DALTON RECONNOISSANCE. 289 
 
 of Lieutenant Funk, of Company E, who had been disabled 
 at Chickamauga, was accepted on the twentieth. 
 
 Sunday, February 21, there was a heavy snow squall, and 
 the weather was very disagreeable, making the order to 
 march the following morning a most unwelcome one. Three 
 days' rations were issued, with orders next day to have them 
 last four days. On Monday the camps were early astir, and 
 the First Division, which was encamped about Blue Springs 
 and Cleveland, took the roads leading southward, camping 
 for the night near Ked Clay Station. The NINETY-SIXTH did 
 not leave camp until about nine o'clock A. M., and halted at 
 three o'clock. The march was not directly to the destination 
 mentioned, but in a roundabout way ; the purpose being to 
 scour the country and prevent any force of the enemy from 
 getting in the rear of the marching column. The Regiment 
 was on picket at night. Simultaneously with this forward 
 movement of the First Division of the Fourth Corps, the 
 Fourteenth Corps moved forward farther to the right, going 
 by way of Ringgold. At this time Gen. Sherman was on his 
 famous Meridian expedition, and this movement on the part 
 of these four Divisions from the Army of the Cumberland 
 was intended as a diversion in his favor. It had been reported 
 by deserters and captured Rebels that Gen. Johnston, who 
 had relieved Gen. Bragg in command of the forces in North- 
 ern Georgia, had dispatched two Divisions from Dalton to 
 reinforce Gen. Polk, at or near Meridian, and it was the pur- 
 pose of Gen. Thomas to either capture Dalton or compel Gen. 
 Johnston to recall these forces. 
 
 Tuesday, February 23, the command began fixing up a 
 camp, but were shortly ordered forward, and at two o'clock 
 p. M. again took the road, marching until nine o'clock in the 
 evening and making nearly fifteen miles. The cavalry had 
 some brisk skirmishing at the front, and the Fourteenth Corps 
 met with some resistance farther to the right. The Union 
 citizens were quite demonstrative, some of them even bring- 
 ing out Hags, which had doubtless been hidden for at least 
 three years. Women swung their bonnets and men hurrahed 
 for the Yankees and the Union, manifesting great delight. 
 19
 
 290 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 One man, who claimed to be ninety-eight years old and to 
 have been a Captain in the war of 1812, was almost frantic in 
 his ejaculations when the Old Flag came in sight. 
 
 Wednesday, February 24, rumors were abundant, and 
 every one seemed anxious, for it was reported that the enemy 
 was in heavy force near at hand, and partially in their 
 rear, while the Union forces were apparently scattered. The 
 Brigade, under command of Colonel Champion, retraced its 
 steps, leaving their advanced position at ten o'clock A. M., 
 marching three miles and halting near Lee's Cross-roads for a 
 short time, and then, with other portions of the Division, 
 pressing off toward Tunnel Hill, nearly four miles. Heavy 
 skirmishing on the part of the Fourteenth Corps was heard, 
 but when the column arrived in sight of the fortifications the 
 .Rebels fled. During the afternoon the Brigade counter- 
 marched to Lee's, and went into camp at dusk, having marched 
 about twelve miles. 
 
 Thursday, February 25, reveille sounded at two o'clock 
 A. M., and at four o'clock the troops were on the road. Cross- 
 ing a long ridge the column turned southward, marching 
 toward Dalton, at first in column, and then in line-of-battle. 
 The Division of Gen. Baird and other Union troops were 
 passed, and as soon as the formation was complete the entire 
 army pressed forward. The lines began to move about nine 
 o'clock A. M., the NINETY-SIXTH at first having position on the 
 left of the second line of the Brigade. The advance was very 
 rapid for a mile or more, the ground passed over being a series 
 of low hills, most of them heavily timbered. The Rebels 
 were soon encountered, but the skirmishers pushed them back 
 in an admirable manner, keeping up a rapid fire and hardly 
 halting at all. While the lines were thus advancing, Josiah 
 Moulton, of Company G, was wounded in the face. Francis 
 T. Robinson, of Company A, was wounded in the foot. 
 Henson Moore, of Company H, was wounded in the hand. 
 It became apparent that the Rebel main line was nearly 
 reached, and the troops halted at the crest of a wooded 
 ridge, the skirmishers keeping up a rapid fire. This position 
 was occupied throughout the entire day, and at no time for
 
 1864] CASUALTIES OF THE CAMPAIGN. 291 
 
 ten hours did the firing cease. The Kebel skirmishers at 
 intervals would tauntingly call from their pits: "Chicka- 
 mauga!" or "Here's your Dalton! Come and take it!" 
 The Union skirmishers would shout in reply : "Here's your 
 Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge." From behind 
 trees and logs they continued to send their leaden compliments 
 back and forth. The soldiers in the main line lay upon the 
 ground, just enough at the rear of the ridge to be protected. 
 It is all very pleasant to lie upon the grass in the shade for an 
 hour or two if the surroundings are agreeable and the weather 
 pleasant, but when the ground is bare and damp, the weather 
 chilly, the danger considerable and the time prolongs itself 
 into many hours, a prostrate position becomes monotonous ; 
 and so it proved on this occasion, for the day seemed intermi- 
 nable. 
 
 While Lieutenant Pepoon, of the Brigade Staff, was recon- 
 noitering directly in front of the Regiment he drew the fire 
 of the Rebel skirmishers, but escaped injury. One of the 
 bullets, however, sped past its mark, striking Sergeant Henry 
 J. Harriman, of Company K, in the head and causing his 
 instant death. The Sergeant was a gallant soldier and worthy 
 to command a Company or even a Regiment, and his death 
 caused great sadness in the command. Toward night light 
 lines of breastworks were thrown up, the men using fence 
 rails, stones and logs. These works were not to be used, how- 
 ever, for at eleven o'clock that night, it was determined that 
 Dalton should not be attacked with the force then under Gen. 
 Thomas. The army marched back ten miles, bivouacking 
 at four o'clock near Lee's house, after a continuous march of 
 about twenty-four hours, nearly one-half of the time under 
 fire. The distance traveled during the time had been about 
 twenty miles. When the line left its position at Dalton, 
 Charles C. and Harry Menzimer, of Company A, were asleep 
 behind a log a little in the rear of the pickets, and were not 
 missed until daylight. Neither happening to hear the column 
 move they slept on, unconscious of danger, until daylight, 
 when they were awakened by the Rebel cavalry and made
 
 292 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 prisoners. Charles subsequently died in prison, and Harry 
 escaped after enduring many terrible experiences. 
 
 Friday, February 26, camp was broken at about noon, the 
 Brigade to which the NINETY-SIXTH was attached marching in 
 the direction of Tunnel Hill, and forming line where the halt 
 was made on Wednesday. This position was maintained until 
 nine o'clock p. M., when a retreat was again ordered. Fires 
 were kindled along the road, by direction of the officers, to. 
 deceive the Rebels into the belief that the troops were going 
 into camp. The march was a rapid one, the final halt being 
 made on Chickamauga Creek about one o'clock A. M. The 
 distance traveled was about eight miles. 
 
 Saturday, February 27, the troops remained in camp until 
 afternoon, when they again moved, marching to within two 
 miles of Ooltewah. The distance traveled was about ten 
 miles, and the column did not halt until after dark. The 
 Rebels followed closely, and near the Ringgold road consider- 
 able skirmishing could be seen and heard on the left across 
 Chickamauga Creek. An attempt was made to decoy the 
 enemy into an open field by sending a wagon train toward 
 them, but without avail. A sad accident occurred during the 
 afternoon, Lieutenant Havens, of Company G, being very 
 seriously wounded by the accidental discharge of a musket in 
 the hands of a soldier in Company B. The bullet passed 
 through his shoulder, and it was at first feared that the wound 
 would prove fatal. All regretted the occurrence, but none 
 more sincerely than the non-commissioned officer who chanced 
 to have the gun in his hands. The Lieutenant recovered, but 
 was disabled for several months, and still suffers from the 
 effect of the injury. 
 
 Sunday, February 28, the column marched to Blue Springs, 
 reaching there at noon and occupying the old camp ground. 
 The Rebels did not follow. The distance traveled was about 
 twelve miles. The Regiment had now been out for a full 
 week, and its service had been very trying. The marching, 
 which had been rapid at times, had aggregated one hundred 
 miles, and as there had been an unusual amount of night
 
 
 1864] AGAIN IN WINTER QUARTERS. 293 
 
 work, the men were glad to be in camp again and given a 
 little opportunity for rest. 
 
 Monday, February 29, a severe rain set in, and the day 
 was a very disagreeable one, but most of the men were per- 
 mitted to remain in camp and made themselves as comfortable 
 AS circumstances would permit. Quite a number of men, 
 most of them having honorable scars, were arriving daily from 
 the various hospitals. A leave of absence had arrived for 
 Major Hicks just before the reconnoisance, but he pocketed it 
 until the campaign closed, starting for home on the return to 
 Blue Springs. 
 
 Tuesday, March 1, the NINETY-SIXTH left Blue Springs at 
 nine o'clock A. M., and marched to Cleveland, a distance of 
 about four miles, going into camp a little outside the village 
 on a side hill close by the railroad track. For almost the first 
 time in its experience the Regiment made a very fortunate 
 move as regards a camp ground, finding the winter quarters 
 recently vacated by the 84th Illinois in excellent condition. 
 They had but to put their shelter tents on these buildings for 
 roofs and clean up a little litter, and they were in excellent 
 condition for living. If the 84th Illinois boys knew how 
 thoroughly their comrades of the NINETY-SIXTH appreciated 
 this unusual state of things, they must certainly have felt com- 
 pensated for any loss of pleasure they might have enjoyed 
 had they pursued the usual custom, and upon being ordered 
 to leave camp burned up their lumber. The day was rainy 
 and cold, and the men regarded themselves as extremely for- 
 tunate. From that time until the 23d of April the Kegiment 
 -continued to occupy this camp. Every few days the heart of 
 some one was made happy by the receipt of a twenty days' 
 furlough. Generally these favored ones were men having 
 families at home, but occasionally the rule was varied and 
 single men were given leaves of absence. A heavy line of 
 ritie pits were dug around camp, details of men being at work 
 almost daily strengthening it. A number of recruits came to 
 the Regiment from Lake and Jo Daviess Counties about this 
 time. 
 
 On the 8th of March the members of the command were
 
 294 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 made to rejoice by the receipt of the intelligence that Captain 
 Rowan, of Company F, and Lieutenant Earle, of Company 
 C, both of whom had been prisoners of war since the battle 
 of Chickamauga, had escaped from prison and reached the 
 Union lines. Both of these officers were very popular in the 
 Regiment, and the news of their escape was enthusiastically 
 received. 
 
 Gen. Whittaker having returned from Kentucky and 
 assumed command of the Brigade, Colonel Champion took 
 command of the Post, with headquarters at Cleveland. Adju- 
 tant Blodgett was assigned to duty as Post Adjutant. For 
 some time before his injury, Lieutenant Havens had acted as- 
 Adjutant of the Regiment. He was succeeded by Lieutenant 
 Dawson, and Lieutenant Earle took the position on returning, 
 serving until the return of the Colonel and Adjutant. 
 
 The position of Post Commander at Cleveland was by no- 
 means an ornamental one. Many of the citizens in the vicinity 
 were intensely loyal. The armies had taken all of their live 
 stock and provisions, and in many instances left them abso- 
 lutely destitute. If they remained outside the lines they were 
 continually subjected to unpleasant experiences, as scouting- 
 parties from either army were raiding the country. As a con- 
 sequence they flocked to the town and were assigned to the 
 houses of absent Rebels. Upon the Post Commander 
 devolved the delicate task of selecting the loyal and worthy 
 and provisioning them. The disloyal were temporarily cared 
 for, under guard, and either sent to Chattanooga, where they 
 could be more carefully watched, or placed outside the lines 
 where they could go to their Rebel friends. Almost the entire 
 population of the three or four counties contiguous to Cleveland 
 and Chattanooga were fed at Uncle Sam's expense for a num- 
 ber of months. Many were sick and had to be treated by the 
 Post Surgeons. An aged citizen, who had been a soldier in 
 the Black Hawk war, died at Cleveland in March, and wa& 
 buried with military honors, Corporal Gage, of Company G, 
 having charge of the funeral escort. 
 
 On the llth of March the Regiment had its first dress- 
 parade for several months. Drill was resumed with consider-
 
 1864] RETURN FROM LIBBY PRISON. 
 
 able vigor, the Companies or the entire Battalion being out 
 whenever the weather would permit. A general order from 
 Division Headquarters required all of the troops to drill not 
 less than three and one-half hours every day. The Regiment 
 still retained the old habit of getting up before daylight, form- 
 ing line, stacking arms and wearing accoutrements until seven 
 o'clock. 
 
 On the 18th of March the Regiment marched through 
 town and back. Gen. Whittaker being temporarily absent in 
 Kentucky, Col. Price, of the 21st Kentucky, assumed com- 
 mand of the Brigade, and on the 20th had a grand review in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 The 22d is memorable for a very severe snow storm, 
 prevailing throughout the day and covering the ground to the 
 depth of nearly a foot. Commands that chanced to be on the 
 move at that time or that were merely in bivouac suffered 
 greatly, but fortunately the NINETY-SIXTH was in comfortable 
 quarters and not required to do very heavy guard duty, so 
 that it enjoyed the storm rather than otherwise. The men 
 indulged in some very vigorous snow-balling, and some of the 
 officers improvised a sleigh and had a genuine sleigh ride. 
 
 About this time several reading clubs were made up, the 
 men contributing a small sum each to a fund with which to 
 pay the subscriptions to a large number of magazines and news- 
 papers, and as a consequence reading matter was very abun- 
 dant in camp. The leading dailies from New York, Chicago 
 and Cincinnati were on the list, and as a result all were kept 
 fully "informed of the general news of the day. During the 
 stay at Cleveland there was abundant time and opportunity 
 for reading, but when the campaign which followed was fully 
 begun, the papers were so irregular in reaching their destina- 
 tion and the time of the men so occupied, as to render the 
 periodicals of less service ; consequently most of the subscrip- 
 tions were dropped at the end of three or six months. Cap- 
 tain Timothy D. Rose, of Company K, resigned March 21. 
 First Lieutenant E. E. Townsend was promoted to Captain, 
 and Second Lieutenant George W. Pepoon to First Lieutenant. 
 
 March 23d, Lieutenant Earle arrived in camp and was
 
 296 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 given quite an ovation, and for many days he was compelled 
 to tell over and over the story of his escape from Libby Prison. 
 Captain Rowan rejoined the Regiment a week later and was 
 most cordially greeted. An elegant banquet was given at 
 Post Headquarters in honor of their return. 
 
 There had been more or less small pox in the army for 
 some weeks, and as a precautionary measure every man in the 
 Regiment who could not exhibit a satisfactory scar to the 
 Surgeon was vaccinated. 
 
 On the eleventh of April the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps 
 were consolidated as the Twentieth Corps under command of 
 Major-General Joseph Hooker. Gen. Gordon Granger was 
 relieved from the command of the Fourth Corps and succeeded 
 by Major-General Howard. On the whole the change was well 
 received by officers and men, for Gen. Granger had not been 
 wholly popular, many feeling that his punishment of soldiers 
 for trivial offences was unnecessarily severe. There was at 
 first a little prejudice against Gen. Howard, but this was speed- 
 ily overcome, and he was afterward extremely popular with 
 the officers and men of the entire Corps. His first order was 
 to stop Sunday inspections and reviews, and direct that camp 
 duties on the Sabbath should be as light as was consistent 
 with safety and cleanliness. 
 
 Wednesday, April 13, Sergeant Frank Wier, who had 
 been acting Sergeant-Major for about five months, was pro- 
 moted to First Sergeant of Company A, and Sergeant C. A. 
 Partridge of Company C was detailed as acting Sergeant- 
 Major, and subsequently appointed to the position which had 
 been made vacant by the death of Sergeant-Major Quinn. The 
 same day the Regiment marched to the railroad track and 
 presented arms in honor of their late commander, Gen. 
 Granger, as he passed on the train bound for Nashville. 
 Gen. Howard visited the Regiment in the evening, making 
 personal inspection of the camp. 
 
 Although there was little known of the matter in the Reg- 
 iment, quite a spirited contest was going on to determine who 
 should be appointed to the position made vacant by the pro- 
 motion of the Quarter-Master, Stephen Jeffers, to be a Quar-
 
 
 WHO SHALL BE QUARTER-MASTER ? 297 
 
 ter-Master in the regular army. A majority of the line officers 
 signed a petition to Governor Yates asking that Lieutenant 
 Blowney, of Company G, be given the place. Colonel Cham- 
 pion requested that his brother, Myron B. Champion, who 
 had recently enlisted in Company K, be appointed. Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel Smith, then in command of the Kegiment, asked 
 that Lieutenant Moore, of Company I, who was temporarily 
 filling the position, be regularly commissioned. Influential 
 friends in Illinois asked that Hospital Steward Ferguson be 
 promoted. Numerous papers endorsing the several aspirants 
 were filed with the Governor, and after some delay the com- 
 mission was issued to Hospital Steward Ferguson. Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel Smith appealed the case, and the Department 
 Commander, Gen. George H. Thomas, decided that the com- 
 mander of a regiment had the right to name his staff officers, 
 and accordingly declared Lieutenant Moore to be the Quarter- 
 Master of the .Regiment. At the same time he recommended 
 that Hospital Steward Ferguson be assigned to duty, with the 
 rank of First Lieutenant, in any existing vacancy. The only 
 vacancy existing when the decision came was in Company H, 
 and to this Company he was assigned. So much time was 
 consumed by the correspondence that Lieutenant Ferguson was 
 not mustered until the following October, although his com- 
 mission dated from the death of Lieutenant Barnes, October 
 2, 1863. Lieutenant Moore's appointment as Quarter-Master 
 was dated April 16, 1864. Quarter-Master Sergeant George 
 Jeifers, who had been appointed to the position upon the 
 death of the gallant Bean at Chickamauga, voluntarily relin- 
 quished the position to accept a detail with his father, the 
 late Quarter-Master. He was succeeded by Sergeant B. F. 
 Shepard, of Company G, who, although still suffering from 
 wounds received at Chickamauga, had recently rejoined the 
 command. Corporal Swanbrough, who had so gallantly car- 
 ried the Regimental colors at Chickamauga and Lookout 
 Mountain, was made a Sergeant to fill the vacancy caused by 
 Shepard's promotion. 
 
 There had been more or less scurvy among the men all 
 through the late winter months, there being not less than 

 
 298 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 fifty well defined cases in the Regiment at one time toward 
 the close of April. But by united efforts on the part of the 
 officers, enough vegetables were secured, as a part of the 
 rations of the men, to relieve this trouble somewhat ; but still 
 there was considerable sickness, and one or two men from 
 every Company had to be sent to the hospital, while others 
 were hardly fit for active service. The vegetables received 
 were generally potatoes and sour-kraut. The limbs of the 
 men were swollen and became very sore, their gums would be 
 swollen, their teeth loose, and they would suffer from general 
 languor and depression. The Surgeons had what was known 
 as a "potato squad," composed of men who were kept almost 
 exclusively on a vegetable diet. 
 
 During the stay at Cleveland there was quite a religious 
 interest in the Regiment, and also in the 40th Ohio, whose 
 camp was near that of the NINETY-SIXTH. Preaching was 
 held almost nightly in the camp of the 40th. These meetings 
 were continued until the advance of the army, and were 
 renewed whenever opportunity permitted all through the 
 memorable battle summer that followed. 
 
 About this time a petition, asking the Governor of Illinois 
 to again commission Rev. Horace G. Woodworth as Chaplain 
 of the Regiment, was endorsed by nearly all of the officers of 
 the command ; but through some delay or misunderstanding 
 the appointment was not announced until May 20, by which 
 time he had made other engagements and could not accept 
 the place. 
 
 Saturday, April 23, in obedience to orders from Gen. 
 Whittaker, the NINETY-SIXTH joined the Brigade at Blue 
 Springs. Just before this move, Lieut. -Col. Smith was called 
 to Chattanooga to serve upon a Board to examine the claims 
 of citizens against the Government for property destroyed by 
 the army. The command of the Regiment devolved upon 
 Major Hicks for a few days and until Colonel Champion was 
 relieved from duty as Post Commander, which occurred April 
 28. Colonel Smith remained on this duty only about a fort- 
 night and rejoined the Regiment as it neared Resaca. 
 
 The camp at Blue Springs was in a plat of heavy timber
 
 1864] PREPARING FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN. 299 
 
 where there was but little material for building, and the camp 
 was quite in contrast with the recently vacated quarters at 
 Cleveland. The men knew, however, that it was but for a 
 little while that they were to be in camp. For some time 
 past applications for furloughs had come back disapproved, 
 and the entire Fourth Corps had been concentrating about 
 Cleveland. The Regiments that had been home on veteran 
 furlough were coming to the front again, many of them 
 recruited to the maximum number, the 35th Indiana of the 
 Second Brigade having returned with about 1100 men. The 
 Fourth Corps occupied the left center of the grand army now 
 concentrating for the forward movement. Up to this time it 
 had been undecided as to the campaign, it being expected that 
 Gen. Johnston, who was in command of the Confederate 
 forces about Dal ton, would take advantage of the absence of 
 the Regiments on furlough, and of the widely scattered con- 
 dition of the Union army, and assume the offensive. Cleve- 
 land was known to be the weak point in the Union line, and it 
 was thought by the Generals in authority that an attack might 
 be made at that point at any time. But now this danger was 
 passed ; the army was reunited and strengthened until there 
 were within supporting distance almost 100,000 men. It was 
 stripping for its grand advance. All baggage that could 
 possibly be dispensed with was ordered to the rear. Even 
 the Company desks, which had always hitherto been kept 
 within reach so that whenever a camp was made they could 
 be brought up, were ordered stored, the officers being directed 
 to carry blanks with them sufficient for all needs for some 
 weeks to come. Four wagons were allowed to each Regi- 
 ment for a time, but even these wagons were frequently 
 unloaded, their contents being piled some where in the woods, 
 and they sent to the rear for Quartermaster's stores for the 
 supply of the army. On their return the teamsters would be 
 sent to hunt up their original baggage, load it again and take 
 it as near to the front as possible. The Soldiers knew that 
 the enemy had an immense army in their front and were now 
 certain that they were to be the attacking party, instead of 
 being called upon to occupy the defensive, as had been
 
 300 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 .thought would be the case a month before. Drilling was 
 kept up daily and camp regulations were very strict during 
 the stay at Blue Springs. 
 
 Sunday, May 1, the Brigade was called out and formed in 
 a hollow square. In the center of the square was a little 
 group of men, two of whom were evidently prisoners. They 
 were not Confederate prisoners, however, but men who had 
 deserted from the Union army. One of these men was mounted 
 on a box in view of the entire Brigade, when a soldier, detailed 
 for the purpose, stepped up to him and shaved his head. The 
 sentence of the other deserter was read, after which they were 
 both marched around the lines bare headed and with cards 
 pinned on their backs marked "deserter," the band accom- 
 panying them and playing the "Rogue's March." There 
 could have been little fear at that time of desertions from 
 among the veterans of the army, for the men who had fought 
 at Stone's River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission 
 Ridge were not likely to desert at this time. But there were 
 in many of the Federal Regiments a large number of newly 
 enlisted men, of whom a small percentage had been influenced 
 .as much by the generous bounties, then offered for recruits, 
 as by patriotic motives, and this episode was intended to serve 
 .as a warning for all who might want to leave the ranks and 
 return home, to first obtain permission. One of the men who 
 was obliged to submit to the indignity of being drummed around 
 the lines was a member of the 40th Ohio. He fully redeemed 
 himself in the estimation of his comrades by his bravery in 
 subsequent battles, and lost his life at Kenesaw Mountain. 
 
 Up to this time there had been no organized detail of 
 stretcher bearers, but before entering upon the campaign men 
 were selected from each Regiment to act with what was known 
 as the "Ambulance Corps," being provided with canvas 
 stretchers, and instructed how to care for and remove wounded 
 men from the battlefield. 
 
 Michael Meres, of Company I, died at Bridgeport, Ala., 
 Feb. 15, and Louis C. G. Goatiea, of Company A, died at 
 Cleveland, April 12. John Baker, a recruit who had enlisted 
 February 24, died at Camp Butler, Chicago, 111., March 20,
 
 1864] WATCHING ACKOSS THE GEORGIA LINE. 301 
 
 1864 ; and Wesley D. Manlon, also a recruit, who enlisted about 
 the same time, died at Camp Yates, Springfield, 111., March 2. 
 The Armies of the Union, East and West, were now mar- 
 shaling for a grand advance. Gen. Grant had taken personal 
 command of the troops in Virginia, and had assigned Gen. 
 W. T. Sherman to the command of the Military Division of 
 the Mississippi. The latter had, near the northern line of 
 Georgia, the Army of the Cumberland, comprising the Fourth, 
 Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, under the immediate com- 
 mand of Gen. George H. Thomas, and numbering about 
 60, 000 men. The Army of the Tennessee, comprising portions 
 of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Corps, under 
 Gen. J. B. McPherson, and numbering 24,000, was approach- 
 ing from the West ; and the Army of the Ohio, comprising 
 the Twenty-third Corps, under Gen. John M. Schofield, and. 
 numbering about 13, 500 men, was marching from the vicinity 
 of Knoxville. Guards were disposed to protect the long lines 
 of communication in the rear against the depredations of local 
 guerillas and bushwhackers or the raids of the enemy's cavalry. 
 Gen. Sherman had been so fortunate as to obtain the plans 
 and specifications of the railroad bridges between Chattanooga 
 and Atlanta, and pioneers and engineers had about completed 
 duplicates of every piece of timber in every structure. These 
 were piled beside the track, ready to be loaded upon the trains 
 and run to any point as soon as an advance was made and a 
 bridge found to be destroyed. Immense supplies of food and 
 ammunition were being piled up in the rudely constructed 
 constructed warehouses at Chattanooga. The preparations 
 were stupendous. The vast army was possessed of a quiet 
 confidence in the leaders whose master minds had planned the 
 preliminaries so wisely and on so grand a scale, and calmly 
 waited the order to advance.
 
 302 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Army Concentrating The Atlanta Campaign Inaugurated From 
 Blue Springs to Catoosa Springs Obstructions in the Highway 
 Two Partial Sunstrokes Advance on Tunnel Hill The Strong 
 Fortifications Found Empty Looking Across the Valley Early 
 Reveille Brass Guns vs. Brass Bands The Demonstration Against 
 Rocky Face Ridge The NINETY-SIXTH Unslings Knapsacks and 
 Takes the Skirmish Line Moving Against the Palisades To the 
 Right and into Buzzard Roost Gap A Gallant Advance The Enemy 
 Mistakes the Regiment for an Army Almost out of Ammunition 
 A Bloody Sunset Night Permits Retreat and Rest Nearly a Half 
 Hundred Casualties Deserved Compliments Shelled out of Camp 
 The Rebels Evacuate the Dalton Line. 
 
 MAY 5 had been fixed upon as the day for the inaugura- 
 tion of the active summer campaign of 1864, for the armies, 
 both East and West. Gen. Grant had assumed command of 
 all the military forces of the United States, but chose to per- 
 sonally operate with the larger army, then between Washing- 
 ton and Richmond. Gen. W. T. Sherman, by personal con- 
 sultation and through correspondence with his chief, had 
 discussed and formulated plans for the forward movement 
 from Chattanooga, agreeing to keep the enemy in his imme- 
 diate front so occupied as to prevent the sending of Rebel 
 reinforcements from Georgia to Virginia. On the other hand, 
 Gen. Grant had given assurance that the army under Gen. 
 Lee should be given ample occupation in Virginia, so that 
 they should have no troops to spare for the use of Gen. 
 Johnston. 
 
 As the plans neared completion for what has gone into 
 history as the Atlanta Campaign, and the day approached for 
 its inception, all was activity along the line of the Tennessee 
 River. That portion of the Army of the Tennessee which 
 had been in the vicinity of Huntsville, Ala., moved, partly 
 by rail and partly by marching, to Chattanooga, and thence, 
 via Rossville, to Lee & Gordon's Mills, or a little farther south,
 
 1864] ARRIVAL AT CATOOSA SPRINGS. 303 
 
 arriving in position as the right wing of Gen. Sherman's 
 command during the early days of the month. The Army of 
 the Ohio marched from the neighborhood of Knoxville, by 
 way of Cleveland, to Red Clay, and became the left wing of 
 the vast army simultaneously with the movement of Gen. 
 McPherson's forces. At the same time the three large Corps 
 comprising the Army of the Cumberland moved out to their 
 assigned position as the centre of the mighty force. 
 
 On the part of the NINETY-SIXTH the movement began at 
 noon of Tuesday, May 3, when, with other troops, it left its 
 camp at Blue Springs and marched over the ground made 
 so familiar by the numerous scouting expeditions of the pre- 
 vious February, halting for the night a mile south of Red 
 Clay, on the Georgia line. The Regiment numbered a little 
 more than four hundred men as it set out upon this memora- 
 ble campaign. The route taken was the one known to the 
 command as the "long" road, and the distance marched 
 during the afternoon was twelve miles. 
 
 Wednesday May 4. the march was resumed shortly after 
 sunrise, but the command being in the rear of an immense 
 wagon train and the road obstructed by timber that had been 
 felled by the Rebels, progress was slow, only ten miles being 
 traveled, although nearly the entire day was consumed. The 
 weather was excessively warm, and two of the soldiers 
 George A. Bangs, of Company B, and William S. Nash, of 
 Company F were partially sunstruck, but fortunately neither 
 of them were so prostrated as to be disabled for more than a 
 week or two. Throughout the day skirmishers or flankers were 
 kept out, but there was no fighting, although Rebels were seen 
 in the distance. That night the Regiment took its place in the 
 long line-of-battle, its position being near Catoosa Springs. 
 The next day there was no movement of the centre save a 
 slight shifting of position along the general line occupied on 
 AVednesday evening. Rebels were seen hovering at the front, 
 and a few harmless shots were exchanged by the pickets. 
 Toward night the enemy made a vigorous demonstration, 
 forcing back the advanced line on the left. A barricade of 
 .rails was constructed, behind which the troops lay in line.
 
 304: HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Each Company was required to have a roll call every hour or 
 so, but despite this fact many of the curiously inclined ven- 
 tured to make brief visits to the hotels and other buildings of 
 the famous watering place a half mile distant from the posi- 
 tion of the Regiment. 
 
 Friday, May 6, the NINETY-SIXTH was detailed as a picket 
 reserve. The day passed without especial incident of note,, 
 although the enemy were several times in plain view. By 
 night all of the forces were in line, and the grand army of 
 Gen. Sherman ready to move toward Dalton and Gen. John- 
 ston's veteran army. All knew that an advance meant a bat- 
 tle. True, the Union army largely outnumbered the Rebel 
 forces, but the position at Dalton was an exceedingly strong 
 one for defense ; and, in a country where almost every citizen 
 was an active scout or spy, and with the enemy's shorter lines 
 of communication, the advantage of preponderating numbers 
 was not so great as it would have been in a more level and 
 less hostile country. 
 
 Saturday, May 7, the army moved forward in force. 
 Reveille sounded at half past three o'clock, and before sun- 
 rise the troops were on the march. Yery soon skirmishing 
 began, the first gun being fired just as the sun was climbing 
 over the eastern hills. The Rebels fell back and their fires 
 were still burning as the Union forces passed their camps of 
 the night before. Innumerable trees had been felled across 
 the road, but men with axes and levers and teams cleared the 
 way with a rapidity that was surprising. Company A was on 
 the skirmish line, and expended considerable ammunition in 
 forcing the Rebel rear guard back. At a little past nine 
 o'clock line-of-battle was formed, the troops moving in this 
 order to the top of a ridge, where a brief halt was made. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH, which had been in the second line, now took 
 the front line on the right of the Brigade, and again advanced. 
 The formidable works of the enemy were soon in view, and 
 the stubbornness of their skirmishers a little before created the 
 impression that a stand would be made. It was therefore 
 with some trepidation that the command left the timber and 
 marched across the open field toward a line of heavy rifle pits
 
 r* . i * *.
 
 1864] THE TAKING OF TUNNEL HILL. 305 
 
 that all knew might be full of armed men merely awaiting the 
 signal to pour a destructive volley, at short range, from behind 
 their heavy intrench ments. But the suspense was not long, 
 for as the skirmishers neared the works it became apparent 
 that the enemy had fallen back toward Dalton. General and 
 Staff Officers rode to the front, the line-of-battle following and 
 occupying the abandoned works at eleven o'clock, the NINETY- 
 SIXTH being the first to cross the parapet. A line of breast- 
 works facing southward was at once begun, the men work- 
 ing industriously notwithstanding that the weather was exces- 
 sively warm. Heavy timber was cut and the works became 
 very formidable as the day wore away. The line was occu- 
 pied throughout the afternoon and the succeeding night. 
 Skirmishers covered the front, but were not seriously engaged, 
 although musketry and artillery firing could be heard in the 
 distance. The flags of the Signal Corps of either army were 
 fluttering from the hill tops, and to right and left extended the 
 long lines of blue, in plain view until nightfall, and easily 
 traced by the gleaming camp fires as darkness closed in. 
 
 Sunday, May 8, had not dawned until the army was awake 
 and standing to arms, for at three o'clock the reveille sounded. 
 At eight o'clock the troops were marching toward the valley 
 that lay between Tunnel Hill and Rocky Face Ridge, the 
 latter being a long range of hills or mountains, whose name 
 indicates the character of the side which faced toward the 
 veteran Army of the Cumberland. Near the railroad the 
 line halted, the Division to which the Regiment belonged 
 remaining idle most of the day. Looking along the stony 
 ridge, and to the right, a gorge could be discerned, through 
 which the railroad wound its way and back of which was 
 Dalton, where were Gen. Johnston's headquarters. The ridge 
 itself was fortified, and along its crest and through the gorge 
 lay the Rebel line-of-battle. The skirmishers of the enemy 
 and several batteries of artillery were thrown out in advance 
 of this narrow pass, known as Buzzard Roost Gap, and a 
 lively skirmish fire, with frequent salutes from the Rebel 
 artillery, gave evidence that it would be no easy task to drive 
 the occupants of this strong line from their position by direct 
 20
 
 306 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 assault. There was some maneuvering but no general for- 
 ward movement on that part of the line until the afternoon 
 was well advanced. At four o'clock Gen. Howard, com- 
 manding the Fourth Corps, rode along to view the position of 
 his forces, and shortly afterward ordered a band to come 
 out from the timber in the rear and play a few selections. The 
 opening of this musical programme was "The Bonnie Blue 
 Flag, " which was followed by ' ' Dixie, " selections claimed 
 at the time as the exclusive property of the alleged Confeder- 
 acy, but rendered national when, with numerous other trophies, 
 they fell into Union hands at Appomattox a year later. The 
 men in gray, as if to manifest their appreciation of the open- 
 ing numbers, swarmed from the groves that dotted the valley 
 and from the heavy timber along the base of the ridge, and 
 gave a vigorous vocal response. Then followed k ' Hail Colum- 
 bia" and "Yankee Doodle," to which the lines of blue made 
 answer with a cheer that ran for miles to left and right. The 
 latter tune was repeated in double time, which proved to be 
 Gen. Howard's signal for a vigorous shelling from the bat- 
 teries, continued for some moments. Then the infantry 
 advanced down the valley, in magnificent order, the long 
 lines sweeping forward toward the enemy. The occasional 
 shots of the skirmishers grew into an almost constant clangor, 
 and the Rebels were pressed back along the entire front for a 
 mile or more. The artillery firing was by no means all upon 
 one side, for shot and shell came plunging through the groves 
 and along the fields with fearful sounds, but fortunately with 
 little damage to the men toward whom they were hurled. 
 For a time the band seemed to be the target, but the concert 
 ended very abruptly when "the diapason of the cannonade" 
 was so forcibly interjected, -and the musicians betook them- 
 selves to the timber before the range had been secured by the 
 artillerists from Dixie. But the forward movement was 
 intended merely as a reconnoisance and not as an attack, and 
 as the position of the troops was most uncomfortable, owing 
 to the continuous and close firing of the Rebel artillery, a halt 
 was soon ordered, and at dusk the main line drew back nearly 
 to the works left in the morning. Throughout the night an
 
 1864] 'KocKY FACE KIDGE. 307 
 
 incessant skirmish fire was kept up, and there was little sleep- 
 ing at the reserve posts. 
 
 Monday, May 9, was a most trying one to the NINETY- 
 SIXTH. At three o'clock the men were again in line. Shortly 
 after daylight the Division moved into the valley, sweeping 
 forward to the position reached the night before. There was 
 some moving to right and left, but at about eight o'clock the 
 Regiment was taken from the line and ordered to pile its knap- 
 sacks. Companies A and B were deployed as skirmishers, 
 and the others moved near them as a skirmish reserve. Soon 
 Companies G and K were deployed, and moved to their assist- 
 ance. From their elevated position the Rebels could plainly 
 see every movement and they resolutely resisted this advance. 
 But there was no wavering, the skirmishers going at a run to 
 the timber at the foot of the ridge. A rail fence was encount- 
 ered, the reserves throwing it to the ground ; this passed, the 
 timber offered some protection. Up the steep slope, running 
 from tree to tree, halting a moment behind rocks and then 
 pressing on, the skirmish line made its way until quite near 
 the rocky palisades, which were readily seen to be wholly 
 inaccessible. The main line kept near them, adyancing as 
 ordered, sometimes boldly and in line, and again crawling up 
 the steep incline or moving to right or left a few rods to avoid 
 the more exposed positions. From their sheltered position 
 the Rebels could take deliberate aim at the men in blue below 
 them, and the exposure of a head or foot from behind a tree 
 or rock was the signal for a volley. But resolutely the line 
 held its exposed place, giving shot for shot. Fred Brainerd, 
 of Company B, and James Vaughn, of Company K, were 
 killed in their places. Beri Serviss, of Company K, had a 
 limb shattered, necessitating amputation. Every few moments 
 some one was hit, but there was no faltering, and the Regi- 
 ment did all and more than it had been ordered to do. Be- 
 tween four and five o'clock in the afternoon orders came to 
 move by the right flank. The march was promptly begun, 
 the right bearing down the hill, as Buzzard Roost Gap was 
 neared. When they had advanced so far that the left was 
 fairly past the southern end of the northern ridge the line
 
 308 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 halted and came to a front. Company K, being out of ammu- 
 nition, was recalled and took place beside the colors. Other 
 Companies were deployed and an advance ordered. Into 
 the gap they pressed, additional men being sent out until only 
 the single Company mentioned was in reserve. The line of 
 the Regiment extended from near the foot of the ridge on the 
 right almost to the upright crags upon the left. From the 
 moment the advance was ordered the firing became rapid. 
 Major Hicks had immediate command of the advanced line, 
 with orders to make a strong demonstration, pressing the 
 enemy back into their main line and ascertaining the character 
 of their works. The effort was to deceive the Rebels into the 
 belief that an assault was to be made at this point, while the 
 main army, moving rapidly by the right flank, should force its 
 way through Snake Creek Gap, a dozen miles to the south- 
 ward, and secure, if possible, a foothold upon the railroad 
 between Dalton and Resaca. Hence this movement on the 
 part of the Regiment was a most important one. Nor could 
 it have been entrusted to better hands. With rare nerve and 
 skill the line forced its way to the front. Along the corru- 
 gated sides of that wooded ridge they resolutely moved for- 
 ward, taking such shelter as they could, until the fresh clay of 
 the Rebel breastworks was so near that there could be no 
 farther movement except at a charge. How spitefully the 
 muskets spoke from the front ! With what vicious speed the 
 bullets sped across the rugged battle-field ! The works in 
 front seemed to be crowded with men. The deadly fire was 
 incessant from either side. Exposing themselves as little as 
 possible the men of the Regiment fired from behind trees and 
 rocks or over the natural embankments along the line. The 
 air grew thick with smoke as the rapid and repeated discharges 
 of the muskets sounded through the gorge. At the right and 
 across the gorge the Rebels could be plainly seen, and a por- 
 tion of the line turned their fire in that direction, compelling 
 a precipitate retreat. For the time being the enemy seemed 
 disconcerted. A stream through the narrow gorge had been 
 dammed by them, so filling the ravine with water as to pre- 
 vent a passage on lower ground. This labor proved to have
 
 1864] BUZZARD ROOST GAP. 309 
 
 been expended in vain, for now the Rebels were being threat- 
 ened from an unexpected point. At that very hour Gen, 
 McPherson was threatening Resaca with a considerable force. 
 Thus far Gen. Sherman's plans were being admirably carried 
 out, but unfortunately the advance at the right was not pushed 
 and the opportunity for a decisive battle was lost. 
 
 The afternoon was wearing away, and there was no cessa- 
 tion in the firing. Casualties became frequent. Sergeant 
 Taylor, of Company C, was assisted to the rear with his good 
 right arm so shattered that it could not be saved. Sergeant 
 De Graff, of Company E, who, as one of the Color Guard, 
 had been seriously wounded at Chickamauga, was taken back, 
 mortally hurt. Sergeant Fowler, of Company F, was also 
 mortally wounded. Corporal Powers, of Company B, had an 
 arm useless. William B. Scace, of Company E, was likewise 
 shot in the arm and permanently disabled. Companies E 
 and F suffered most severely, among those wounded in the 
 latter command being Joseph Shannon, the tallest man in the 
 Regiment, who had a hand badly crippled. 
 
 Gen. Stanley, the Division commander, who had come up 
 to the position occupied by the reserve, a few rods in rear of 
 the skirmishers, sent word to the line that the 84th Illinois 
 would be ordered at once to the assistance of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH. But there was a long delay. The firing was kept up 
 for a time, but soon the ammunition run low. To add to 
 their anxiety for the men knew that their position was one 
 of extreme peril there soon came enfilading shots to indicate 
 that the Rebels were pushing out to see what this semblance 
 of an attack could mean. On either flank they pressed. The 
 men glanced over their shoulders at the sun. It had never 
 seemed to move so lazily since that dread Sunday at Chicka- 
 mauga ; but it was now just going out of sight. ' ' We are almost 
 out 6f ammunition," was the word repeatedly sent back from 
 the skirmish line. "Maintain your fire as long as possible, 
 but keep one charge, to be used in case of an assault," was Gen. 
 Stanley's reply, sent from the color line. This order was com- 
 plied with, but of necessity the firing was greatly slackened 
 toward the last. As the twilight was deepening into night
 
 310 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 the Regiment ordered from the rear made its way along the 
 slope near the reserves. The skirmishers quickly fell back 
 through their lines and halted in support, forming upon the 
 colors. Soon the Rebels sallied out and made some demon- 
 stration at the front. "Fix Bayonets!" was the order of 
 Colonel Champion, as he prepared to aid the troops that had 
 just taken position. But the enemy contented themselves 
 with a slight advance, and soon the musketry slackened to a 
 desultory skirmish fire. Then the NINETY-SIXTH marched to 
 the valley and slung the knapsacks left when the advance was 
 begun, moved a short distance to the right and rear, and 
 bivouacked for the remnant of a night. 
 
 The men were well nigh exhausted. From before daylight 
 until nine o'clock at night they had been clutching their mus- 
 kets, with no opportunity to eat except as they munched a 
 hard tack on the skirmish line. Even water was obtained 
 with the utmost difficulty, and when secured it soon became 
 so warm in the canteens as to be unpalatable. Nearly every 
 man had fired from forty to one hundred rounds of ammuni- 
 tion. Their faces were powder-grimed and their clothing 
 stained with the soil where they had hugged the hillside 
 throughout the weary, weary day. And back in the field 
 hospital a score or more were lying, while attendants bathed 
 the pale faces and bound up the ragged wounds. In the camp 
 almost an equal number resolutely cared for slighter wounds 
 some of them severe enough to have fully justified their 
 recipients in going to the rear bravely retaining their places 
 in the ranks. 
 
 There was little fighting done by the First Division of the 
 Fourth Corps on the ninth of May, save that of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH. Farther to the left Harker's Brigade of the Second 
 Division made a strong demonstration directly along the nar- 
 row crest of Rocky Face, meeting with considerable loss, and 
 to the southward a portion of the Second Division of the 
 Twentieth Corps made an attack upon a gap, but could do no 
 more than keep the enemy occupied. The work accomplished 
 by these demonstrations was important, for so completely 
 were the Rebels deceived into the belief that the attacks were
 
 1864] THE CASUALTY LIST. 311 
 
 preliminary to intended assaults, and not mere feints, that 
 they made no move to protect their rear. Meanwhile Gen. 
 McPherson had moved his command far to the right, through 
 Snake Creek Gap, and was gaining a position close to the 
 railroad running southward, at a point not far from Resaca. 
 <ren. Stanley was profuse in his praise of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 for the resolute manner in which they had made the advance 
 against the frowning sides of Rocky Face and subsequently 
 into the strongly defended position at Buzzard Roost Gap, and 
 all who knew the difficult nature of the ground passed over 
 and the nearness to the Rebel main line of the position main- 
 tained for an hour and a half before sundown, fully concurred 
 in the opinion that the praise of the intrepid and experienced 
 Division Commander was fairly earned and fittingly bestowed. 
 The following were the Regiment's 
 
 CASUALTIES : 
 
 Company A. 
 
 WOUNDED. Joseph E. Consolus, face ; Sergeant C. H. Berg, left 
 leg ; Sergeant Jason B. Isbell, right hand. 
 
 Company B. 
 
 ^KILLED. Fred Brainerd. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Warren E. Powers, right arm ; Erastus T. 
 'Cleveland, left ankle. 
 
 Company C. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant James M. Taylor, right arm shattered, necessi- 
 tating amputation ; Corporal Martin Eflnger, hip ; Franc Millheiser, arm. 
 
 Company D. 
 WOUNDED. Frank Rahling, knee. 
 
 Company E. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant Wm. F. De Graff, mortally, dying five days 
 later ; William B. Scace, right arm, permanently disabling him ; Geo. W. 
 Jennings, right arm ; George Teal, right leg ; Joshua B. Going, left foot, 
 losing a toe ; Solomon Bixby, left hand ; Sergeant George C. Bennett, 
 slight wound ; W. W. Jellison, temple, knocked down but not long dis- 
 abled. 
 
 Company F. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant Robert J. Fowler, mortally, dying two days 
 Jater ; Corporal John Kneebone, back ; Corporal Thomas Trevarthan, 
 iip ; Joseph Shannon; hand ; Erhard Dittmar, left side ; Andrew Hind- 

 
 312 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 man, right leg; John Miller, breast ; James Stewart, right hand; JohB 
 Stahl, shoulder and head ; Anton Shap, right leg. 
 
 Company G. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant Charles J. Miller, right shoulder ; William 
 Joyce, face. 
 
 Company H. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant Chester J. Rees, right arm ; Wallace Andrews,, 
 right arm ; Oscar Bobbins, breast. 
 
 Company I. 
 WOUNDED. George Topping, face. 
 
 Company K. 
 
 KILLED. James Vaughn. 
 WOUNDED. Beri Serviss, left leg amputated ; Edward Graham. 
 
 Tuesday, May 10, although the other troops were early 
 called in line the commanders were so considerate as to allow 
 the NINETY-SIXTH to lay quietly, the word passing around as 
 the bugle sounded to lay down and sleep a little longer, a 
 favor that was fully appreciated, although it was by no means 
 late when the last soldier was up. The position was in the 
 valley and greatly exposed, as was soon learned, for when the 
 Rebel artillery began to play upon the line, during the early 
 afternoon, an orderly but somewhat hurried movement to the 
 timber a little farther to the rear was found necessary, the 
 entire Brigade participating. The new line was partially forti- 
 fied and the men at once set about strengthening the works. 
 The skirmishers kept up a constant firing throughout the 
 night, but the Regiment was not disturbed. The night was- 
 rainy and uncomfortable, but the soldiers in reserve slept 
 quietly. A detail of about eighty men, embracing three or 
 four from each Regiment in the Division, was sent out 
 late in the evening to build some works and set a battery as- 
 near as possible to the Gap. A torrent of rain was falling, 
 and in the storm and darkness the trip was undertaken. A 
 creek, swollen to unusual proportions, had to be crossed, and 
 many of the men turned back. in fact, when the single officer 
 in charge of them reached the point where the work was to 
 begin, but sixteen remained. One of those whose fidelity to 
 duty kept him in place was Dighton Granger, of Company Bv
 
 1864] D ALTON EVACUATED. 313 
 
 The work was not only dangerous but laborious, especially on 
 such a night ; but the little band worked like heroes and suc- 
 ceeded in putting up a strong fortification, leaving the works 
 after daylight next morning, at great peril from the fire of the 
 enemy. Many of the horses of the battery had been shot 
 and the guns were finally drawn into position by the men, 
 long ropes being attached so that they could pull them while 
 partially protected by the works. 
 
 Wednesday, May 11, a severe rainstorm prevailed, and 
 the weather was unseasonably cold. The Regiment retained 
 its position nearly opposite the gap until eight o'clock in the 
 evening, when, under cover of the gathering darkness, they 
 moved to the right and front. In this movement it seemed 
 as if the guide was uncertain as to the route or intended desti- 
 nation, for there was much marching and countermarching, 
 with protracted halts in which all were thoroughly chilled. 
 After a long tramp, in which but two or three miles were 
 accomplished, the Brigade halted, relieving portions of the 
 Fourteenth Corps, the latter troops moving to the southward. 
 Heavy details were sent to the picket lines, where they shiv 
 ered until morning. It was midnight when the reserves finally 
 settled down for a brief rest. 
 
 Thursday, May 12, heavy details were kept at the front, 
 the main line building breastworks nearly the entire day. 
 There was considerable skirmishing and artillery was fre- 
 quently brought into use. The advance line constructed 
 heavy skirmish pits, and thus avoided casualties. During the 
 period from the ninth to the twelfth all of the infantry forces 
 except the Fourth Corps had been concentrating on the right. 
 It subsequently became known that Gen. Sherman was greatly 
 disappointed that a vigorous attack was not made at that point 
 as early as the tenth or twelfth, with the view of destroying 
 the railroad and compelling Gen. Johnston to abandon the 
 line of the road and march eastward or come out and fight in 
 the open field. Military writers unanimously agree that a like 
 favorable opportunity did not again present itself to the Union 
 forces during the campaign. The movement, however, com- 
 pelled the enemy to abandon his strong position at Dalton.
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 At midnight of the twelfth lights were seen moving about 
 upon the ridge where the batteries had been posted, and 
 shortly afterward it became evident that the force had gone. 
 Friday, May 13, the Union skirmishers moved forward at 
 daylight and occupied the abandoned works. Soon afterward 
 the main part of the Fourth Corps was moving through Buz- 
 zard Roost Gap. The Rebel works were seen to be of great 
 strength, and the wonder was that even a small force was not 
 left to defend them. Still Gen. Sherman's flanking proclivi- 
 ties were well known, and the only safety for the Rebels was 
 in concentration. At Dalton a brief halt was made, during 
 which the men visited numerous stores, whose owners had fled 
 without taking their stocks of goods. There was little of use 
 to the soldiers, however, for the eatables had generally been 
 removed, and few cared to add to their loads by taking with 
 them articles of dry goods. Newspapers of the day before 
 were found, in which were extravagant accounts of the battles 
 of the ninth ; the claim being that Gen. Sherman's forces had 
 made five desperate assaults, in each of which they had been 
 repulsed, with frightful loss. The statements were not war- 
 ranted by the facts, but in this and many other instances the 
 attempt was evidently made to bolster up the hopes of the 
 people of the South by exaggerating Rebel successes and 
 belittling Union victories. The march was soon resumed, 
 with skirmishers in front, and continued until dusk, the halt 
 ior the night being near an old mill eight miles south of 
 Dalton, and not far from Tilton. There was some skirmish- 
 ing just at dusk, a few bullets flying harmlessly over the 
 heads of the men as they took position, when the final halt 
 was ordered. Immediately a line of breastworks was begun, 
 rails being piled and shovels brought into use, so that a strong 
 fortification was well advanced by nine o'clock. There was 
 more or less picket firing all through the night, but no casual- 
 ties resulted. The Rebels were concentrating at Resaca, and 
 the morrow was to see another eventful day in the Regiment's 
 history.
 
 1864] RESACA. 315 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 
 Approaching Resaca Passing the Cavalry Another Line of Breast- 
 works Built Closing in Upon the Enemy Gallant Advance of the 
 Skirmishers Fix Bayonets! A Charge Proposed; but Never 
 Made The Enemy Massing on the Left Their Lines Advance 
 Outflanked, the Regiment Retreats Routed ! Fighting in Retreat 
 At the Battery Hooker's Troops to the Rescue Terrible 
 Slaughter of the Enemy Counting up the Losses Hooker's Troops 
 Charge Partial Success of Their Assaults Two Memorable Days 
 Successful Flanking Movements The Enemy in Retreat The 
 Casualty List. 
 
 FIVE days following the -bloody encounters at Rocky Face 
 Ridge and Buzzard Roost Gap, the NINETY-SIXTH was again 
 in the furnace of battle, Saturday, May 14r, being the opening 
 day, so far as the Fourth Corps was concerned, of the engage- 
 ment at Resaca. The preceding chapter narrates the doings 
 of the Regiment up to the evening of the thirteenth. Next 
 morning the forces were in motion at six o'clock, Stoneman's 
 cavalry being on the left of the infantry and McCook's troop- 
 ers on the right. Even before the hour named the cavalry 
 had reconnoitered the front and developed the fact that the 
 Rebels were in force not far away, and heavy skirmishing 
 began almost as soon as the camps were left. This skirmish- 
 ing was at first wholly on the part of Gen. Stoneman's forces, 
 the infantry, each Division in column, moving slowly forward 
 in support. Halts were frequent, and after one of a little 
 more length than usual the bugle sounded for the infantry to 
 advance. A brief but rapid march brought them to where 
 the cavalry horses stood in line or in groups. Every fourth 
 man of the cavalry was holding the horses of his file, while 
 his comrades were in advance on foot. The infantry soon 
 reached a ridge along which the dismounted cavalry were 
 deployed. The column broke to right and left, forming in the 
 order of battle on either side of the highway. The officers of 
 the different commands consulted as to the positions of their
 
 316 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 respective forces and of the enemy, and two or three men 
 from each Company ran to a creek or spring near by to fill 
 their own and their comrades' canteens. Belts were buckled 
 a little tighter, and the men peered forward to see what 
 awaited them. The cracking of the carbines had nearly 
 ceased, and the occasional bullets from the front had the 
 peculiar humming sound which indicated that they had come 
 a long distance. At this discovery there was some good- 
 natured chaffing between the two arms of the service, the 
 infantry ridiculing the cavalry for firing at such long range. 
 This was soon terminated, for the troopers were ordered back 
 to their horses and sent to watch the left flank. The NINETY- 
 SIXTH, with other forces in the front line, advanced for a short 
 distance and halted near the edge of an open field, a quarter 
 of a mile in width. Skirmishers were thrown out into this 
 field, and the main line immediately began to fortify its posi- 
 tion. The Fourth Corps was on the extreme left of the gen- 
 eral army, the First Division, to which the NINETY-SIXTH was 
 attached, was the left of the Corps, and for the time being 
 Whittaker's was the left Brigade of the Division. It required 
 most of the forenoon to move the Corps into place and connect 
 the lines with those of the Twenty-third Corps, on the right. 
 During this period comparative quiet reigned upon the extreme 
 left, but farther to the right, where the troops were swinging 
 forward to develop the enemy's position, there was a volume 
 of firing whose magnitude indicated that a battle was in 
 progress. 
 
 At a little after two o'clock the left was ordered forward. 
 Promptly the line moved out, Companies A and B deployed 
 as skirmishers. Beyond the open field mentioned was a 
 wooded ridge, from which came shots to indicate that it was 
 held by the enemy. The advance to this ridge was resisted, 
 but not with such force as to compel a charge. As the skir- 
 mishers neared its top they were greeted with a hot fire, indi- 
 cating that the enemy were in heavy force a little farther on. 
 As it proved the advancing line was not parallel to the enemy's 
 works, the left of Company B being much nearer than the 
 right of Company A. This fact was not at once appreciated,
 
 1864] RESACA. 317 
 
 arid Captain Vincent, the ranking officer and hence the com- 
 manding officer of the line, repeatedly called out, as the men 
 halted, "Forward on the left!" "Forward on the left!" 
 Captain Gilmore repeated the order to his men, and most 
 gallantly they responded, going at a charge, driving the 
 enemy's skirmishers from their positions and halting only 
 when the main works of the Rebels were in plain view and a 
 volley warned them that to go farther would be extremely 
 perilous. In this advance Herman Hoogstraat, of Company 
 B, was killed by one of the Rebel skirmishers, the latter 
 quickly paying the penalty, for before the smoke from his 
 musket had cleared away, "Mack" McMillen's trusty rifle 
 rang out its response, and when the line advanced the Rebel 
 was found dead where he had fallen. John Bininger, of 
 Company A, was the target of the Rebels for a time, they 
 getting range of the old stump behind which he had taken 
 shelter and tilling it full of holes. A bad bruise to his shoul- 
 der, a severely scratched face and a considerable amount of 
 bark and dirt in his eyes constituted his inventory of physical 
 damages. It being demonstrated that the left was as far 
 advanced as was practicable, the right was swung around to 
 conform and the reserves moved up until they stood confront- 
 ing a field, a half mile in width. This field was broken with 
 hills and seamed with gullies, with a timbered ridge at the 
 left. Its farther side was fringed with timber, against which 
 the fresh clay of a heavy line of breastworks could be plainly 
 seen. The works were full of men, except at one point where 
 a fort projected, which was readily guessed to be occupied by 
 a battery of artillery. Instantly the Brigade Commander 
 coveted that battery, and began to make plans for its capture. 
 The NINETY-SIXTH, with two other regiments, were ordered to 
 pile knapsacks and fix bayonets, preparatory to a charge. 
 Officers and men looked at each other in amazement, and won- 
 dered if it was possible that this little force was to be asked 
 to make an assault across such a field and against such for- 
 midable entrenchments with no support at hand? Colonel 
 Champion, who was always careful of criticising his superiors, 
 quietly spoke his disapproval to those immediately about him,
 
 318 HlSTOBY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 but added that if the order was made there should be no falter- 
 ing. O'Connor, of Company K, peering from behind the 
 thin screen of bushes that sheltered the Regiment, remarked : 
 a lf Gen. Whittaker will wait until next pay-day I will chip 
 in a part of me wages and buy him a better battery than the 
 one ferninst him on the hill." 
 
 The General seemed in high glee over the anticipated 
 victory, his expressions being in marked contrast with the feel- 
 ings of the officers and men assigned to the task laid out by 
 him, as afterward ascertained, although at the time but little 
 was said. Preparations were nearly completed, and in a few 
 moments the order would have been given had not the 
 Division Commander come from the right just at this time. 
 A look to right and left, and he fully comprehended the situ- 
 ation. Masked batteries on either flank, silent as yet, but so 
 posted as to be able to throw a converging fire upon every 
 acre of that barren field, were detected by his eagle eye. He 
 quickly decided that the charge would be unwise. The men 
 fully concurred in the judgment of the senior officer as to the 
 unwisdom of a charge on the part of three small regiments, 
 with no supports in sight, against strong earthworks, with the 
 certainty of a flanking fire from the moment an advance begun. 
 At Chickamauga they had obeyed Gen. Whittaker's order and 
 hurled themselves against a mass of Rebels outnumbering 
 them three to one, and achieved success. At Lookout Moun- 
 tain they had climbed into the very clouds, and won a victory 
 where defeat seemed almost certain. At Rocky Face, five 
 days before the date here written of, they had moved although 
 but a mere skirmish line against an army and accomplished 
 all that they were asked to do. So now, had the order been 
 given, they would have gone against that frowning line, and, 
 if possible, wrested a victory from the very jaws of defeat. 
 But it is not too much to say that as the men stood in line 
 that afternoon, and, peering from behind their thin screen of 
 bushes, measured their chances in the proposed charge across 
 that rugged field, the feeling was all but universal that before 
 them lay the most difficult and desperate undertaking that had 
 ever been assigned to them. It was therefore with a feeling
 
 1864] RESACA. 319 
 
 of infinite relief that the order was received to unfix bayonets. 
 A hurried consultation of officers followed. A Brigade wa 
 moved into the woods at the left, and shortly afterward the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, with two other regiments, moved quietly but 
 quickly to the rear, and then, by diverging columns, across an 
 obscure road and along a depression between two irregular 
 ridges or hills, to the left of where the Brigade mentioned 
 was going into position. Company B was sent in detachments 
 on the left fiank and to the front, with instructions to report 
 any movement of the enemy that might be discovered. Com- 
 pany G was deployed to skirmish along the immediate front 
 of the Regiment. The movement was through a tangle of 
 underbrush for a hundred rods or more. When a halt was 
 made the Regiment was in line almost at right angles to its 
 former position, and practically isolated from any other troops, 
 a gap several rods in extent separating it from the Brigade 
 which had hastily moved on its right and slightly to the front, 
 while a like opening lay between its left and the 51st Ohio. 
 The 99th Ohio was halted some distance in the rear, and not 
 far from the road. None in the ranks, and but few even 
 among the field officers, knew the need that had called for this 
 movement, the anxiety with which Gen. Stanley watched as 
 they entered the jungle into which his order had sent them,, 
 or with what urgency he was asking Gen. Thomas for rein- 
 forcements for his left wing. His scouts had brought him 
 word that the enemy was massing a Division or more for one 
 of those desperate charges upon the flank for which the Con- 
 federates were noted. 
 
 The skirmishers upon the immediate front of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH soon became aware of the purpose of the enemy, for as 
 they halted at a low rail fence at the edge of the thicket and 
 looked across an old field with its girdled trees, a sight in one 
 sense grand came full upon their gaze. Stevenson's Division 
 was just emerging from the timber and forming its lines in 
 plain view, preparatory to a desperate assault. The enemy 
 were in two lines, and formed in admirable order, their flags 
 floating gaily, many of their officers mounted, and a light line 
 of cavalry riding in rear and upon either flank. At a given
 
 I 
 320 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 command two or three men stepped out from each Company 
 and took position as skirmishers. The long lines extended 
 far to right and left, and it was evident that the movement 
 was one of no mean proportions. Captain James promptly 
 reported from the skirmish line what had been seen, and was 
 ordered to call in his men and form them with the main line. 
 This proved a difficult task, for they were busily engaged in 
 tiring- into the now advancing Rebels, and could hear the com- 
 mand with difficulty ; indeed many of them did not hear the 
 order, running back on their own judgment when they saw 
 that to remain longer meant capture. A few did not leave 
 the line at all, being so absorbed in their work of loading and 
 iiring as to fail to take thought for their own safety until too 
 late, and when they were fairly run over by the cloud of skir- 
 mishers that covered the front of the moving lines. 
 
 The charging column, as it came over the higher ground, 
 struck the Brigade at the right with fearful velocity. These 
 troops were engaged in throwing up a barricade of rails and 
 logs when the charge began. Seizing their muskets they made 
 a brave fight for a few moments, but upon discovering that 
 their flank was passed broke for the rear in wild confusion. 
 The moments were of fearful import to the members of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH. Bow anxiously they awaited the result of 
 that onset. They could see little, but they could hear every- 
 thing. It was but a moment and their worst fears were 
 realized, for the firing slackened at the right, while the Rebel 
 yell grew more exultant as the line of blue was rolled back 
 from left to right. In a moment the storm had struck the 
 Regiment. Hardly a shot had been fired at them as yet, and 
 owing to the dense thicket not a Rebel could be seen. But 
 they could be plainly heard as they threw aside the fence in 
 front. The men were generally kneeling or lying prostrate 
 on the ground, every one ready for his work. The voice of 
 Colonel Champion rang out: "Steady, men! Hold your 
 fire until I give the word ! " Then, as the bushes began to 
 weave to and fro, almost in their faces, he gave the command : 
 "Fire!" A terribly destructive volley poured into the on- 
 coming lines, and a great winrow of dead was afterward 

 
 
 WILLIAM 15. SCACK. 
 Company K.
 
 sp*.*^ 
 
 f & 

 
 1864] RESACA. 321 
 
 found at this point. The front line of the charging column 
 was halted and turned back for a regiment's length. Many of 
 the Regiment began to reload their muskets, having no thought 
 of leaving the line. Those at the right could see at once that 
 the position was untenable, for the Rebels were rushing past 
 their flank in solid ranks. A moment later the left was also 
 flanked and a wicked fire was poured lengthwise of the line. 
 A formal order to retreat was given by Colonel Champion, 
 with directions to rally at the breastworks, but in the confu- 
 sion and noise could not be heard by all. But the instinct of 
 self preservation was strong enough to tell the experienced 
 soldier what to do, and the movement to the rear was begun 
 almost simultaneously along the entire line. In a moment 
 the retreat had become a rout. The Rebels were past both 
 the flanks, and yelling and firing with all their might. For 
 the first and last time in its experience the Regiment was in 
 utter confusion, and little or no effort was made to preserve 
 order ; indeed no effort was practicable from the start. For 
 a time it was a race between the men in blue and those in 
 gray to see which should first gain the open field. Fortu- 
 tunately the Regiment's course lay through a hollow or depres- 
 sion, and while the pines somewhat retarded the retreat it 
 likewise delayed the Rebels and served an admirable purpose 
 as a covering or screen. A majority of the command followed 
 the natural depression, which took them a little to the left of 
 Simonson's 5th Indiana Battery, making their way to the 
 breastworks built in the morning, and when the enemy came 
 in view doing admirable service. Others bore to the right, 
 and as they emerged from the timber found themselves in an 
 open field nearly in front of the Battery as it then faced. As 
 soon as the infantry had moved to right and left, so that the 
 cannon could be fired without endangering the. lives of their 
 friends, Capt. Simonson gave the word, and his six pieces of 
 artillery began to play upon the timber. The Rebels had 
 evidently slackened their pace somewhat, probably to reform 
 that portion of their line shattered by the volleys from the 
 NINETY-SIXTH and other Regiments, and to change .direction 
 so as to swing a little farther to the Union rear. On either 
 
 21
 
 322 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 side of the Battery the most strenuous efforts were making to- 
 organize the men who had been borne backward in the terrific 
 storm. Officers of every rank were shouting out their orders, 
 and men of a dozen regiments were trying to form some 
 semblance of a line, regardless of what flag they fought 
 beneath so that it was the stars and stripes. Others, timid 
 and uncertain as to duty, were hunting for their own com- 
 mands. An irregular line was formed on either flank of the 
 cannon, and the men stood there awaiting the coming of the 
 Rebels and resolved to check and send them back if the valor 
 of a few could avail. But all at that point felt that the result 
 was doubtful, for what could two or three hundred do against 
 the vast host soon to emerge from the cover of the timber ? 
 
 It was marvelous to witness the rapidity with which the 
 artillery was fired as the danger of capture became apparent 
 to the cannoneers. Perhaps never were six guns made to do 
 more rapid or destructive work. They were filled again and 
 again, almost to the muzzle, and fired so rapidly that Rebel 
 prisoners captured soon after refused to believe that but a 
 single battery had played upon them. 
 
 It was said that five wagon loads of ammunition were 
 expended within a half hour or less, and that 268 dead Rebels 
 were buried from the front of the battery. A staff officer came 
 riding down to where the scattered infantrymen were resolutely 
 reforming, and begged them to hold the line for five minutes 
 more, assuring them that a Division of the Twentieth Corps 
 was close at hand, coming to the rescue at double quick. The 
 promise was reassuring, although many did not need it, having 
 determined to fight to the death beside the Battery. The 
 Rebels had now emerged from the woods, and under orders 
 not to shout or fire, but to keep their advance concealed if 
 possible, were moving for the coveted artillery, hoping to 
 gain it by stealth. So silent was their movement that some 
 of the Federal forces almost believed them friends, and hesi- 
 tated about firing upon them. ' ' Why don't you return our 
 fire ?" was shouted towards them. "We don't care anything 
 about you ^ we are after that Battery ! " was shouted back. 
 "If you want the Battery come and get it I " was answered in
 
 
 1864] RESACA. 323 
 
 chorus, and the firing grew more fierce and deadly, the mus- 
 kets playing upon them and the cannon emptying grape and 
 canister into their ranks. They were but a few rods away 
 when a Brigade of Hooker's Corps, moving at double-quick, 
 came up from the right and took place beside the guns. At 
 the same time a portion of the NINETY-SIXTH was firing upon 
 them at short range from the breastworks. The movements 
 of the reinforcing column were admirably made, and they 
 swept forward across the field, driving the Rebels back into 
 the shelter of the forest. And with them, forming wherever 
 they could, in the front line, moved many of the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 halting only when the enemy had disappeared in rapid flight, 
 and darkness had begun to settle over the terrible scene. The 
 discomfiture of the Rebels was complete, their ranks being 
 shattered and their rout even more marked than had been 
 that of the most exposed Union forces. Numerous prisoners 
 were captured, and the ground was strewn with arms and 
 equipments. All of their dead and many of their wounded 
 were left upon the field, and it only needed a few moments 
 more of daylight to have made probable the capture of 
 nearly the entire force. But even before the reinforcements 
 had arrived darkness had begun to shut out the view, and the 
 CTnion forces halted soon after entering the woods. Mean- 
 while word had passed along the line for the members of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, who were with Gen. Hooker's command, to 
 return to the Battery and go from there to the breastworks, 
 where the Field Officers, the colors and many of the men were 
 awaiting them. At this gathering there was many a hearty 
 hand-shake as comrades greeted those whom they feared had 
 been killed or captured, and many an anxious inquiry for 
 those not yet in line. The Regiment then moved to a position 
 in the main line-of- battle, behind some heavy breastworks, 
 and bivouacked, long after dark. At intervals throughout 
 the night the missing ones arrived, and tired men from other 
 commands were anxiously inquiring as they passed along the 
 line, " What regiment ? " 
 
 There were many exciting incidents during the retreat. 
 Soon after leaving the line Sergeant Swanbrough found his
 
 324 HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 task of carrying the flag a most difficult one, for it would 
 catch on the bushes and delay him. Once he fell down, and 
 as the cord and tassels wound around a sapling was compelled 
 to stop and untwist them. Those who were near him as he fell 
 thought certainly that the Sergeant was killed or wounded, 
 and the flag captured. Happily this proved incorrect, for he 
 was unharmed, and by taking the colors in his hands and 
 dragging the staff after him he managed to escape. The 
 stretcher bearers had a hard task in carrying back Aralzeman 
 Stanley, of Company D, who had been disabled by a wound, 
 but succeeded, although narrowly escaping. Simeon Spencer, 
 of Company F, remained with his brother Richard, when the 
 latter was wounded, as long as he could safely, and then 
 reluctantly left him to become a prisoner, knowing that if he 
 remained they would be quickly separated. Richard was 
 recaptured two days later. Lewis Miller, of Company G, 
 might have escaped had he been willing to run with a loaded 
 gun, but stopping to cap and fire his piece, was himself shot 
 and became a prisoner. His right leg was shattered, render- 
 ing amputation necessary. When the Rebel surgeons exam- 
 ined him he asked if the leg could be saved. Receiving a 
 negative reply he quickly said: "Cut it off then." The 
 operation was skillfully performed. Two days afterward he 
 was recaptured, and for a time seemed to be doing admirably, 
 but later some complication set in and he died in thirteen 
 days from the time of receiving his wound. First Sergeant 
 Thomas J. Smith, of Company I, a brother of the Lieutenant 
 Colonel, was shot through both legs, and, with Spencer and 
 Miller, fell into the enemy's hands. At his earnest solicita- 
 tion the Rebel surgeons consented that the three be left at a 
 private house when the army fell back. A little later a letter 
 came to his address bearing his commission as First Lieutenant 
 of his Company, to succeed Lieutenant Moore, who had been 
 assigned to duty as Quarter-Master, but it was too late, as 
 his death occurred June 9. Three men in Company K, 
 Sergeant Leland, Charles Courter and John J. Vrowman, 
 fell dead near together in the thicket. First Sergeant Joseph 
 B. Leekley, of Company F, and Corporal "William B. Lewin
 
 1864] RESACA. 325 
 
 and Orange M. Ayers, of Company C, took a slightly wrong 
 direction in the retreat, and emerging upon a road found 
 themselves prisoners. Leekley and Ayers afterward died in 
 prison, and Lewin reached home only at the close of the war. 
 Those on the skirmish line had a most trying experience. 
 Many of them, not hearing the command to fall back to the 
 main line, remained near the fence until the enemy were 
 within a few feet of them, and some of them were between 
 the fire of both friend and foe. The fate of Edward Darby, 
 of Company G, was never fully known. As his body was 
 not found when the lines again advanced over the ground 
 where he was last seen, it was believed that he was a pris- 
 oner, but no tidings ever came of him. It is probable that 
 he was either killed, or, being mortally wounded, was taken 
 to the rear, dying and being buried in an unknown grave. 
 Corporal Hose and Myron J. Brown, of Company G, re- 
 mained too long and were captured. Rose died in prison, 
 and Brown, when he finally escaped, was too badly emaciated 
 to permit of his return to the Regiment. William Flagler, of 
 Company G, was sometimes laughed at for carrying a big 
 knapsack, but on this occasion it served him a good purpose. 
 A Rebel bullet, fired at short range, struck it fairly in the 
 centre, passed through and cut numerous holes in his surplus 
 clothing, and spoiled a quantity of letter paper and stamped 
 envelopes, but came to a stop just before reaching his person. 
 He was knocked down and his comrades thought him killed, 
 but he quickly gathered and made good time to the rear. 
 Lieutenant Hastings was so severely wounded in the foot as 
 to make his escape most difficult, but with the assistance of 
 some of the members of his Company he succeeded in getting 
 safely back. James Litwiler, of Company B, was instantly 
 killed in this retrograde movement. Lieutenant Colonel 
 Smith, who had been on detached service at Chattanooga for 
 two or three weeks, came on the field just in time to be caught 
 in the panic, being in search of the Regiment when it was 
 swept backward, and joining it that evening. In the advance 
 S. F. Vose, of Company G, threw his arm out of joint, but 
 as the same accident had happened before, it did not pain him 

 
 326 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 severely. Stripping off all of his clothing but his pants, the 
 surgeon had just succeeded in pulling the dislocated arm in 
 place when the stampede begun. Yose ran back "without 
 many clothes on," an object at once pitiable and laughable, 
 as he made his way to the rear. Adjutant Blodgett picked 
 up a set of accoutrements that had been discarded by some 
 wounded man, but when a bullet spatted against the car- 
 tridge box concluded to drop them. James Beck, of Com- 
 pany B, had a bullet through both trouser legs, and his mus- 
 ket was struck by a ball as he was capping it, but he escaped 
 wounds. Henry Montgomery, of Company B, had a bullet 
 through his coat ; George Bowman, of Company A, had a 
 bullet through his knapsack and another through his boot 
 heel. Nicholas Wearmouth, of Company A, had a bullet 
 through the rim of his hat. Many others had bullets through 
 their clothing or equipments, and the marvel is that the actual 
 casualties were so few. A large number of knapsacks, haver- 
 sacks and hats were lost in the retreat, the bushes catching 
 and tearing them off, and not all caring to risk their lives by 
 stopping to pick them up with the yelling pursuers so close 
 at hand. A very few possibly a half dozen became so 
 demoralized as to drop their guns. 
 
 While retreat, as a rule, is supposed to reflect discredit 
 upon a command, the retrograde movement at Resaca was 
 wisely made, for to have stood longer must have resulted in 
 the capture of the command. As it was, the Regiment was 
 able to render an important service at the Battery and in the 
 breastworks in checking the Rebel advance, and also in giving 
 direction and encouragement to the reinforcing column. 
 
 Sunday, May 15, found the two armies still confronting each 
 other along the rugged hills and narrow valleys about Resaca. 
 General Sherman continued the work of pushing his right 
 wing down the Oostenaula River, begun the day before, and 
 succeeded in laying two pontoon bridges not far from Cal- 
 houn, and in such a position as to again threaten Johnston's 
 rear. On the left there was some shifting of position, but no 
 general movement on the part of the Fourth Corps. Skirmish 
 firing, which had been kept up through the night, increased in
 
 1864] RESACA. 327 
 
 volume, and the artillery played upon the lines from either 
 side. During the forenoon the three Divisions of the Twen- 
 tieth Corps were moved to a position in the rear of the Fourth 
 Corps, and it was whispered that they were to assault the 
 works in front. The NINUTY-SIXTH left its works and moved 
 to the front, halting in line-of-battle at the right of the Dalton 
 and Resaca road. Just in rear of this position two Brigades 
 of General Butterfield's Division of the Twentieth Corps were 
 massed, and a number of dispatches, detailing the advantages 
 gained by the Army of the Potomac in their campaign, were 
 read at the head of the lines. The good news was received 
 with hearty cheering, it soon transpired that one purpose 
 in having these dispatches read was to encourage the troops in 
 the difficult work before them, for at a little after one o'clock 
 they were ordered forward for an attack. One Brigade, 
 commanded by Gen. Ward, moved diagonally across the 
 wagon road, passing directly through, or over, the NINETY- 
 SIXTH. Another Brigade advanced farther at the left. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH soon found its position in support a most un- 
 comfortable one. From the moment it occupied the line a 
 heavy artillery fire had been showered down the road, and 
 when the charging column began its advance the musketry 
 firing instantly increased. For a time this force could be 
 plainly seen climbing the ridge on the left, but soon the 
 foliage of the trees and bushes hid it from view. A cheer 
 burst from the lines ; then a volley was given by them and 
 returned by the enemy. A moment more and the musketry 
 had become continuous, its roar deepening as it was echoed 
 from hill to hill. Musket balls came pattering down to the 
 Regiment's position in great numbers, pelting the ground, 
 striking logs and trees, or cutting off the leaves overhead. 
 Wounded men began to limp or stagger past ; then groups 
 of stragglers, the latter being halted and turned back or sent 
 to where some officers were stationed to take charge of them. 
 The stretcher bearers, who had gone to the front close behind 
 the lines, soon returned with their ghastly loads ; the canvas, 
 so clean and white as they advanced, now crimsoned with 
 the life-blood of those who had fallen. And still the dread
 
 328 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 work went on. The troops in reserve had little to do except 
 to stop the stragglers, but with the left of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 this duty was not altogether light. But even doing nothing 
 was trying work at such a time, for the pitiless shots struck 
 all around and kept the men anxious for their own safety.. 
 The volume of sound lessened for an instant and then the- 
 Rebel yell broke out anew. The charge had only partially 
 succeeded. The men fell back at many points, but rallied a> 
 little at the left of the road and again went forward. Farther 
 over the ridge a terrible blunder occurred. Changing direc- 
 tion slightly, one column moved so as to partly come in rear 
 of another. The woods were full of smoke so that they could 
 not see what was before them, and as the bullets were coming, 
 from the front they fired into their friends. The effect was 
 to disorganize both Brigades to some extent and make com- 
 plete success impossible. Only a partial volley was fired,, 
 but not a few fell before it. Some of the officers knew the- 
 situation and soon made the men aware of their mistake. A 
 portion of one Brigade made their way up to the Rebel 
 works, and lay down outside, clubbing muskets with the foe. 
 The bayonet was used in a few cases, and the enemy forced 
 to abandon four pieces of artillery. These guns could not be 
 drawn out until nightfall, but through that long afternoon the 
 brave men lay at the embrasures and prevented the foe from 
 getting any use of them. The results of the charges were 
 not all that had been hoped, for the Rebels still held a con- 
 tinuous line about Resaca, but there were substantial gains 
 in position, and it was expected that should the enemy remain 
 until morning their main line would be forced. The firing 
 was heavy and continuous until evening. The NINETY-SIXTH 
 held its position beside the road for several hours. At one 
 time Gen. Hooker, with his Staff and a bevy of orderlies, rode 
 to the centre of the Regiment, and from their horses watched 
 a charge. Bullets flew all about them, and two or three of 
 the party were wounded, but the veteran Commander never- 
 moved a muscle to indicate that he had the slightest fear. A 
 straggler came rushing back near their position. The Gen- 
 eral said, reproachfully perhaps, but with no trace of passion ::
 
 1864] KESACA. 
 
 "Young man, isn't it a little cowardly to leave your com- 
 rades fighting at the front while you go to the rear ? Go 
 back to your command and show that you are willing to 
 do your part." The soldier turned about, almost before the 
 General had ceased speaking, and, deliberately facing the 
 storm, went back into the battle. The effect of Gen. Hooker's 
 coolness upon the men lying in reserve was excellent. His 
 reputation was that of a fiery, impulsive, passionate man ; 
 but here, under most trying circumstances, he was as cool 
 as though the surroundings were of the most common-place 
 character. During the afternoon Gen. Ward, commanding 
 one of Gen. Butterfield's Brigades, who had ridden through 
 the Regiment on his way to the front, was brought back 
 wounded. Gen. Knipe, another Brigade commander, was 
 also severely wounded ; and the total of casualties in these 
 afternoon charges was not less than two thousand. Four 
 pieces of artillery and two battle flags were among the tro- 
 phies. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH, notwithstanding the heavy firing all 
 about it, had but two men wounded. Andrew Hindman, of 
 Company F, had a wound in the shoulder, and Nahum Lamb, 
 of Company G, in the right hand, disabling him for further 
 service. Several others were hit by spent balls or had bullets 
 through their clothing, but were not disabled. 
 
 At three o'clock in the afternoon a detail from the Regi- 
 ment, under Lieutenant Earle, was sent to the right to con- 
 struct some breastworks on a high ridge. At dusk the Regi- 
 ment moved to these works and formed line under an annoy- 
 ing artillery fire. Soon afterward all was quiet for a time, the 
 armies, as if by mutual consent, discontinuing their firing ; 
 but when some members of the Regiment built a fire just 
 behind the works bullets began to zip uncomfortably close, 
 and even a battery threw a shot which, passing close to the 
 fire, went back into the timber in rear. Thus warned, all 
 fires were extinguished and grim darkness reigned over the 
 scene. The men soon settled down to such sleep as could be 
 obtained, but were once routed out and fell in line, some 
 unusual noise at the front indicating a move on the part of 

 
 330 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 the enemy that might mean a night assault. It proved to be 
 a false alarm, however, for instead of making an assault the 
 Rebels were retreating under cover of the darkness, and by 
 morning all were gone. During the two days the Regiment 
 sustained the following 
 
 CASUALTIES : 
 
 Company A. 
 WOUNDED. John Binninger, face ; Gottlieb Weber, face. 
 
 Company B. 
 KILLED. Herman Hoogstraat, James Litwiler. 
 
 Company G. 
 
 CAPTURED. Corporal William B. Lewin ; Orange M. Avers, the 
 latter dying in prison. 
 
 Company D. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Lieutenant Walter W. Hastings, foot, disabling 
 him for further field service ; Corporal Charles Peppard, left hand ; 
 William Fleming, breast ; Aralzeman Stanley, right thigh, disabling him 
 for further active service. 
 
 Company F. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Thomas Trevarthan, face ; Hugh Williams, 
 left hand, losing a finger ; Andrew HindmajL. shoulder, wounded awl 
 
 t.iirpri ; Richard Spencer, shot in breasw^Sisablea'ior further service. 
 
 CAPTURED. First Sergeant Joseph B^Leekley, who subsequently 
 <lied in prison. 
 
 Company G. 
 
 KILLED. Edward Darby. 
 
 WOUNDED AND CAPTURED. Lewis Miller, right leg shattered above 
 the knee, necessitating amputation and causing his death two weeks 
 afterward. 
 
 CAPTURED. Corporal Delos Rose ; Myron J. Brown. Rose dying 
 in prison. 
 
 WOUNDED. Nahum Lamb, right hand, necessitating amputation of 
 second finger, and disabling him for further service. 
 
 Company I. 
 
 WOUNDED AND CAPTURED. First Sergeant Thomas J. Smith, shot 
 through both legs, causing his death June 9. 
 
 Company K. 
 KILLED. Sergeant Thomas Leland ; Charles Courier ; John J. Vrow-
 
 1864] RESACA. 331 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 After the Battle Resaca Abandoned "Drawing Sherman On " Look- 
 ing for Missing Comrades Forward Again A trio of Wounded 
 Crossing the Oostenaula Pressing the Enemy Daily under Fire 
 Calhoun and Adairsville Passed From Kingston to Cassville Many 
 Miles upon the Skirmish Line The Enemy Pressed backward An 
 Army in Full Sight More Breastworks A Battle Impending Artil- 
 lery Duel Corporal Gage's Capture Again they Retreat Wearied 
 Soldiers Three Days of Rest Odd Fellows Outfit Preserved Visit 
 to the Seminary The Boys and the Books Sunday's Experience at 
 Cassville. 
 
 THE dawn of Monday, May 16, found the Rebel breast- 
 works at Resaca deserted. The gain in position made by 
 the Union forces during the two days of fighting and maneu- 
 vering, coupled with the fact that part of Gen. McPherson's 
 army had succeeded in laying pontoon bridges some distance 
 below, and thereby gained a foothold upon the south bank of 
 the river, from which a considerable force of the enemy had 
 tried in vain to dislodge them, had decided Gen. Johnston 
 that his only safety lay in immediate retreat. He took hope 
 in the thought that Gen. Sherman's army was dependent 
 upon a single line of railroad for the immense supplies upon 
 which it must subsist, and that while his own army was 
 gaining in numbers as it fell back by the gathering in of con- 
 scripts and the addition of the detachments heretofore re- 
 quired to garrison the posts past which he retreated, the 
 Union forces suffered a corresponding loss as Regiments or 
 Brigades were dropped out by the way to guard towns and 
 bridges. Then, too, he was well aware of the fact that the 
 time of the non-veterans from many of the Regiments 
 recruited in 1861 would soon expire, and that with their re- 
 tirement the Union army would suffer serious loss. Doubt- 
 less it was with regret that he abandoned the strong positions 
 -at Dalton and Resaca ; but hope was strong that when the 
 forces of Gen. Sherman had been drawn far from their base
 
 332 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 of supplies and become weakened by losses from sickness 
 and the other causes mentioned, he would be able, by a bold 
 flank movement, or a cavalry raid which should successfully 
 cut the railroad toward Chattanooga, to compel the army con- 
 fronting him to abandon offensive operations and fall back 
 to the line of the Tennessee river for their own protection. 
 The rank and file of the Rebel army were made to believe that 
 Gen. Johnston was merely drawing Gen. Sherman on, and 
 that when he "got him where he wanted him" he would 
 drive off, in dire confusion, such of his army as he did not 
 capture or destroy. But in this hope they were doomed to 
 bitter disappointment, as their bold movement, which waa 
 only to be made after Atlanta had fallen, and under another 
 leader than Gen. Johnston, was to be as disastrous as it 
 was brilliant. 
 
 On the morning named the troops were ' ' bugled " out at 
 an early hour, and speedily learned from the pickets that 
 there had been no response to their occasional firing for some 
 hours. Many of the Regiment at once started out to recon- 
 noitre the immediate vicinity, especially desiring to go 
 through the thicket where they had met the enemy on Satur- 
 day evening, and from which they had been forced to beat so 
 hasty a retreat, their main purpose being to obtain some trace 
 of missing comrades. The bodies of a portion of the dead 
 were found, and from a few Rebels who had been left on 
 picket or who had overslept and were made prisoners by 
 these adventurous men, it was definitely ascertained that 
 Rose, Lewin and Ayers had been captured unharmed. Cor- 
 poral Rose was at the time wearing a light blue jacket, made 
 from an overcoat, and his chevrons were of a darker material. 
 This peculiarity of dress, together with his heavy, sandy 
 moustache, made his identification complete, while that of 
 the others mentioned was hardly less so. There were others 
 captured, they said, but they could not describe them so as to 
 make it certain that they were from the Regiment. 
 
 The Regimental Pioneers, under Lieutenant Burnett, of 
 Company B, were detailed to bury the dead left upon the 
 battle-field, and spent the greater part of two days at this-
 
 1864] RESACA. 333 
 
 sad labor. Details from other commands assisted in the 
 work. 
 
 At eight o'clock the dispositions for pursuit were com- 
 pleted and the command moved out. The route of the Reg- 
 iment lay near the ground over which the charges of the day 
 before had been made, and revealed many interesting scenes. 
 The Rebel earthworks were found to be of great strength, 
 and two or more lines deep, so that should one be lost the 
 troops would have to fall back but a few rods before they 
 could again have protection. The trees and bushes were 
 barked and slivered in a manner to indicate that the Federal 
 fire had been terrific, especially at the point where the four 
 pieces of artillery had been captured. 
 
 In the forward movement the Fourth Corps led the way 
 to the little hamlet of Resaca, nearly three miles from the 
 left of the main battle-field. The Fourteenth Corps, except 
 one Division which had been sent toward Rome in support of 
 Garrard's cavalry, followed. The Twentieth and Twenty- 
 third Corps crossed the river at the left, and Gen. McPher- 
 son's forces at Lay's Ferry, at the right. Arrived at Resaca, 
 some hours were occupied in repairing the partially destroyed 
 bridge, those of the troops not actively engaged in this work 
 resting in the shade of the timber beside the road. "While 
 in this position a scout rode along and, enquiring for the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, reported that three of their men, all wounded, 
 were in a building a short distance away. An ambulance 
 was secured, and Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, accompanied by 
 a few men, went in the direction indicated and soon returned 
 with First Sergeant Thomas J. Smith, of Company I ; Richard 
 Spencer, of Company F ; and Lewis Miller, of Company G ; 
 .all of whom were wounded and captured two days before. 
 They were halted at the Regiment for a little time, and then 
 taken to the village and placed in hospitals that were just 
 being established. Smith and Miller did not long survive, 
 but Spencer recovered after some months. Their captors had 
 taken their watches and blankets, but they reported having 
 received every possible kindness from the ladies at whose
 
 334 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 house they had been left, notwithstanding the fact that their 
 sympathies were wholly with the South. 
 
 In the haste of leaving, the Rebels abandoned a large 
 amount of meal, a quantity of muskets and other material. 
 It may be said, however, that the retreat was well managed, 
 for the trophies were not numerous considering the amount 
 of material that had to be removed. A few prisoners were cap- 
 tured at the crossings of the river, but no more than are to 
 be found in rear of any hurriedly moved army where retreat 
 is made at night. 
 
 Between four and five o'clock in the afternoon the Fourth 
 Corps crossed the Oostenaula and marched southward on 
 roads nearly parallel to the railroad, camping for the night 
 not far from Calhoun. The 115th Illinois, which had been 
 brigaded with the NINETY-SIXTH almost from its organization, 
 was temporarily detached and left to guard Resaca and other 
 points near by, and did not again join the Brigade until Octo- 
 ber. 
 
 Tuesday, May 17, the bugles sounded reveille at three 
 o'clock A. M., and as soon as breakfasts were dispatched the 
 advance begun. Calhoun was passed early in the forenoon, 
 the troops of the First Division marching in column of com- 
 panies, with drums beating and flags waving. The Second 
 Division had the advance. The skirmishing, which had been 
 lively all day, grew in volume as the afternoon wore away. 
 The First Division moved up to the support of the Second 
 under a heavy artillery fire, and became engaged just as night 
 came on. The Regiment found a strong line of entrench- 
 ments in its immediate front, filled with resolute foes, but no 
 move was made looking to their dislodgement that night. 
 Notwithstanding the heavy firing and the frequent casualties 
 all along the line, the Regiment was so fortunate as to suffer 
 no loss. A heavy line of works was built, the command 
 working far into the night in making its position secure 
 against assault. Some houses in front of the line, which had 
 afforded protection to the sharp-shooters of the enemy, were 
 set on fire and burned to the ground, the flames lighting up 
 the camps during the early evening. The Rebel position was
 
 1864] ^d#~^gr,&!rAtt> 335 
 
 a strong one, but as Gen. McPherson was pressing on their 
 left flank, and Gen. Schofield on their right, they again re- 
 treated under cover of the darkness. 
 
 "Wednesday, May 18, there was the usual early reveille 
 and the orders were renewed to "press the enemy." The 
 officers of the command were in trouble about the matter of 
 rations for themselves, but the enlisted men had a supply and 
 offered to divide. The troops moved forward in column, 
 with skirmishers in front, the enemy harassing them to the 
 utmost of their ability. The First Division being in rear 
 made a slow march until toward night, passing Adairsville 
 during the afternoon, and was then hurried past the other 
 troops of the Corps to the extreme front, going into bivouac 
 in the immediate vicinity of the enemy at eight o'clock, with 
 a strong picket line in advance. There was some skirmishing 
 as the position was reached but nothing serious resulted. 
 Southern newspapers were found at some of the houses in the 
 vicinity, in which were violent criticisms of Gen. Johnston 
 for his course in falling back, and also strong arguments in 
 favor of his plans. It was asserted that there would be a 
 decisive battle near Cassville, toward which Gen. Sherman 
 was moving, and leading officers on either side confidently 
 expected, as they lay down to rest that night, that the next 
 day would see the engagement inaugurated. 
 
 Thursday, May 19, found the army in motion at sunrise, 
 Gen. Sherman directing that the enemy be pushed at all 
 points, and forced to give battle north of the Etowah River 
 if possible. The Second Brigade had the lead, and the 
 NINETY-SIXTH was in the advance of the column which had 
 marched most directly along the railroad. In less than half 
 an hour after the start was made the Rebels were encountered. 
 One company after another was sent upon the skirmish line 
 until a considerable part of the command was deployed. At 
 Kingston the junction of the Rome branch with the main 
 line of railroad from Chattanooga the Rebels opened on the 
 advance, with a battery, but the skirmishers, after strongly 
 pushing at the front, pressed past it on the flank, compelling 
 it to withdraw. The skirmishing was so severe as to approach 

 
 336 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 the dignity of a battle. The order being to follow near the 
 railroad, the line swung to the left and pressed rapidly for- 
 ward. The Rebels halted at every ridge and road, making 
 strong resistance and compelling the Regiment to keep up a 
 heavy fire. The bullets cut wickedly through the line, but 
 the men responded gallantly to every call to advance, some- 
 times charging at a run and driving the enemy from their 
 hiding places behind the trees and fences, and again moving 
 through hollows or ravines and flanking them out. The day 
 was an exceedingly hot one, and all suffered greatly ; William 
 Marble, of Company B, sustained a partial sunstroke. Mile 
 after mile the chase continued. With a stubbornness that 
 betokened heavy work ahead, the men in gray took their 
 places behind every obstacle that afforded protection, only to 
 be compelled to retire by the ever pressing line of blue. At 
 last, heated almost to the melting point, and so thoroughly 
 exhausted that all felt that they could not much longer keep 
 up the severe work demanded of them, the Regiment emerged 
 from the timber upon an eminence overlooking a beautiful, 
 open field. The enemy's skirmishers had mainly made then- 
 way to right and left through the timber, and for an instant 
 the impression prevailed that there was no obstruction in front 
 save a few badly demoralized skirmishers who were running 
 as rapidly as possible across the field, their speed accelerated 
 by the bullets sent after them by their weary followers. But 
 no ! A second glance confirmed every man in the belief that 
 the predicted decisive battle was at hand. Away off across 
 the comparatively level field stretched long lines of moving 
 men. The first thought was that it might be Gen. Schofield 
 or Gen. Hooker, as they were known to have been nearer 
 that point the day before than Gen. Howard. Officers raised 
 their field glasses and looked at the mighty host and announced 
 that the men were dressed in gray. It was the Rebel army, 
 and at least a full Corps were in plain sight, marching directly 
 toward the Union lines. A cloud of skirmishers covered their 
 front, and batteries of artillery distributed along the line 
 indicated the termination of each brigade. Mounted officers 
 rode in front of each battalion, and groups of horsemen desig-
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 THOMAS DAVIS. 
 LEWIS MILLER. 
 
 DENNIS SHUPE. 
 Ca.pt. DAVID JAMES. 
 
 JOHN A. CORBIN. 
 WILLIAM H. WHAPLES.
 
 

 
 1864] CASSVILLE. 337 
 
 nated the positions of the Generals and their Staffs. Regi- 
 mental colors could be dimly seen, and the lines seemed as 
 perfectly formed and as evenly marched as though they were 
 out for a holiday parade. Never, except when they stood 
 upon Lookout Mountain on that clear November day in 1863, 
 and watched the battle of Missionary Ridge, had the men of 
 the NINETY-SIXTH seen a panorama so magnificent ; and even 
 then the distance was so great as to make objects much less 
 distinct than at this time. Indeed, it is doubtful if anywhere 
 during the war except when Pickett's Division made their 
 brilliant but fatal charge at Gettysburg, or when Gen. Hood 
 moved across the level plain at Franklin, were there so many 
 of the Rebel army so magnificently marshalled in plain view 
 of their opponents as in what military writers denominate 
 "The Affair at Cassville." 
 
 The men of the NINETY-SIXTH, with others along the line, 
 stood for a moment as if entranced. True the advancing lines 
 were a long distance off probably a mile and a half but the 
 space could be quickly passed by fresh men in the desperate 
 energy of a charge ; and that was what the movement seemed 
 to mean. 
 
 It was not long that the men of the Regiment stood and 
 watched the maneuvering of the foe. Gen. Stanley coming 
 upon the scene, looked through his field-glass for a moment, 
 and then the members of his Staff' went galloping back to 
 report the situation and to form the Division in line. The 
 skirmishers were ordered forward to a fence, some rods out 
 in the field, and the reserves were directed to begin a line of 
 works, using rails and logs. Notwithstanding the excessive 
 heat and the great fatigue to which they had been subjected, 
 the men plied themselves to the utmost to make some slight 
 protection for the expected assault. But when about a mile 
 distant, the Rebels also halted, and were soon equally busy 
 in erecting a barricade of rails. Gen. Stanley and a few 
 officers and orderlies were standing just at the verge of the 
 timber, in plain view, when a Rebel battery limbered to 
 the rear and began to throw their iron missiles toward them. 
 For prudential reasons these horsemen soon withdrew to the 
 22
 
 338 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 shelter of the timber. A Union battery answered its oppo- 
 nent and quickly sent it to the rear. The skirmishers were 
 directed to raise their sights and fire at the line, but the dis- 
 tance was too great for marked results. The entire Fourth 
 Corps was soon in line and several batteries of artillery opened 
 upon the Rebels, the shots striking the field and tearing up the 
 sod and dust, and occasionally seeming to pass through their 
 ranks. It was not long before their front line moved back, 
 in some confusion, halting in rear of what had been their 
 second line. The skirmishers from the Regiment were at one 
 time ordered to advance, and upon climbing the fence from 
 behind which they had been firing, were a little startled by a 
 volley from some Rebels who had been lying in the field a 
 short distance in front, a light barricade with some clover 
 spread over it completely hiding them from view. Their fire 
 was returned, and for a short distance there was a lively chase. 
 By the time that the lines of the several Corps of Gen, 
 Sherman's army had been so joined that a safe forward move- 
 ment could be made, the Rebels retreated, disappearing in the 
 timber. At four o'clock the Fourth Corps pushed out in the 
 centre, the Twentieth Corps at the left, and the Fourteenth 
 Corps at the right. Farther in rear, on right and left, were 
 Gen. McPherson's and Gen. Schofield's forces. There was 
 heavy firing at intervals until nightfall, by which time the 
 Union lines had reached Cassville. 
 
 In the day's advance the skirmishers did much execution, 
 of which there was abundant evidence all along the way. An 
 amusing incident occurred as they reached the vicinity of a 
 large white house near the outskirts of the village, which 
 proved to be the residence of Rev. Mr. Best. The Rebels 
 had been very stubborn at this point, and when the skirmish- 
 ers finally charged and routed them, it was with such gallantry 
 that all could not escape, and a few prisoners were taken. 
 Still pressing on, through a garden, Corporal Gage spied the 
 crown of an ancient hat rising just above a large rock beyond 
 the paling. Supposing it to be a Rebel, and willing to give 
 him an even chance, Gage sprang behind a tree and demanded 
 that he "come in out of the wet ;" when up jumped an old
 
 1864] . CASSVILLE. 339 
 
 colored man, trembling in every nerve, and implored him ; 
 "For de lub of de Lawd, don't shoot. I aint got nuffin agin 
 you'uns ! " The Corporal didn't shoot the colored man, but 
 several times afterward he felt very much like shooting some 
 of his comrades when they asked him, as they did occasionally, 
 if he had made any captures since the one at Cassville. The 
 house mentioned was unoccupied, and from the colored man 
 it was learned that its owner had two sons in the Rebel army, 
 one of them being a Colonel, who had left the house that 
 forenoon. As soon as the lines halted, a few of the skirmish- 
 ers returned to the abandoned house and helped themselves 
 to numerous articles of diet not provided by the army quarter- 
 master. Rations had been short for a time and the articles 
 issued were of the plainest character ; but on this occasion 
 these men had cake, jelly, honey and maple sugar. In 
 addition to these sweets, meat, tobacco, meal and flour were 
 found and used. 
 
 About one mile southeast of Cassville, on a high ridge, 
 was the main line of works, to which Gen. Johnston's army 
 had retired. They were carefully laid out and strongly built, 
 but on their right, from some hills, the Federal cannon played 
 upon them so heavily as to make their occupants very uneasy. 
 And yet the position was a strong one. Gen. Johnston had 
 just received a considerable reinforcement from Mississippi, 
 while Gen. Sherman's army had been greatly weakened ; a 
 Division being sent to Rome, smaller forces left at various 
 bridges and stations passed, and thousands giving out because 
 of sickness and fatigue. On the whole the conditions for a 
 battle were rather favorable to the Rebels, and they undoubt- 
 edly expected to tight at that point. But Generals Johnston, 
 Hood and Polk seem to have had some difference of opinion 
 as to the merits of the line of works laid out and fortified by 
 them ; and so, while the Union forces were busy fortifying 
 their front and preparing for the expected battle, Gen. John- 
 ston issued orders for his forces to again fall back, and at 
 midnight they were retreating to the Allatoona hills, south of 
 the Eto wah River. The casualties .upon the nineteenth were,
 
 340 HISTORY OF THE 96in REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Francis J. Robinson, of Company A, wounded in the neck ; 
 and John E. Evans, of Company I, wounded in the foot. 
 
 Friday, May 20, the army of Gen. Sherman was early in 
 line, but the "Johnnies" were gone. Gen. Sherman at once 
 decided upon a three days' halt. The troops had been actively 
 campaigning for two weeks, during which there had been 
 but little opportunity for rest. With frequent night move- 
 ments, with reveille at three o'clock on such of the mornings 
 as that hour did not find the troops already on the move, with 
 a line of breastworks to build as often as each alternate night, 
 with bridges and roads to repair, with heavy guard duty 
 nightly, and marching or fighting daily, the troops were so 
 worn as to greatly need rest. It is not to be supposed that 
 the enemy had suffered equally from fatigue, for while most 
 of their retreats had been at night, they had marched by 
 direct roads and occupied lines of breastworks built for their 
 use by plantation hands, the main part of their force having a 
 long rest, at least in the early part of each day following a 
 night retreat, while their pursuers were moving up to con- 
 front the new lines. At all events the three days of rest 
 given the Federals at Cassville were most welcome, and the 
 men made good use of their opportunity. The first thing 
 with most of them was a bath : the next a thorough washing 
 of their clothing. This done, when they had slept all they 
 cared to they wandered through the pretty, deserted village. 
 On going to the town one day Lieutenant-Colonel fcjmith. 
 discovered some soldiers arrayed in Odd Fellows' regalia. 
 In a moment he called the soldiers to him and quietly but 
 firmly demanded the return of their trophies. Summoning 
 some brothers of the craft he repaired to the lodge room, 
 restored order and secured the return of all or nearly all of 
 the regalia of the organization. 
 
 Near the camp of the NINETY-SIXTH was a Seminary in 
 which was a large library. True the librarian was absent, 
 but as a large proportion of the command was of a literary 
 turn of mind, all formality was waived and each of those who 
 wished read books. It was a strange spectacle to see hun- 
 dreds of men in uniform sitting at the desks in the college,
 
 1864] CASSVILLE. 341 
 
 each absorbed in some scientific book or in some work of 
 fiction, or to go outside and see men similarly engaged, 
 sitting with their backs against the mammoth shade trees, 
 for hours together. They were hungry for just such an oppor- 
 tunity as was here offered, and thoroughly did they improve 
 it. There was also much visiting between the men of the 
 various regiments in that vicinity, many of the Jo Daviess 
 County boys taking a long tramp to Kingston to call upon 
 acquaintances in the 12th Illinois. 
 
 Friday, Saturday and Sunday sped rapidly by. The rail- 
 road was repaired by Saturday, and trains brought forward 
 large amounts of rations. On Sunday four days rations were 
 issued to each man, and twenty days rations for the army 
 loaded upon the wagons. The soldiers knew that this meant 
 a long march away from the railroad, and were curious as to 
 the plans of their commander, but content and confident. 
 
 Religious services were held in many of the camps both 
 afternoon and evening. It was a spectacle upon which no 
 thinking man, however skeptical, could look unmoved, to see 
 the soldiers gather around the place designated for religious 
 meetings. The attendance was often large, and embraced a 
 few commissioned officers. Nor was it alone or mainly timid 
 soldiers who were present, but often the most devout were 
 those whose presence in the charge or upon the skirmish line 
 was an inspiration. A soldier would lead in some stirring 
 hymn, and soon a hundred voices, blending beautifully, would 
 make the leafy tabernacle ring with their grand music. 
 Prayer would be offered, sometimes in a loud tone, and again 
 with subdued voice : some with crude imagery and weird 
 petition for the overthrow of the enemies of the country and 
 of righteousness : others eloquent in their very simplicity, 
 breathing a request that the great " Father of us all" would 
 lead the way through all the darkness of the present to the 
 day when peace should brood above the land, and war and 
 turmoil cease when soldiers should be permitted to forget 
 the camp and battle and yet remember that they were soldiers 
 in the army of the great Immanuel, whose victories were 
 bloodless and whose captives were the prisoners of hope.
 
 342 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Scripture would be read or repeated by the leader ; a brief 
 discourse would follow : experiences would be related, and 
 then, as the flickering camp fires burned low and the distant 
 bugles warned the worshipers back to camp, the grand melody 
 of Old Hundred would go up like incense to the stars, the 
 soldiers would separate and in a few moments quiet brood 
 above the sleeping hosts. Who shall say they were not 
 strengthened by these services, crudely arranged and con- 
 ducted though they often were, or that the God of Battles did 
 not watch above them and frame the answer to their varied 
 petitions while they prayed, leading them, as individuals, and 
 the Nation beneath whose banner they assembled, into a 
 larger liberty than that of which they then conceived ? Cer- 
 tain it must be that many a weary, home-sick, heart-sick boy, 
 took courage in such gatherings as these and went thence to 
 the battle nerved for deeds more daring than the past had 
 seen, and felt himself sustained by the hope and faith not 
 elsewhere so certainly obtained. Not a few date their first 
 strong religious convictions from those gatherings in the for- 
 ests of Georgia, and many still cling to the Faith that sus- 
 tained them there, where they learned to sing : 
 
 "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord ; 
 He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored ; 
 He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword ; 
 
 His truth is marching on. 
 
 "I have seen Him in the watch-fires of an hundred circling camps, 
 They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps, 
 I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps, 
 
 His day is marching on. 
 
 "I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel ; 
 ' As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal ; ' 
 Let the Hero born of woman crush the serpent with his heel, 
 
 Since God is marching on. 
 
 " He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat ; 
 He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat ; 
 Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him ! be jubilant, my feet ! 
 
 Our God is marching on. 
 
 " In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, 
 With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me ; 
 As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, 
 While God is marching on."
 
 1864] ACROSS THE ETOWAH. 343 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A Bold Flank Movement Across the Etowah Gen. Johnston anticipates 
 Gen. Sherman's Plans Pumpkin Vine Creek Late Marches In 
 Reserve Moving to the Front Line Under Fire Strong Breast- 
 works Terrific Artillery Fire New Hope Church Ten Days in the 
 Trenches Sleeping and Eating to the Music of Musketry Casual- 
 ties Almost Daily Miserably Monotonous The Skirmishers Better 
 Natured Trading Between the Lines Short Rations The Enemy 
 again Outflanked The Union Forces reach the Railroad In Camp 
 at Ackworth The Boon of a Three Day's Rest The Railroad Re- 
 paired Rations and Mails brought up Getting Rid of the Grey- 
 backs Ready for Kenesaw Mountain. 
 
 TWENTY years before the events here narrated, and while 
 bearing the rank of Lieutenant, Gen. Sherman had accom- 
 panied an Inspector-General in the army to Marietta, Ga., on 
 an official tour, and going thence on horseback to the Etowah 
 River, had become somewhat familiar with the region of 
 Kenesaw Mountain and Allatoona. He now remembered 
 them as well adapted for defensive operations, and concluded 
 not to risk a direct movement against Allatoona. Fortunately, 
 by a rapid movement made as soon as Cassville was reached, 
 the cavalry had succeeded in gaining possession of some 
 wagon bridges across the Etowah, and Gen. Sherman resolved 
 to move his army across these and push out toward Marietta 
 and the Chattahoochie river. His hope was that this movement 
 might be well advanced before the enemy should discover his 
 plans. Gen. Johnston was on the watch, however, and antic- 
 ipating the very movement that would be made, interposed his 
 army between the Union forces and Marietta, ultimately aban- 
 doning the strong position at Allatoona but preventing the 
 immediate flanking of Kenesaw Mountain. 
 
 Monday, May 23, the Union army moved by the right 
 flank, crossing the Etowah River by the bridges that had been 
 wrested from the enemy and by others that had been impro- 
 vised. As the Fourth Corps had been directed to move partly 
 in rear of other troops, the Regiment spent the forenoon in
 
 344 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 camp. A general order was issued requiring every soldier to- 
 wear shoes, and in all cases where those then in use were not in 
 good repair to draw new ones. Many of the men, particularly 
 those who had been home on furlough during the winter and 
 spring, had boots but partially worn, and the order to throw 
 them away was not received with the utmost good nature. 
 However, they had long since learned that there was no 
 appeal from General Orders and all complied, though not 
 without availing themselves of the soldiers inalienable right 
 to grumble, the one right they always declared they did not 
 sign away when they enlisted. 
 
 At noon the Regiment filed out of camp, going in a south- 
 westerly direction and crossing the Etowah River at Gillem's 
 bridge, near a little place which took its name from the 
 stream. The bridge gave evidence of an attempt to destroy 
 it, for the planks were charred in one or two places, but the 
 cavalry had moved too rapidly to allow the work of destruc- 
 tion to gain much headway, and but trifling repairs were 
 necessary. The march was at a good pace, the weather 
 extremely hot, and water suitable for drinking purposes unusu- 
 ally scarce, so that when the column finally went into camp 
 at ten o'clock at night, in a large wheat field a little south of 
 Euharlie, the men were thoroughly tired. The cavalry, which 
 had led in the advance, encountered the enemy at Stilesboro 
 and a prolonged skirmish ensued, but the infantry forces were 
 not seriously involved. Meanwhile Gen. Schofield had effected 
 a crossing farther to the left and nearer Allatoona, while Gen. 
 McPherson had moved directly south from Kingston, on the 
 right of Gen. Thomas, the several columns moving by nearly 
 parallel roads. 
 
 Tuesday, May 24, the Regiment was called out at three 
 o'clock and resumed the march at six o'clock, crossing Euhar- 
 lie Creek and making slow progress, as the troops in front 
 were compelled to move cautiously to avoid being ambushed. 
 The country passed in the early part of the day was attractive 
 and well cultivated, but toward night a hilly region was 
 reached. A final halt was made late in the evening on a spur 
 of the Allatoona Ridge, not far from Burnt Hickory. A
 
 1864] PUMPKIN VINE CKEEK. 345 1 - 
 
 terrific thunder storm was raging at the time, thereby pre- 
 venting any great degree of comfort, although the men put 
 up their shelter tents, wrapped their blankets about them and 
 were speedily asleep. The storm lasted a considerable part 
 of the night, but at daylight next morning the sky was clear. 
 
 Wednesday, May 25, the Regiment started at ten o'clock, 
 marching the rest of the day, most of the time by obscure 
 roads. The Twentieth Corps, which was at the left of the 
 Fourth, encountering the enemy in heavy force, pushed 
 forward with the purpose of reaching the main wagon road 
 leading from Dallas to Allatoona, at a point near New Hope 
 Church. A severe engagement ensued and reinforcements 
 being called for ; a part of the Fourth Corps which had been 
 marching directly toward Dallas, was ordered to the assistance 
 of the Twentieth, and at four o'clock was hurried forward past 
 the trains. At a little after five o'clock the NINETY-SIXTH 
 crossed Pumpkin Yine Creek where the battle had begun, and 
 advanced rapidly until dark, meeting large numbers of 
 wounded returning from the battle field. At sundown it 
 began to rain, thus increasing the difficulty of marching. The 
 Regiment was shifted around from place to place and kept on 
 the move until after nine o'clock when, weary and footsore, 
 the men lay down to rest, first building a partial line of 
 breastworks. The losses in Hooker's command were heavy, 
 but owing to the difficulty of moving troops through the 
 forest and over the hills, the Fourth Corps was so late in 
 arriving that it had no opportunity to return the severe fire to 
 which it was exposed in the battle of Pumpkin Yine Creek. 
 
 Thursday, May 26, there was heavy cannonading and 
 much musketry throughout the entire day. The First Division 
 of the Fourth Corps was held in reserve and the Regiment 
 stood to arms most of the time, being repeatedly moved to 
 right or left, with other troops, and at one time quite a distance 
 toward the front, but was kept in a rear line nearly a half 
 mile from where the more active work was going on. Night 
 brought orders to still remain under arms and the men lay 
 down with their accoutrements on but with their waist belts
 
 346 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 unbuckled. There was more or less firing all night, but the 
 Regiment was not called out. 
 
 Friday, May 27, orders came for the First Division to move 
 to the left and relieve Gen. Wood's Division, and the Regi- 
 ment took its place in the front line at an early hour. The 
 troops thus relieved moved still farther to the left and at- 
 tempted to get upon the right flank of the enemy. A heavy 
 engagement followed, in which the Union losses were heavy. 
 On the way, in passing the crest of a ridge, the Rebel skir- 
 mishers apparently caught sight of the moving column and 
 sent a volley toward the NINETY-SIXTH, the bullets whistling 
 all about, but without injuring any one. The Union lines 
 now extended from the village of Dallas northeasterly for 
 some miles and the position to which the Regiment was 
 assigned was near the left centre. The men were gratified to 
 find a partial line of breastworks constructed for their use, 
 and reached their station without any casualties, by stooping 
 low and partially crawling to their places. A detail from the 
 Regiment relieved the skirmish line in front, under a trying 
 fire, and found themselves in close proximity to the Rebel 
 lines. The men relieved had built snug, crescent-shaped 
 skirmish pits, most of which were provided with head-logs. 
 From these pits an almost constant racket was kept up, the 
 order being to fire at every moving object, near, or remote. 
 Extra ammunition had to be sent to the skirmishers, although 
 each man carried sixty rounds or more with him. Strange 
 to say there were but two casualties on the line that day, 
 Corporal James Murrie, of Company C, being shot in the foot 
 and losing a toe, and Oscar Rector, of the same Company, 
 being slightly wounded in the arm. During much of the day 
 the men in the main line steadily used the few shovels at 
 hand. The inside of the works was built up with heavy logs 
 and on the outside was an embankment from two to four feet 
 broad. Much of the dirt comprising this bank was thrown 
 from the inside, a broad ditch being excavated, its depth soon 
 becoming such that the men could stand upright if called upon 
 to fire. Heavy head-logs surmounted these works. Later an 
 .abatis was constructed in front, most of the work being done
 
 1864] ON THE DALLAS LINE. 347 
 
 at night. This was composed mainly of small trees cut for the 
 purpose and staked to the ground, their limbs being sharpened 
 and interwoven so as to make a pretty serious obstruction. 
 Before the campaign closed the men became experts in this 
 work and these obstructions were often as novel in material 
 and construction as can well be imagined. 
 
 The position of the Regiment on this Dallas line was on 
 the brow of a hill where a sharp angle in the works was found 
 necessary, in order that the troops might control the ground 
 in their front. The main lines of the two armies were a half 
 mile or a little more from each other, but the skirmish lines 
 were much nearer. Toward evening on the twenty-seventh 
 the Rebels opened with musketry and artillery, enfilading the 
 works to some extent. The batteries devoted themselves to 
 the exposed position occupied by the NINETY-SIXTH and sent 
 shot and shell with great rapidity across the fields which sepa- 
 rated the armies. For an hour or more this terrible tempest 
 of iron was continued, shells exploding all about that little 
 elevation. Dirt was thrown from the side-hill in the faces of 
 the men, and showers of leaves and limbs dropped from the 
 trees above. Pieces of jagged iron were thrown in all direc- 
 tions. Solid shot tore through the tree-tops or, striking in 
 the hill-side, ricochetted across the works, going with fearful 
 energy and frightful sound back through the timber. The 
 exploding of shells at times was almost constant, so rapidly 
 did they come, but fortunately none burst at the exact point 
 to do great harm and none struck with full force upon the as 
 yet light embankments. Still the range was close and the 
 ordeal a most trying one. Meanwhile the Union batteries had 
 opened upon the Rebel lines and the air reverberated with the 
 constant roar as piece after piece of artillery sent forth its 
 deadly messenger. The men clutched their muskets and 
 crouched close beside the earthworks, confidently believing 
 that such a fearful cannonading was but the prelude to an 
 infantry charge. Every nerve was strained and each man 
 seemed resolved to do his full duty to repel the expected 
 assault. But no charge came, at least none came to that 
 portion of the line, and at dusk the firing lessened. As soon
 
 348 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 as the artillery ceased to fire, a portion of the men were again 
 set at work to strengthen the embankment. Additional shovels 
 were procured and the bank was soon from six to ten feet 
 across, the ditch inside being widened and much earth being 
 thrown from the outside. Heavy trasverses were constructed 
 from logs and earth at frequent intervals to protect the com- 
 mand from enfilading shots. So the work went on far into 
 the night. The artillery on either side continued to send oc- 
 casional noisy salutations to and fro, and the skirmishers fired 
 almost constantly. To such music as this the men laid down 
 upon the bank just back of the works and slept, in reliefs, one 
 third standing to arms all through the darkness ; and those 
 who had opportunity did not fail to sleep. Two or three 
 times during the night the picket firing increased in volume 
 to such an extent that the entire main line was aroused, the 
 men being kept up for a half hour or so ; then, when it be- 
 came evident that the alarms were false, they would again 
 resume their places on the bank, and fall asleep in a moment. 
 
 Saturday, May 28, was another most trying day. Early 
 in the forenoon the Rebels again opened with artillery upon 
 the angle where the Regiment lay in line ; and again for an 
 hour or two their iron missiles struck all about, but with little 
 damage. At night there was but little sleep. The skirmish- 
 ers were required to advance their line slightly, and construct 
 new skirmish pits, and the main line was kept awake much of 
 the night in order to be ready to assist them should the Rebels 
 discover what was going on. Francis Johnson, of Company 
 A, was wounded in the foot. A heavy column of Rebel in- 
 fantry and artillery had been seen marching toward Dallas 
 during the day, and this fact added to the anxiety, as a night 
 attack was deemed probable. 
 
 Sunday, May 9, was a beautiful day overhead, but about 
 Dallas and New Hope Church it brought no rest. The two 
 armies still confronted each other at close range, and mus- 
 ketry and artillery firing were the only music. Toward night 
 this deepened into an almost continuous roar all along the 
 line, but at dark lulled into an almost ominous quiet. At ten 
 o'clock it was revived, and grew into a terrific night fight far-
 
 1864] RESACA. 34-9 
 
 ther toward the right, where the Rebels assaulted Gen. New- 
 ton's Division and Gen. McPherson's forces, but were beaten 
 back with heavy slaughter. Again the weary men were kept 
 in line much of the night. During the day Edgar C. Lang- 
 don, of Company 1, was severely wounded in the hand. 
 
 Monday, May 30, brought little change, except that the 
 Rebels opened two batteries upon the " angle" from new posi- 
 tions, and kept up a tire even hotter than usual all through 
 the day. The members of the Regiment in the main line 
 hugged the ground closely, and felt pretty secure in their 
 strong line of works. The skirmishers had little rest, but kept 
 up a heavy fire all day. Albert E. Benton, of Company K, 
 was killed upon the skirmish line. 
 
 Tuesday, May 31, brought little change except the addition 
 of another battery on the Rebel side. In the morning three 
 batteries opened simultaneously upon the devoted "angle," 
 but in vain, though the firing was very close ; and once a por- 
 tion of Companies A and F were almost buried in earth 
 thrown from their own breastworks by a Rebel shell. The 
 artillery firing was renewed toward evening, and a solid shot 
 penetrated the embankment in front of Company A, striking 
 a log and breaking it, severely jarring Sergeant Berg, Andrew 
 Disch, and George Bowman, who were sitting with their 
 backs against it. Berg and Disch were struck on the head 
 and considerably bruised. On the skirmish line there was hot 
 work much of the day. First Sergeant'Scott, of Company G, 
 was wounded in the face, receiving a hard blow from a bullet 
 whose force had been mainly spent against a head-log. Cor- 
 poral Henry H. Gage, of the same Company, was slightly 
 wounded in the face, the bullet passing through his hat-rim. 
 William Noble, also of Company G, was severely wounded 
 in the head, and taken to hospital at Nashville, where he died 
 from his injuries, July 21. 
 
 When Sergeant Scott was struck he was rendered partially 
 insensible for a moment. The blood started from the wound, 
 and in his confused condition he first put up a hand to feel the 
 cut and remarked, "Here is where the ball went in ;" and 
 then raising the other to the back of his head, asked, "Now,
 
 350 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 where did it come out ?" His companions in the skirmish pit 
 were greatly amused, and in a moment he was laughing heart- 
 ily with the rest at the ridiculousness of the inquiry, knowing 
 full well that if the bullet had gone through he would hardly 
 have been left in condition to make inquiries about it. The 
 bullet struck a hard, glancing blow, but did not penetrate, and 
 he did not leave the command, although his face was very 
 sore for a time. 
 
 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, June 1, 2 and 3, were 
 but repetitions of the days immediately preceding. The posi- 
 tion of the Regiment was unchanged ; the firing was perhaps 
 less constant and severe, and the skirmishers a little better 
 natured, venturing to talk to each other back and forth at 
 night, and even going out between the lines and exchanging 
 newspapers, " swapping" coffee for tobacco, and trading jack- 
 knives. The weather was rainy and disagreeable, and the 
 clothing of the men, from constant contact with the red clay 
 soil, came to bear a close resemblance to the uniform of their 
 opponents. Rations became scarce three days' rations hav- 
 ing to do for four or five days and many of the men actually 
 suffered from hunger. There was no opportunity to forage, 
 for every man was kept right at the works or in the skirmish 
 pits. On the third, Sergeant Franklin Pierce, of Company 
 F, received a wound in the right shoulder, but was not long 
 disabled. The skirmishers kept up a heavy fire much of the 
 day. At one time Gten. Stanley ordered them to fall back to 
 the main line, hoping to give the Rebels the impression that 
 the army was falling back, and thus induce them to come out 
 from their works ; but the Rebels failed to fall into the trap 
 set for them. 
 
 While the NINETY-SIXTH, with other troops near the origi- 
 nal left-centre of the line, had been hugging their works so 
 closely, and keeping up so constant a clangor with musket 
 and cannon, other portions of the army had been on the move. 
 Gen. Sherman, upon finding that Gen. Johnston had antici- 
 pated his movement and thrown the Rebel army between him 
 and Marietta, began moving troops from right to left, at first 
 attempting to pass the Rebel right and break it back, which,.
 
 1864] NEW HOPE CHUKCH. 351 
 
 movement was not successful, and then reaching out toward 
 the railroad in the neighborhood of Ackworth. Severe en- 
 gagements resulted on either flank, with heavy loss to the 
 Divisions engaged. In moving to this line and iii the shifting 
 of positions, the engagements were so frequent and so near 
 together, that it is difficult to say where one battle left oif and 
 another began ; and the historian finds it impossible to separate 
 Burnt Hickory, Pumpkin Vine Creek, New Hope Church, 
 Pickett's Mills and Dallas. The action participated in by the 
 First and Second Divisions of the Fourth Corps, is generally 
 known as the battle of New Hope Church. 
 
 Saturday, June 4, at three o'clock A. M., the movement to 
 the left had so far progressed that the NINETY-SIXTH was or- 
 dered to leave its works. Marching about a half mile to the 
 left a halt was made, and the men told that they could put up 
 their tents, a privilege of which they gladly availed themselves. 
 During the day there was considerable skirmishing near by, 
 and the Regiment was held in readiness for an anticipated 
 assault from the Rebels, who, it was believed, would attempt 
 to break back the Union right, but nothing serious resulted. 
 
 Sunday, June 5, the Regiment was in line at three A. M., 
 and shortly afterward learned, to their great joy, that the 
 Rebel breastworks were empty, the enemy having moved to 
 the rear and right during the night. The skirmish line was 
 immediately advanced, and soon came in contact with a light 
 line of Rebels, indicating that they were still near enough to 
 compel vigilance. They were not pressed, but the Regiment, 
 with other troops, remained in the trenches, this making the 
 tenth day in which they had been constantly under arms. 
 The weather was rainy and unpleasant. The wounded who 
 had occupied tents just in rear of the army were placed in am- 
 bulances and taken to Ackworth ; a most difficult matter, as 
 many of them were terribly lacerated, and the trip occupied 
 an entire day and a portion of a night. 
 
 Monday, June 6, an early reveille sounded, the Regiment 
 drew three days' rations, with the order that it must last four 
 days, and at sunrise was marching toward the left. A halt 
 was made at one o'clock p. M. The weather was sultry, and
 
 "352 HISTORY or THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 the men so worn out with their long vigil and the rather rapid 
 march, that many gave out. Arrived at Ackworth, orders 
 were given to clean up the camps and take a brief rest. There 
 was considerable produce in the neighborhood, and owing to 
 the fact that rations were short, the men foraged to some ex- 
 tent, but those caught at it were made to carry a rail at head- 
 quarters. In view of the hard service of the past month, and 
 the fact that this was most decidedly an enemy's country, it is 
 difficult to conceive why men were punished for piecing out 
 their rations in that region, and at that time in the war ; but 
 such was the case. The men felt outraged, and made threats 
 to take revenge, unless their comrades were speedily released, 
 threats which availed, it may be noted here. 
 
 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, June 7, 8 and 9, were 
 in the main days of rest. And the rest was greatly needed, 
 for the month's campaign had been a most trying one. The 
 casualties in the Regiment since leaving Blue Springs had 
 numbered nearly 80, of which thirteen had been fatal, and 
 fifty so severe as to take the men to hospitals. In addition, 
 fully one hundred more had been prostrated by sickness and 
 over exertion, and had been sent to hospital, so that the Reg- 
 iment now numbered but a few more than two hundred pres- 
 ent for duty. True many other portions of the army had suf- 
 fered less in action, and had been less constantly in the 
 trenches and under fire, but Gen. Sherman had lost many 
 more men by the campaign than he had gained by the arrival 
 of two Divisions from the West ; while Gen. Johnston's 
 army had received large reinforcements, and had lost fewer in 
 proportion from sickness, as his troops were thoroughly accli- 
 mated, built fewer breastworks, as they had negroes at their 
 call, and marched on shorter lines, thereby wearing out fewer 
 men with fatigue. The railroad bridge across the Etowah 
 was speedily repaired, and by the ninth some train loads of 
 rations and ammunition were unloaded at Ackworth, and most 
 of the sick and wounded taken back to Chattanooga or farther 
 north. 
 
 To insure the presence of the soldiers and keep the army 
 well in hand, dress parades were indulged in twice daily.
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 JOHN W BESLEY. 
 JOSEPH ('. WHITNEY. 
 
 Corp'l SAMUKL CLARK. 
 
 Corp'l WILLIAM B. LEWIN. 
 
 HENRY BATER. 
 
 Corp'l GEORGE L. STEWART. 
 WILLIAM F. KIDER.
 
 v
 
 1864] THE REST AT ACKWOKTH. 353 
 
 The men cleaned up their clothing as far as opportunity 
 offered, killed off the vermin by boiling their shirts, or by the 
 old plan of " skirmishing," and prepared for a renewal of the 
 campaign. Thousands of letters were received and answered, 
 the newspapers brought by the mails were read until literally 
 worn out, the progress made by the army at the East was 
 commented on, and the question as to who was to be elected 
 President discussed with as much interest and animation as 
 though the Illinois soldiers in the field were not disfranchised. 
 In the engagements on the Dallas line the following were 
 
 THE CASUALTIES. 
 
 KILLED OK MORTALLY WOUNDED. William Noble, Company G ; 
 Albert E. Benton, Company K. 
 
 WOUNDED. Francis Johnson, Company A, foot; Corporal James 
 Murrie, Company C, foot ; Oscar Rector, Company C, arm ; William 
 Faith, Company E, neck and head ; Sergeant Franklin Pierce, Company 
 F, shoulder ; First Sergeant Aaron Scott, Company G, face ; Corporal 
 Henry H. Gage, Company G, face ; Edgar C. Langdon, Company I, hand ; 
 Edward Graham, Company K, leg ; Sergeant Daniel Sullivan, Company 
 K, hip. 
 
 23
 
 354 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 The Advance from Ackworth The Country Full of Breastworks How 
 the Army was Fed Opposite Pine Mountain Killed by a Falling 
 Tree Bishop Folk's Death Frequent Rain Storms Losses by Cap- 
 ture Approaching Little Kenesaw A Gallant Charge What Civil 
 War Means Terrific Night Fight Heavy Losses of Officers and 
 Men A Trying Position In Close Quarters A Multitude of En- 
 gagements Moving to the Right Disastrous Change of Tactics A 
 Flag of Truce Skirmishers' Experiences The Flanking Movement 
 Resumed Kenesaw Mountain in Union Hands. 
 
 THE troops having become partially rested after the severe 
 experience at New Hope Church and Dallas, Gen. Sherman 
 ordered another forward movement. The railroad bridge at 
 Etowah was nearty completed, and as the march was to be 
 directly to the front and along the line of the road, the arrival 
 of the railway trains was not waited for. Bread, coffee, salt, 
 and salt meats had been brought forward in wagons, and beef 
 cattle were driven up to the camp nightly, men being detailed 
 from the ranks to keep them bunched, drive them when the 
 army moved, and give them opportunities for feeding. There 
 was little grass in that region, but grain fields were sufficiently 
 numerous so that the stock fared tolerably well ; but the wea- 
 ther was hot and rainy, and the flies so troublesome, that 
 many of the animals became poor before their turn for slaugh- 
 ter. Soldiers detailed for the purpose slaughtered and cut up 
 the meat, which was issued to the men every second or third 
 day. All through the summer months there was but an occa- 
 sional and meagre ration of beans, rice, or other articles in 
 the vegetable line, and as the men were marching much of the 
 time, and subjected to an unusual amount of night work, they 
 were continually hungry. Many times rations were issued for 
 three days, with orders for them to last four, and, on a few 
 occasions, five days. When this occurred two or three times 
 in succession, as it did in May and June, there was some 
 actual suffering.
 
 1864] TINE MOUNTAIN. 355 
 
 The Rebel cavalry were active,, and on several occa- 
 sions tore up the railroad and destroyed small bridges, thus 
 delaying trains and making the work of supplying the im- 
 mense army a task of great magnitude. Some of the .men 
 grumbled a little, but most of them took the rations good- 
 naturedly, fully satisfied to bear hunger as well as danger and 
 fatigue, if only progress was made in crushing the Rebellion. 
 There was the utmost frugality on the part of nearly all. 
 Even the tails of the slaughtered cattle were skinned and 
 every piece of bone was carefully saved, soups being made 
 from them. Occasionally, as at Ackworth, some foraging 
 was done, but as a rule the Rebel army had so thoroughly 
 used up the supplies that but little could be obtained, espe- 
 cially by the troops in the centre, where the Fourth Corps 
 usually marched in each advance. 
 
 Friday, June 10, the general forward movement from Ack- 
 worth began, Gen. McPherson being on the left, Gen. Thomas 
 in the centre, and Gen. Schofield on the right. The Fourth 
 Corps went pretty directly toward Fine Mountain, keeping to 
 the right of Big Shanty and the railroad. The day was rainy, 
 the roads obscure, and the country broken and timbered ; as 
 a consequence the march was a slow one. The NINETY-SIXTH 
 furnished flankers or skirmishers, but encountered no seri- 
 ous resistance, although the firing was lively most of the 
 day. When a final halt was made the Rebel tents and breast- 
 works were in plain view, at a distance of about two miles. 
 Their lines were found to be heavily fortified, and extended 
 from Brush Mountains, across Pine Mountain, and past Gilgal 
 Church to Lost Mountain, a distance of nearly ten miles. 
 The weather continued rainy, and the moving of troops was 
 a most difficult matter. Batteries of artillery, wagons and 
 ambulances were mired everywhere, and details of men were 
 made from the infantry to help them out of the mud, cut new 
 roads through the timber, and corduroy the low ground. 
 
 For several days the Regiment occupied substantially the 
 position taken on the tenth. Heavy works were constructed, 
 although the enemy's lines were at a greater distance than at 
 New Hope Church, and the firing at longer range and much
 
 356 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 less trying. On Saturday a portion of the Regiment was sent 
 to reconnoitre the front, and advanced a long distance, having 
 a severe skirmish but sustaining no casualties. 
 
 Throughout Sunday, June 12, there was heavy firing at 
 the left, and an attack was expected. The men slept with 
 shoes and accoutrements on, but had their shelter tents up to 
 protect them from the severe storm. Monday, the batteries 
 all along the line kept up a heavy firing, and the skirmishers 
 indulged in more or less musketry. During a violent rain 
 storm a large, girdled tree, which stood upon the skirmish 
 line, was loosened, the ground about its roots having become 
 so saturated as to no longer support it, and without warning it 
 toppled over and fell across a log where some of the skirmish- 
 ers were sitting beneath their dripping ponchos. One of their 
 number was Carlisle Druse, of Company B. The ponderous 
 tree fell partially upon him, and his bayonet was driven 
 through his body, causing almost instant death ; and thus 
 while watching for the enemy, and under their fire, he was 
 killed by an accident. He was a young man, a favorite in 
 the Regiment, and his sudden taking off seemed doubly sad 
 because of the unusual circumstances attending it. 
 
 Tuesday morning dawned clear, but disagreeably cold, and 
 the men were much surprised at such a severe change in the 
 "Sunny South." The first sound to greet the ear was the 
 muttering of cannon, but it proved to be mainly Union guns 
 playing upon the Rebel lines. The day must have been an 
 exceedingly unpleasant one for the enemy, as a heavy fire was 
 maintained by the Union artillerists. General Sherman rode 
 along the lines on a tour of observation and halting near the 
 Regiment directed Captain Simon son's 5th Indiana Battery 
 to open fire upon Pine Mountain. A group of Rebel officers 
 were reconnoitering the lines at the time, in plain view but at 
 quite a distance. A well directed shot created a commotion 
 among them and caused them to scatter. In a few moments it 
 was known by the Signal officers, who had learned to interpret 
 the Rebel signals, that a no less distinguished personage than 
 Bishop Polk, then a Lieutenant-General in the Confederate 
 army, had been struck by an unexploded shell and instantly
 
 1864] FINE MOUNTAIN. 357 
 
 killed. There was heavy fighting at many points on the line 
 during the day, and once the Regiment, with other troops, 
 moved some distance to the left to take part in a charge that it 
 was proposed to make upon the Rebel works. There was a 
 vigorous reconnoissance, but the Rebel lines were found to be 
 so strongly fortified that an assault was deemed unwise and the 
 troops returned to their former position. The lines of the 
 Twentieth Corps, as well as those of Gen. McPherson, were 
 crowded forward, and some gains made in position. The 
 whistle of the locomotive at Big Shanty gave evidence that 
 the Etowah had been bridged, and promised more abundant 
 rations. When it sounded a cheer ran along the lines for 
 many a mile. 
 
 Wednesday, June 15, a general advance was ordered to 
 take place at daylight, with the intention of "going in" at 
 any weak point that might be discovered, but it was found 
 that the enemy had again retreated. The Regiment moved 
 forward, passing over the Rebel works and gaining about two 
 miles of difficult ground. Toward night the greater part of 
 the Fourth Corps was massed at the left of Pine Mountain, 
 and the men anticipated an assault. An advance was made, 
 the Second Division leading and capturing the enemy's front 
 line of works. There was also severe skirmishing and some 
 heavy fighting on either flank. Later in the day the Corps 
 was partially deployed. 
 
 Thursday, June 16, the Regiment lay near the enemy and 
 was severely shelled. During a heavy artillery duel Capt. 
 Simonson, of the 5th Indiana Battery, and Chief of Artillery 
 for the Division, was killed. Toward evening heavy breast- 
 works were again built, it being evident that the Rebels were 
 strongly entrenched in front. Sergeant John B. Reynolds, of 
 .Company I, was severely wounded in the breast and shoulder. 
 
 Friday, June 17, there was another advance in the centre, 
 across the entrenched lines abandoned by the enemy. The 
 cannonading was unusually severe, and heavy musketry was 
 heard, not alone in the distance, but near at hand, the Rebels 
 stubbornly resisting the advance. At dark they withdrew 
 across Mud Creek, and the army again fortified in their front.
 
 358 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 After dark the Regiment moved to the front line, relieving 
 the 3d Wisconsin. The heavy rains were again resumed, to 
 the great discomfort of the men, as the lines were so close 
 that no fires could be built, no tents erected and no clothing 
 or accoutrements removed. 
 
 Saturday, June 18, the enemy having again fallen back, 
 the advance was renewed, the Regiment being on the move 
 in one direction or another most of the day. The First 
 Division was in reserve until evening, when it moved to the 
 front line. The NINETY-SIXTH was ordered to take the skir- 
 mish line just after dark, which it did under a heavy fire. 
 William Bell, of Company I, was wounded in the left hand. 
 There was much uncertainty as to the situation, and as the 
 troops to be relieved had moved out before the new line 
 reached them, the Regiment was in doubt as to its position. 
 The firing having slackened, Sergeant Michael Devlin and 
 Albert Barney, of Company D, set out to reconnoitre the 
 front. Hearing voices and seeing the outline of an earthwork 
 a few rods ahead, they went up to it, but to their surprise 
 and consternation found themselves covered by a dozen mus- 
 kets, and were told, in a low tone, to surrender. There was 
 no alternative, save almost certain death, and reluctantly 
 they laid down their muskets and consented to be taken to the 
 Rebel rear. Both endured a long imprisonment, some details 
 of which will be found elsewhere in this volume. But while 
 their capture had been made with unusual quiet, some of the 
 men in the line heard enough to know what had happened, and 
 whispered the facts to the officers. Without immediately 
 advancing farther, skirmishers were deployed, and steps taken 
 to prevent further losses. A deep, sluggish stream was near 
 at hand, and as one of the men undertook to cross it on a log 
 he fell, with a loud splash, into the water, whence he was 
 rescued by his comrades. His musket went to the bottom and 
 was not recovered. Strange to say, for a time neither line 
 ventured to fire, although but a few yards apart. The nigiit 
 was a most anxious one, the troops getting little or no sleep. 
 Gen. Thomas ordered that an assault should be made in the 
 morning, should the enemy still hold this line.
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 359 
 
 Sunday, June 19, found the Rebels again on the retreat, 
 the skirmishers of the NINETY-SIXTH occupying their vacated 
 lines before the day had fairly dawned, and capturing a few 
 prisoners. These skirmishers were soon recalled, and in a 
 dreary rain storm the Division moved to the left and front, 
 going in the direction of Marietta, the 21st Kentucky having 
 the skirmish line. The enemy was encountered near Wallace's 
 house, and the skirmishing became very spirited in front. The 
 main line was in some timber, confronting an open field, which 
 the skirmishers attempted to cross, but in vain, as the enemy 
 was in strong force in the woods just beyond, where they were 
 attempting to tear up a corduroy road or bridge across a slug- 
 gish stream or swamp known as Nose's Creek. Word being 
 sent to the reserves, the NINETY-SIXTH was ordered forward 
 and rapidly crossed the field, the enemy leaving their work 
 and retreating into the timber. The Regiment hastily crossed 
 the stream, some of them wading knee deep in the mud and 
 water, and formed a semi-circle just beyond. A detail of two 
 men from each Company, under command of Lieutenant Daw- 
 son, of Company F, was immediately deployed and ordered to 
 advance. The line was now confronting one of the foot-hills 
 adjacent to the eminence known as Little Kenesaw. The sides 
 of this hill were densely wooded, and the skirmishers could see 
 but little of what was in their front. At the command they 
 moved forward for several rods. It was dusk, and in the tim- 
 ber but little could be seen. William H. Ehlers, of Company 
 C, passed near some bushes when a big Rebel suddenly sprang 
 up and demanded that he throw down his gun, which he very 
 promptly did. Peter Mowers, who was but a few yards dis- 
 tant, shot the Rebel through the leg and called to Ehlers to 
 run, but the latter saw a dozen men spring up, each with his 
 musket aimed, and knowing that escape was impossible, ran 
 quickly to the Rebel rear and remained a prisoner for many 
 months. Sergeant Berg, of Company A, S. F. Vose, of Com- 
 pany G, and others on the line, were ordered to surrender, but 
 declined, although made the target of many guns fired at short 
 range. The line fell back a few rods, each man covering him- 
 self as best he conld, and in a few moments darkness closed
 
 360 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 the scene. Reuben Smith, of Company G, was mortally 
 wounded, being shot through the left shoulder and dying July 
 13. Orskine Ferrand, of Company B, was wounded in the 
 left hand, and Corporal Harrison Gage, of Company I, was 
 severely injured by a spent ball which struck him in the back. 
 The position was precarious at best, and as the bullets were 
 cutting wickedly through the bushes, a line of rifle pits was 
 constructed, work continuing throughout the night. There 
 was but little sleep, and all expected that at daylight the Rebels 
 would attempt to drive them back across the swamp. 
 
 Monday, June 20, was a memorable day in the Regiment's 
 history. There had been little opportunity for sleep for two 
 nights, and the early dawn found the men in line and ready 
 to repel an expected assault. But the Rebels did not come, 
 although keeping up a most annoying fire. The skirmish line 
 was ordered forward with Company D, Lieutenant Earle com- 
 manding, in support. It was hoped that they might be able 
 to take and hold the higher ground in front, but the fire proved 
 too heavy and they were recalled, Company D taking the front 
 line. The contest raged at the right and left throughout the 
 day. Gen. Stanley, the Division commander, and Gen. Whit- 
 taker, the Brigade commander, reconnoitered the position, 
 going on foot along the line of works behind which the Regi- 
 ment was lying and looking through the woods to learn the 
 nature of the ground in front. A reconnoissance was deter- 
 mined on, and the skirmishers pushed forward until within a 
 few rods of the Rebel skirmish pits, which were seen to be 
 very near together and full of men. The position learned, the 
 line fell back to its old place. This reconnoissance was a 
 costly one to Company D, for two of their number Louis 
 Brochon and Philip R. Clawson were killed, and four were 
 wounded, Abner L. Chandler being shot in the abdomen, and 
 Corporal A. R. Thain, P. P. Melindy and James McCann, 
 each in the leg. Chandler's wound was at first thought to be 
 fatal, but fortunately the bullet did not penetrate far, and in a 
 few weeks he was at his post again. 
 
 The skirmish officer reported the position of the enemy, 
 and a charge was planned at Brigade headquarters. The 21st
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 361 
 
 Kentucky was ordered to pile knapsacks, take position in front 
 of the NINETY-SIXTH and lay down until the signal for the 
 charge. The 51st Ohio, which was to move in support, was 
 directed to lie down in rear of the NINETY-SIXTH. Meanwhile, 
 similar preparations were made in front of Bald Knob, an ele- 
 vation at the right, opposite the position held by the First 
 Brigade, commanded by Col. Kirby. Col. Price, command- 
 ing the 21st Kentucky, called for the skirmish officer, and just 
 as the preparations were complete was making inquiry as to 
 the direction to be taken to keep his line parallel with the 
 Rebel skirmish line. The bugle sounding for the advance, he 
 gave the necessary commands, Lieutenant Earle volunteering 
 to guide his right. Hardly had the advance begun when the 
 Colonel fell, severely wounded. But there was no faltering, 
 and at a run the gallant Kentuckians dashed up to and over 
 the .Rebel skirmishers, capturing many of them. The 51st 
 Ohio moved immediately to the captured line, and shortly 
 afterward other troops were ordered to their support. In 
 their enthusiasm a part of the 2 1st Kentucky ran beyond 
 the skirmish pits and attempted to charge across a ravine 
 and to the ridge beyond, where was the enemy's main 
 line, but the movement was not contemplated by the com- 
 mander and proved disastrous to the brave men who under- 
 took it, for a number were killed and wounded, their losses 
 being more than in the charge upon the skirmish line. They 
 were speedily recalled, and in accordance with a promise made 
 by Gen. Whittaker, were marched back to their knapsacks 
 and given a comparatively safe position in a rear line during 
 the remainder of the time the Brigade confronted Little Kene- 
 saw. Meanwhile, some sixty or eighty Rebels were brought 
 back under guard. Most of them were from the 7th Kentucky, 
 and as they crossed the works of the NINETY-SIXTH, they were 
 chatting earnestly with their captors and asking numerous 
 questions as to mutual acquaintances. One of the Regiment 
 remarked to a guard : "You seem to know some of these fel- 
 lows." " Know them ? " was the reply. " Yes, every one of 
 them. I used to play foot-ball with them in Lexington. Got 
 my own brother here." "You didn't get me until Igave you
 
 362 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 200 rounds of cartridges to-day, anyhow ! " was the reply of 
 the captured brother. Thus they talked as they passed to the 
 rear. And this was civil war neighbor fighting against 
 neighbor, brother against brother. 
 
 The troops in front speedily began the construction of 
 a line of works, using the material in the captured skirmish 
 pits. A few small trees were felled and rolled into position, 
 and the line was attaining a height that would give some pro- 
 tection, when the skirmishers, who had been deployed a few 
 rods in front, shouted to the main line that the Rebels were 
 coming. Instantly the men dropped their axes and shovels, 
 seized their muskets, and formed in line behind their hastily 
 constructed works. With a yell the enemy dashed against 
 them, but not in such numbers or with such velocity as to 
 make their charge successful, and the brave soldiers soon 
 had the satisfaction of seeing them hurled back across the 
 ravine. As soon as it became known that the Rebels were to 
 make a charge, Colonel Champion, whose orders were to sup- 
 port the front line, ordered the NINETY-SIXTH forward, and 
 they arrived in time to assist in repelling the assault. The 
 35th Indiana was moved upon the left. The regiments 
 partially overlapped each other, and, the NINETY-SIXTH com- 
 ing up behind them, made a double line at the point of 
 assault, and for a short distance three lines of men lay in posi- 
 tion. Presently the Rebels charged again, with a determina- 
 tion that did credit to their bravery. The guns of the men in 
 rear were loaded and passed to those in front, and a most 
 withering fire was poured upon the advancing hosts. The 
 dense underbrush in front was swept down by bullets as though 
 a scythe had been used. The Rebels came across the ravine 
 and up the slope almost to the works, but their ranks were 
 so thinned and broken that again they retreated. It was now 
 growing so dark as to make it difficult to discern between 
 friend and foe, except by the direction of the flash of the 
 muskets. Soon there was a third advance, but with the inten- 
 tion of deceiving their opponents the Rebels marched backward 
 up the hill, firing blank cartridges toward their own works, 
 and calling to the Federals not to shoot their friends. A re-
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 363 
 
 connoitering party had been sent out when the enemy retired 
 after their second charge, but had passed to the right and 
 returned to the line. Many did not know of their return, and, 
 supposing the advancing line to be these men, not a few at 
 first refused to fire, believing that it was friends and not foes 
 approaching. All were undeceived, however, and again the 
 Rebels were driven back with fearful slaughter. But the posi- 
 tion gained was deemed an important one, and the Rebels 
 determined to re-take it at whatever cost. The fact that Bald 
 Knob, which was carried by Col. Kirby, had been re-taken by 
 the forces at their left, stimulated the Rebels in front of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH to an almost frantic effort. A fourth time they 
 came against that bloody hill, but a constant stream of fire 
 poured from the breastworks and beat them back. Mean- 
 while, casualties had been frequent along the line, among 
 those disabled being Colonel Champion, who was severely 
 wounded in the face. The wound was exceedingly painful, and 
 he was compelled to go immediately to the rear. Sergeant 
 Weir, of Company A, accompanied him to the field hospital, 
 returning within an hour or two. 
 
 After the fourth repulse the Rebels maintained quiet 
 for a time. Lieutenant Colonel Smith, who had assumed 
 command of the line when Colonel Champion was wounded, 
 fearing that his flank might be turned, moved the NINETY- 
 SIXTH to the right of the 51st Ohio, extending his men so 
 as to cover the ground between that regiment and Nose's 
 Creek. The bullets were flying through the bushes, and 
 as soon as the position was gained Colonel Smith began 
 to reconnoitre his front in person. A moment later a bullet 
 tore through his shoulder, and he was carried to the rear, 
 dangerously wounded. Major Hicks being temporarily absent 
 because of sickness, Captain Pollock, of Company C, took 
 command of the Regiment, and immediately associated with 
 him Captain Rowan, of Company F. The two looked along 
 the line, and determining where breastworks should be built, 
 sent for the regimental pioneers. But the Rebels were not 
 yet satisfied, and were preparing for their fifth charge. This 
 time they struck the Union line a little farther to their right.
 
 364 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 Moving silently until near the breastworks, they made a rush 
 upon the 35th Indiana, killing its commander Maj. Dufficy 
 and shooting and bayoneting many of the men before they 
 could make any organized resistance. The 35th abandoned 
 their works, some of the men being captured and others run- 
 ning back into the timber. Major D. W. Marshall, of the 51st 
 Ohio, immediately called for the NINETY-SIXTH to go and re- 
 take the works, but upon consultation it was agreed that their 
 position was too important to be abandoned. Captain Pollock 
 accordingly sent the three left Companies B, G and K 
 under Captain Rowan. These Companies moved in rear of 
 the main line, and before they were aware that they had 
 reached the spot, were fired upon by the Rebels just across the 
 breastworks. Several fell at the first volley, others ran back 
 for shelter, but many remained, loading and firing as rapidly 
 as possible, a few using the bayonet. At this critical juncture 
 the 40th Ohio came up in line and re-took the works, sustain- 
 ing and inflicting considerable loss. Lieut. -Col. Watson, of 
 the 40th, who was Brigade Officer of the Day, in reconnoiter- 
 ing the position a few moments before, was captured, a Rebel 
 reaching over and fairly dragging him across the earthwork. 
 In the movement of the three Companies to the left, the 
 loss sustained was terrific. Captain G-ilmore, of Company B, 
 was mortally wounded,' being struck three times. One shot 
 penetrated his skull, another his body, and a third passed 
 through his thigh. He never regained consciousness, and died 
 five days later. Sergeant Whitmore, of the same Company, 
 was almost instantly killed ; David Wells was shot in the hand 
 and arm and permanently disabled, never again joining the 
 command. Erastus T. Cleveland lost a part of his hand, and 
 was disabled. In Company G, Captain James was shot through 
 the shoulder, and died a month later. Dennis Shupe was 
 struck two or three times and killed almost instantly. Chris- 
 topher Booetcher was mortally wounded, being hit seven times 
 and dying on the twenty-third. Sergeant Walter Drew had 
 his left arm shattered and suffered amputation, and Christian 
 Knopf was permanently disabled by a shot through the foot. 
 In Company K, Corporal Wallace W. Hoover was severely
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 365 
 
 wounded through the left shoulder, and James Hicks had a 
 serious wound in the right hand. 
 
 The other casualties of the day were : Corporal Henry P. 
 Barnum, of Company C, who was permanently disabled, a 
 bullet striking his left cheek, passing directly through and 
 coming out of his right cheek close beside the deep scar of his 
 Chickamanga wound ; Corporal John H. Pooley, of Company 
 E, who was shot through the left thigh, and permanently dis- 
 abled, his wound being a close mate to one in his right thigh 
 received at Chickamauga ; James L. Knox, of Company G, 
 who was shot in the left arm and side, and died nine days 
 later ; Corporal Marcus J. Penwell, of Company H, shot in 
 the left hand ; Edward Hancock, of Company F, and George 
 E. Smith, of Company D, both stretcher bearers, and each 
 shot in the ankle. Hancock was disabled for five weeks, but 
 Smith was able to remain on duty. 
 
 After the re-taking of the works the three Companies re- 
 turned to the Regiment. The firing was continuous all night, 
 but there were no further assaults. By morning, a good line 
 of breastworks was well advanced, but the men were entirely 
 worn out by their long and constant vigil. It was said that 
 seventy thousand rounds of ammunition were expended by 
 Gen. Whittaker's Brigade alone on the twentieth. The Regi- 
 ment had added to its laurels, but at heavy cost* 
 
 Tuesday, June 21, brought little respite. Daylight re- 
 vealed the fact that the Rebel main line was frightfully near. 
 The Regiment was upon a hillside sloping toward the enemy, 
 and almost at the verge of the timber. In its front was a 
 straggling cornfield, dotted with girdled trees. Its works 
 were partially enfiladed from Bald Hill. So close was the 
 enemy that a hat or a hand raised above the head logs was 
 sure to bring a volley of musket balls. Skirmishers were 
 posted in hastily constructed rifle pits, or behind trees, but 
 
 *The Historian of the 40th Ohio declares the night fight of June 20, at Kenesaw, the 
 severest, next to Chickamauga, in the experience of that Regiment. With the NIMKTT- 
 SIXTH there were fewer slight wounds than in several other engagements, but more 
 fatalities than in any other one day's experience, except at Chickamauga, and, consid- 
 ering the emallness of the Regiment, the number of casualties was very large. Eight 
 were killed or mortally wounded. A singular fact is that all of these were from the- 
 Lake County Companies. A number of those wounded were permanently disabled.
 
 366 HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 thirty or forty yards in advance. To add to the discomfort, 
 the day was rainy, and as the men were obliged to lay in the 
 muddy trenches their situation was most disagreeable.* Coffee 
 could not be made on the line, nor brought from the rear, 
 except at night. Hard tack and raw salt meat was the only 
 diet. Major Hicks, who had been worn out in the campaign, 
 and sent to the field hospital to recuperate a day or two 
 before, came up early in the day, and took command of the 
 Regiment. The musketry was spirited all day, and casualties 
 numerous on either side. About ten o'clock two batteries 
 opened upon the Regiment with fearful energy, and for an 
 hour it seemed as if the position must be vacated. The dis- 
 tance was so short, and the range so close, that destruction to 
 the entire command seemed inevitable. Shells screeched and 
 screamed and exploded in the treetops, and upon the ground. 
 Girdled trees were struck, and their dried branches broken off 
 by the shock and hurled backward toward the line. At times 
 it seemed as if retreat must inevitably result. After a time 
 the men concluded to change their tactics, and opened tire 
 upon the batteries with musketry from the main line. The 
 effect was soon manifest, for one after another the cannon 
 ceased firing, the showers of Minie balls driving the artillerists 
 from their positions. Toward noon the First Brigade charged 
 the hill at the right of the NINETY-SIXTH, which they had 
 taken and lost the night before. The Union batteries played 
 upon this hill for a half hour before the advance. The 
 Rebels had a line of works, but so gallant was the assault that 
 it proved irresistible. The charge was in plain view, and so 
 near at hand that the members of the Regiment were able to 
 give material assistance by firing obliquely toward the Rebels, 
 both before they left their works and after they began their 
 retreat. This movement partially stopped the enfilading fire, 
 which had been so severe, especially upon the skirmishers of 
 the NINETY-SIXTH, during the early part of the day. The 
 casualties, which were mainly sustained by the skirmishers, 
 
 * Gen. Sherman telegraphed Washington on the 21st : "This is the nineteenth day 
 of rain, and the prospect of clear weather is as far off as ever. The roads are impas- 
 sable, and fields and woods become quagmires after a few wagons have crossed, yet we 
 are at work all of the time."
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 367 
 
 were as follows : First Sergeant F. A. "Weir, face ; Sergeant 
 C. H. Berg, right arm ; F. J. Robinson, left leg, by three 
 bullets; Theodore Hopp, left hand, all of the foregoing in 
 Company A, Sergeant Samuel B. Payne, Company C, shot 
 through, and died a month later ; Henry Sneesby, Company 
 C, face ; Charles Spaulding, Company D, thigh ; Dominick 
 Burke, Company D, face ; Wm. R. Buchanan, Company F, 
 mortally ; Sergeant George Dawson, Company I, head ; 
 Peter Damphouse, Company I, arm ; Wm. W. Hughes, Com- 
 pany K, hip. 
 
 Wednesday, June 22, the positions were unchanged. The 
 Rebels again gave the Regiment a terrific shelling, but could 
 not drive it out. The main works and the skirmish line had 
 both been strengthened, and as the men kept out of sight, 
 tiring under their head logs, and exposing themselves but 
 little, the casualties were less numerous. Orlando Phippin, of 
 Company E, was wounded in the head ; Corporal James 
 Junken, of Company E, was wounded in the neck, and died 
 next day ; William Joyce, of Company G, was wounded in 
 the head. After dark the Regiment, with the rest of the 
 Brigade, was relieved and moved to the rear and right, march- 
 ing nearly the entire night, and relieving portions of the 
 Twentieth Corps, on Culp's Farm, early on the morning of 
 Thursday, June 23. A heavy engagement had taken place 
 on this ground the previous day. The enemy's fire was severe 
 throughout the day, but at longer range than that to which 
 the Regiment had been so recently exposed. Toward night, 
 after a terrific artillery fire of an hour's duration, a charge 
 was made by the Brigade, and the Rebel skirmishers were 
 driven in, about one hundred of them being captured, many 
 of them by the NINETY-SIXTH. The 84th Indiana captured an 
 eminence somewhat in advance of the rest of the Brigade, but 
 soon exhausted its ammunition, and was withdrawn. The 
 advance on the part of the NINETY-SIXTH was most gallantly 
 made. Frank Redfem^ of Company E ; Robert Burbridge, 
 of Company H ; and Ross P. Rayne, of Company K, were 
 mortally wounded, all dying within a few hours. James 
 Donehue, of Company G, on duty at Brigade Headquarters,
 
 368 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 as an Orderly, was wounded in the leg. The main lines were- 
 now about one-third of a mile apart. 
 
 Friday, Saturday and Sunday the Regiment did not move. 
 Heavy firing occurred at intervals, but only the skirmishers 
 were engaged upon that part of the line. The men shielded 
 themselves as best they could, and, as the weather had im- 
 proved, and the ground become partially dry, they were far 
 more comfortable than on the line occupied earlier in the 
 week. Occasionally during the early part of the night the 
 skirmishers of the two armies talked back and forth across 
 the brief space separating them-, or met midway between the 
 lines. One evening, after the Rebels had assaulted at a point 
 where some Union regiments which they supposed were made 
 up largely of recruits, were located, and had been driven 
 back with severe loss, a big Confederate called out : "Oh, 
 Yank ! what troops were those that repulsed us ? " " Do you 
 really want to know ? " was answered back. ' ' Yes, of course. " 
 came in reply. "Well, it was a brigade of niggers," called 
 out the Yankee. The Rebels were angry, and fired a volley 
 to show their indignation, following the volley with a torrent 
 of oaths. Quiet was soon restored, when a Yankee called 
 out : ' ' Oh, Johnny ! I forgot to say that the niggers were 
 supported by hundred-day men." In came more bullets 
 and profanity, and then another period of quiet, which was 
 broken by another call from the Yankee : "Honest, boys, it 
 was the Invalid Corps that you charged." There was no more 
 talking that night, but lots of ammunition was wasted. In 
 these occasional conversations a favorite question was to ask 
 the Rebels how far it was to Atlanta, and the replies were as 
 varied as can well be imagined. The General Officers in 
 either army frowned upon these interviews, but could not 
 wholly prevent them, as the soldiers in the ranks felt that it 
 was their war rather than a contest between high officials. 
 The fatigue of laying in the skirmish pits for twelve or twenty- 
 four hours was terrible, and either side was usually willing to 
 declare a truce for a few hours during the night, especially if 
 the lines had been confronting each other for a succession of 
 days, with no prospect of an immediate movement. Usually
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 First Lieut. HOI.I.IN H. Tut >u;n.i.. 
 GKORGK A BANGS. 
 
 Capt. GEOBOB H. BURNETT. 
 
 Capt. EVANGELIST J. GILMOKE. 
 
 HBNRY II. MONTGOMERY. 
 
 MYRON GILMOUE. 
 WILLIAM D. WHIT.MORE.
 
 _^__ >- 
 
 * '
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 369 
 
 one side or the other would call out: "Oh, say! Stop 
 firing a little while ! " If the proposition was favorably 
 received the musketry would soon cease for quite a distance 
 along the line, and the men would crawl out from their pits 
 and sit upon the grass or on the head logs of their little forti- 
 fications. At times there would be little or no talking. When 
 the officer or non-comrnissioned officer in charge thought the 
 truce had lasted a sufficient time he would so indicate to his 
 men, and some one would call out: "Oh, Johnny! hunt 
 your holes, now ; we're going to shoot ! " and in two minutes 
 the desultory firing would be renewed. These affairs were 
 honorably conducted, and seldom was a shot fired until warn- 
 ing had been given. In trading between the lines the men 
 went unarmed. The Rebels were always anxious to get coffee, 
 but it is to be feared that they sometimes found the quality 
 poor, as the Yankees not unfrequently boiled their coffee whole, 
 extracting what strength they could without grinding, arid then 
 drying it for trading purposes. Tobacco was much sought 
 after by the Yankees. In exchanging newspapers it was the 
 custom to part with those of the most remote date possible. 
 
 The men almost insisted that these amnesties were a neces- 
 sity, so severe had become the physical strain, and as the 
 officers of lower rank were as much in need of the respite as 
 were their men these truces were repeated nightly until the 
 twenty-seventh. 
 
 Gen. Sherman at last tired of his tactics, and resolved to 
 make a change of plans. Keeping up a show of moving to 
 the right, he concentrated a portion of the army near the 
 centre, and prepared to assault the enemy's fortifications. 
 Preliminary to the charge, on the morning of Monday, June 
 27, the NINETY-SIXTH, with the other troops of the Brigade, 
 moved three-quarters of a mile to the left and formed in 
 column just in rear of the Union works, with orders to support 
 the Second Division. The experience was a trying one. 
 Almost before the reserves were in position, the bugle sounded 
 for the charging columns to advance. The response was 
 prompt and gallant, two Brigades of Gen. Newton's Division 
 rushing forward from the immediate front of the NINETY- 
 24
 
 370 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 SIXTH, and attempting to push through the tangled abatis 
 which covered the Rebel front ; but in vain, for the barriers 
 were so formidable that they could not be passed. The Rebels, 
 standing behind their strong earth-works, and peering under- 
 neath their head logs, gloated over their victims, mowing them 
 down by hundreds as they came up to .the line where the 
 tangled bushes were so interwoven as to absolutely fence out 
 the storming party. Again and again the veteran troops 
 attempted to go forward, and for nearly two hours the 
 musketry and artillery gave forth a continuous roar. Farther 
 to the right Gen. Davis' Division made a similar attempt, 
 starting from the works where the NINETY- SIXTH had lain for 
 three days, but they, too, were driven back. At length Gen. 
 Sherman became satisfied that success could not result, and 
 ordered the troops to return. Many could not leave their 
 advanced position, but lay there until nightfall, while some 
 who attempted to run back were shot before reaching the 
 works. The losses were frightful, and the gains of little 
 moment. It was calculated that fully 2,500 were killed and 
 wounded, among the former being Gen. Charles Harker and 
 Col. Daniel McCook, the officers in command of the Brigades 
 which led one of the assaults. 
 
 The part taken by the Regiment in the day's fight was not 
 conspicuous. It lay in reserve all through the charge, mov- 
 ing to front or rear, or to right or left, under a pitiless fire, as 
 ordered, prepared to rush forward at the signal to be given 
 when the advance had broken the Rebel lines a signal that 
 was not to be made. Men fell all about ; artillery horses, 
 standing near at hand, were wounded, and, mad with pain, 
 dashed toward the lines ; but strangely enough not a man of 
 the Regiment was disabled. During the afternoon the Regi- 
 ment was moved a short distance to the rear, and allowed to 
 rest where there was but little danger, an experience so rare at 
 that time as to be most welcome. 
 
 Tuesday, June 28, the Regiment remained in the woods 
 until dusk, when it moved to the scene of the terrible fighting 
 of the day before. For some reason difficult of comprehen- 
 sion, the troops were ordered to retain a position across the
 
 1804] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 371 
 
 depression between the two lines of works, so close to the 
 enemy as to be exceedingly dangerous. To this exposed line 
 the Regiment inarched, under cover of the darkness. The 
 orders were given in a whisper, and every man was charged 
 to maintain silence. The night was comparatively quiet, but 
 there was no talking or trafficking between the lines. Many of 
 the dead still lay along the hillside, but the wounded had been 
 gathered in by daring men during the previous night. Skir- 
 mish pits were constructed, a greater part of the Regiment 
 working all night. 
 
 Wednesday, June 29, the early hours were full of the noise 
 of musketry, but ere long there came a hush, for near at hand 
 a white flag fluttered in the breeze. It soon became known 
 that Gen. Sherman had asked a truce, and that permission be 
 granted him to bear oft and bury the dead from Monday's 
 fight. The flag was received, and four hours' time granted 
 for this humane work. It becoming apparent that the task 
 could not be completed within the period named, an exten- 
 sion was granted and the truce continued until five o'clock. 
 During this time the men of either army flocked between the 
 lines by hundreds, but neither side ventured, or was allowed, 
 to pass a designated point. The enlisted men talked freely 
 with each other, exchanged newspapers and other commodities, 
 and at parting shook hands, wishing personal good luck, but 
 pronouncing anathemas against the cause to which they were 
 respectively opposed. Many distinguished officers from either 
 side met on the neutral ground, several of them renewing 
 acquaintances formed at West Point. 
 
 At five o'clock the details whose duty it had been to gather 
 and bear away the bodies of those who fell in the disastrous 
 charge announced that their task was completed, the men in 
 grey retired beyond their heavy fortifications, the men in blue 
 withdrew to their works, each side called to the other the 
 ominous words, "Are you ready ? " and the duel of the morn- 
 ing was resumed. At dark the NINETY-SIXTH was relieved, 
 and marched back to the timber in rear of the main line, and 
 bivouacked. During the night a terrific musketry broke out 
 almost immediately in front, and bullets flew around the camp,
 
 372 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 but without injury to any one in the command. All sprang 
 to arms, but in a few moments the firing lessened and all was 
 usually quiet. 
 
 Thursday and Friday passed without any especial event 
 on that part of the line. Gen. Sherman continued to shift his 
 forces from left to right, and was preparing to cut loose from 
 the railroad and swing to the rear of the Rebels, closing down 
 to the Chattahoochie, and striking them on the move if pos- 
 sible. But his movements were divined by the wary Johnston, 
 and the expected opportunity for an open field fight was never 
 given. 
 
 During the evening of Friday, July 1, the NINETY-SIXTH 
 again took the extreme front line, relieving the 45th Ohio, and 
 occupying the position held during the previous Wednesday. 
 The night was uneventful, but next day, to cover his move- 
 ment to the right, Gen. Sherman directed that an incessant 
 skirmish fire be kept up, and all through the hours the roar 
 of musketry resounded in front and to right and left of the 
 position. The enemy was compelled to keep out of sight, and 
 but few shots were returned. At dark the Regiment was 
 marched to the left, relieving other troops in their trenches. 
 Many had lame arms and shoulders from firing their 
 muskets so constantly, and all felt that important events 
 were at hand. Gen. Whittaker, who had been relieved from 
 the command of the Brigade, was succeeded by Col. Taylor, 
 of the 40th Ohio. The two men were strikingly different in, 
 their characteristics. The General was fiery, impulsive, 
 passionate, fond of display, scrupulously neat in his attire, and 
 accustomed to maintain a headquarters superior in its furnish- 
 ings to most of the Division and Corps commanders. Col. 
 Taylor was quiet in language and demeanor, simple in his 
 habits, familiar with his men, careless of dress and satisfied 
 with a shelter tent if no better could be conveniently provided. 
 He was not disposed to trust the details of his camp or picket 
 lines to subordinates, but attended to everything possible in 
 person. Often he would walk along the lines, dressed in a 
 soldier's uniform and leading his old gray mare, while his- 
 staff officers and orderlies, mounted in superb style, would
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 373 
 
 follow behind, their faces betraying their feelings, which were 
 clearly that they were a useless appendage. But the Colonel's 
 bravery and coolness were well known, and the men had entire 
 confidence in his judgment. He issued few orders, and usually 
 saw, in person, that they were obeyed. The Brigade was 
 well handled by him, but it is understood that he never 
 enjoyed his promotion or learned how to make his staff officers 
 &s useful as the average brigade commander. Certain it is 
 that he has never ceased to have the best wishes of the men 
 of the old "Iron Brigade." 
 
 Sunday, July 3, found Kenesaw Mountain and the long 
 line of Rebel entrenchments abandoned. There was great 
 rejoicing, for the three weeks, from Ackworth to this point, 
 had been full of hard and dangerous work. The Regiment 
 numbered less than two hundred effective men, although a 
 few others were present as pioneers, musicians, etc. But 
 little clothing had been issued, and nearly all were ragged. 
 The men had grown thin and haggard, and very many then 
 on duty were in reality fit subjects for the hospital. But it 
 was necessary that all who could should keep in place, for the 
 casualties in Gen. Sherman's command during the two months 
 preceding had aggregated, by the conservative figures of army 
 reports, 7,530, while at least an equal number had been sent 
 to hospitals because of sickness. The NINETY-SIXTH had 
 shrunk almost one-half, indicating that its casualties exceeded 
 that of the average regiment, and confirming the belief that 
 the figures given for the army were entirely too low. 
 
 Pursuit of the Rebel army began at once, even though the 
 day was the Sabbath, the heat excessive, and the army in great 
 need of rest. TJie Regiment, with other troops, pushed out 
 across the heavy breastworks, marching through the outskirts 
 of the pretty village of Marietta, and following the railroad. 
 The day's march was about six miles, and the camp for the 
 night in a corn field. 
 
 Monday, July 4. the pursuit continued, the army hammer- 
 ing away at the heels of the retreating foe, and pressing them 
 to a line of works at Smyrna Camp Ground. The Brigade to 
 which the NINETY-SIXTH was attached led in a charge upon
 
 374 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 these works, and drove the enemy in considerable confusion, 
 capturing a few prisoners. The losses in the Division aggre- 
 gated fully one hundred. The day had been a genuine Fourth 
 of July in its noise, but the tiring was of shotted cannon, and 
 in place of the harmless cracker, had been the hurtling Minie 
 ball. At night the Regiment took a front line, under fire, 
 the men working like beavers until morning, in constructing 
 fortifications, only to find that the enemy had again retreated 
 to another line of works. Gen. Sherman, in his Memoirs, 
 confesses that he was greatly surprised to find the Rebels- 
 again entrenched north of the Chattahoochie, and says of their 
 line, it "proved to^be one of the strongest pieces of field 
 fortification I ever saw." A thousand slaves had been at 
 work a month or more on these lines, the inner one of which 
 was about five or six miles in length. 
 
 Tuesday, July 5, the Regiment again pushed forward,, 
 reaching the Chattahoochie river, where a pontoon bridge, 
 some wagons and a few prisoners were captured. The posi- 
 tion occupied was out of the reach of musketry, and the men 
 enjoyed the opportunity of washing their clothing and putting 
 up tents, which was possible on Wednesday. 
 
 The remainder of the week was spent in camp. At inter- 
 vals the batteries played upon the Rebel lines, with great 
 vigor, their fire being responded to with corresponding earnest- 
 ness. Friday evening a terrific artillery duel was indulged in. 
 During Saturday night the last of the enemy crossed to the 
 south side of the river. Many of the men visited the signal 
 hill at Yining's Station, and took their first look at Atlanta, 
 nine miles distant. It seemed quite near, but two long 
 months were to elapse before the Union Flag should float 
 from its spires. 
 
 The operations about Kenesaw Mountain had been at- 
 tended by the following 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 Field and Staff. 
 
 WOUNDED. Colonel Thos. E. Champion, face ; Lieutenant Colonel 
 John C. Smith, shoulder ; both being practically disabled for further 
 field service.
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 375 
 
 Company A. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Sergeant F. A. Weir, face ; Sergeant C. H. Berg, 
 right arm ; Francis J. Robinson, left leg ; Theodore Hopp, left hand. 
 
 Company B. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Captain E. J. Gillmore ; Sergeant 
 William D. Whitmore. 
 
 WOUNDED. Erastus T. Cleveland, left hand ; Orskine L. Ferrand, 
 left hand ; David Wells, left hand. 
 
 Company C. 
 
 MORTALLY WOUNDED. Sergeant Samuel B. Payne. 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Henry P. Barnum, face, disabled for further 
 service ; Henry Sneesby, face. 
 
 CAPTURED. William H. Ehlers. 
 
 Company D. 
 
 KILLED. Louis Brochon, Philip R. Clawson. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Alex. R. Thain, leg ; Abner L. Chandler, abdo- 
 men ; P. P. Melindy, leg ; James McCann, leg ; Dominick Burke, face ; 
 Charles Spaulding, right thigh. 
 
 CAPTURED. Sergeant Michael Devlin, Albert Barney. 
 
 Company E. 
 
 MORTALLY WOUNDED. Corporal James Junken, Frank Redfe 
 WOUNDED. Corporal John H. Pooley, left leg ; Orlando Phippin, 
 head ; Wm. G. Oberlin, face and eye. 
 
 Company F. 
 
 MORTALLY WOUNDED. Wm. R. Buchanan. 
 WOUNDED. Edward Hancock, ankle. 
 
 Company G. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Captain David L. James, Chris- 
 topher Booetcher, James L. Knox, Dennis Shupe, Reuben Smith. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Walter Drew, left arm, amputated ; Christian 
 Knopf, right foot, disabled for further service ; William Joyce, head ; 
 
 James Donohue, leg. 
 
 Company H. 
 
 KILLED. Robert Burb ridge. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal M. J. Penwell, left hand. 
 
 Company I. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant John B. Reynolds, neck; Sergeant George 
 Dawson, head ; Corporal Harrison Gage, back ; William Bell, left hand ; 
 Peter Damphouse, right arm. 
 
 Company K, 
 
 MORTALLY WOUNDED. Ross P. Rayne. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal W. W. Hoover, left shoulder ; James Hicks, 
 right baud ; W. W. Hughes, right hip ; Wm. J. Edwards, left leg; Har- 
 mon Dean, head ; George C. Morse, head.
 
 376 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 INCIDENTS ABOUT KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 
 
 The casualties in the 46th Georgia, one of the regiments 
 that charged the position held by the NINETY-SIXTH and other 
 troops in Whittaker's Brigade during the tight of June 20, 
 must have been very numerous, as many bodies were left 
 between the lines. Indeed, nearly a month afterward, Cor- 
 poral Henry Gage, of Company G, visited that region to call 
 upon friends in the 15th and 45th Illinois, and wrote home 
 that from thirty to fifty bodies were still unburied. The stench 
 from that part of the battle-field was terrible during the two 
 weeks in which the armies confronted each other, but the lines 
 were too close to permit of any work being done by burial 
 parties except under a flag of truce, which was never sent out 
 at that point. 
 
 Several men used the bayonet during the night fight of 
 June 20, more, probably, than at any other engagement in 
 which the Regiment participated. 
 
 Old letters report but nine or ten men able to carry mus- 
 kets in some of the Companies of the NINETY-SIXTH, about 
 the time the line was abandoned by the enemy. Indeed, the 
 entire Regiment, counting only effective men, was then but 
 little larger than a full Company at muster-in. Every man 
 was a soldier, however, and the command was equal to any 
 emergency likely to arise. 
 
 Dighton Granger, of Company B, who had recently been 
 detailed as teamster, drove a wagon load of artillery ammu- 
 nition up to a battery on the front line during an artillery duel 
 and held his team in place for some time when the officers 
 considered it too dangerous to permit their men to unload the 
 wagon, but fortunately the outfit escaped damage. 
 
 George Barth had a bullet through his coat, Fred Worth 
 one through his blanket, Joseph Roth one through his pants 
 and poncho, Edward Rix had his clothing cut, Frank Rahling 
 had his hat shot through, Corporal W. H. Richards had one 
 bullet strike his knapsack and another spoil the lock of his 
 gun, George Bowman had a ball through his cartridge box and
 
 1864] KENESAW MOUNTAIN. 377 
 
 Milton Glover one through his haversack. Samuel Buser, 
 -on duty at Brigade headquarters, stepped out of his tent just 
 in time to avoid a cannon ball which destroyed the frail edifice. 
 
 Charles Spaulding and Dominick Burke, of Company D, 
 were each wounded while asleep. Worn out with several 
 nights and days of hard work, with little opportunity for rest, 
 they crawled out of the trenches and tried to make themselves 
 a little more comfortable upon the bank, and were sleeping 
 soundly, although there was continuous firing all about them, 
 when an over-shot bullet wounded both of them. 
 
 The field hospital was not so far away from the line, but 
 that it was under fire, shot or shell passing over it frequently, 
 and occasionally dropping among the tents, in a few instances 
 with fatal results. Most of the wounded were placed upon the 
 cars and taken to Chattanooga, or points farther north. As 
 fast as they recovered they were again sent to the front, many 
 being detailed to drive cattle from Chattanooga, and in some 
 instances having stirring adventures with Rebel cavalry. 
 ' On the night of June 20 a Rebel officer was shot just over 
 the breastworks in front of Compan}^ B. William Joyce 
 immediately jumped over the works and, taking off the officer's 
 sword and belt returned safely with the trophies, although 
 repeatedly fired at by the Rebels. 
 
 Lieutenant Blowney was sick in the field hospital for a few 
 days, but when Captain James was brought back wounded, 
 immediately made his way to the front line and took com- 
 mand of his Company, although so weak as to hardly be able 
 to walk. 
 
 John Greenwald, who had been discharged for disability 
 from Company A, and reenlisted in Company F, 12th Illinois, 
 was wounded no less than seven times in one of the engage- 
 ments about Kenesaw. 
 
 While carrying a box of ammunition to the front line John 
 Golden, one of the band, was severely injured by a fall. 
 
 Thomas J . Moore, of Company E, had his cap box exploded 
 by a bullet. 
 
 A not unusual occurrence was for a man to lose his voice, 
 .as a result of sickness. One of those thus afflicted was
 
 378 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 William R. Buchanan, of Company F, who had not spoken 
 aloud for many months until struck by a bullet while on the 
 skirmish line, June 21, when, the cords being loosened by the 
 shock, he turned to Sergeant Campbell and spoke in a loud 
 tone, saying, "Andy, I'm shot." He lived but a few hours, 
 but was able to converse until the last. 
 
 An old letter, written on this line, says : "I hardly know 
 whether to say that the boys now with the Regiment are well 
 or not. There are not a great many sick, but there seems to 
 be some disease with which almost everyone is afflicted. 
 Some call it "hives," others scurvy. It is doubtless caused 
 by heat, body lice, going day after day and night after night 
 without an opportunity to change or even take off clothing, 
 dirt and want of vegetable diet." 
 
 During the fight of June 20, Colonel Smith was watching 
 the Rebels from a small aperture in the hastily built works, 
 but being unable to see as clearly as he desired stepped upon 
 the works. As he did so an officer in the 51st Ohio took the- 
 place the Colonel had vacated, but had no sooner placed his 
 eye to the opening than a bullet struck him in the head,, 
 killing him instantly.
 
 1864] THE MARCH TO POWERS' FERRY. 379 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Across the Chattahoochie The Rest on the Ridge Peach Tree Creek 
 The General Forward Movement Within Two Miles of Atlanta 
 The Battle on the Left A Visit Interrupted Killed in Camp Four 
 Men Captured Colonel Opdyke's Reconnoissance Regimental Pol- 
 itics Strong Breastworks and How They were Built Promotions 
 Among the Officers Frequent Demonstrations, One of Them Attend- 
 ed by Heavy Losses An Ominous Quiet Mysterious Movements on 
 Foot What will Gen. Sherman do ? Casualties about Atlanta. 
 
 GEN. SHERMAN'S great ability as a strategist was well dis- 
 played along the line of the Chattahoochie. Feigning to the 
 right he deceived the enemy, and soon had control of several 
 fords and ferries at the left, with his army in good positions 
 for crossing. Some infantry forces, with Garrard's Division 
 of Cavalry, pushed northeastward to Roswell, where were 
 numerous and extensive cotton, wool and paper mills, turning 
 out goods for the Southern armies. These were destroyed. 
 As early as July 8, a portion of the Twenty-Third Corps effected 
 a crossing, by means of pontoon boats, near the mouth of Soap 
 Creek, and having laid their bridge were soon strongly 
 intrenched. Gen. Johnston withdrew his army from the 
 north bank of the river on the night of July 9. Gen. Sher- 
 man, still feigning to the right as if intending to move to the 
 rear of Atlanta from the westward, ordered Gen. McPherson's 
 and Gen. Schofield's forces far to the left, and then wheeled 
 them toward Atlanta from the neighborhood of Decatur. 
 
 Sunday, July 10, the NINETY-SIXTH, with other troops, was 
 enjoying the unusual quiet and idling away the time in any 
 manner that suited the individual taste. The day was an 
 excessively hot one. At noon a detail of men was sent to 
 draw rations and bring them to the camp. This work was 
 about completed and the Commissary Sergeant was dividing 
 the rations of hard-tack, coffee and sugar, according to the 
 size of the Companies, when suddenly the " general " call was
 
 380 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 sounded by the Brigade bugler. A moment later the assembly 
 sounded and then the forward. The men who were awaiting 
 the division of the rations gathered up the four corners of the 
 blankets upon which the supplies had been laid and ran with 
 -all speed to their comrades, who were buckling on their accou- 
 trements. Soldiers ran to meet them, each eager to at least 
 secure some crackers, which they crammed into their haver- 
 sacks. To say the least the division was neither uniform nor 
 formal, but nearly all obtained something. Instantly the 
 straggling column began to move at a rapid walk. The 
 Companies were scarcely half formed and the tardy ones came 
 up at double quick. The direction was up the river, the desti- 
 nation being Power's Ferry, where the enemy was making a 
 demonstration as if intending to attack the troops already 
 arrived. The march was one of the most severe ever partici- 
 pated in by the command, and the Brigade was but a small 
 battalion in size when a final halt was made. At one time 
 but about thirty men were with the colors of the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 and an old letter states that but a single commissioned officer 
 was present. A half dozen or more sustained partial sun- 
 strokes, among the number being Adjutant Blodgett, who was 
 so disabled as to be compelled to go to the hospital and 
 remain for several weeks. He had but partially recovered 
 from an illness of a fortnight's duration and was not in condi- 
 tion to endure the terrific heat of that tropical Sunday after- 
 noon. A little before the destination was reached, it being 
 ascertained that the danger which threatened the troops at 
 the Ferry had passed, a halt was made and the more resolute 
 and robust of those who had fallen out came up so that about 
 seventy muskets were stacked at camp. Others continued to 
 come up, and by night nearly all were present. Several fatal 
 sunstrokes were said to have occurred in the Brigade. Shortly 
 after the destination was reached, and before any considerable 
 number of the exhausted men had put up their shelter tents, a 
 sudden and terrific thunder storm broke upon the camp. The 
 lightning played most vividly and several trees were struck 
 in the immediate vicinity, a number of men being killed in 
 another regiment. The storm, which was not of long duration,
 
 1864] ACROSS THE CHATTAHOOCHIE. 381 
 
 cleared the air to some extent, but the troops were badly used 
 up and glad of the opportunity of a quiet night's rest. 
 
 Monday, July 11, was given to rest. Tuesday morning 
 the Regiment took up its line of march at daylight, crossing 
 the Chattahoochie on a pontoon bridge and taking its place in 
 line on the right of the Twenty-third Corps, along a ridge 
 near the river, and establishing a good camp. The remainder 
 of the week was spent at this Dlace, the men greatly enjoying 
 the rest afforded. The river presented an animated appear- 
 ance at times, from the great number who went in bathing. 
 Some desks and blanks were brought to camp, and officers 
 and non-commissioned officers were kept busy in making out 
 reports, so long neglected during the campaign. Thursday 
 night brought a terrific storm, with high wind and sharp 
 lightning. All were wet, the shelter tents not blown down 
 affording but little protection. 
 
 At this time a special effort was made to fill up the thinned 
 ranks of the army before its concerted move toward Atlanta. 
 Convalescents, teamsters, clerks, detached men, all who could 
 be spared from other duties, were sent forward ; and in this 
 way every Regiment received a very substantial reinforce- 
 ment, the NINETY-SIXTH being increased to nearly three hun- 
 dred effective men. 
 
 Sunday, July 17, brought Company inspection, and at two 
 o'clock P. M. orders to fall in and change position, the new 
 line being the one vacated by Gen. Wood's Division. There 
 was considerable firing at the front and on either flank, indicat- 
 ing that the brief respite was at an end and the grand forward 
 movement toward Atlanta begun. 
 
 Monday, July 18, brought the old-time three o'clock reveille, 
 and at six o'clock the Regiment was moving toward the city, 
 the cannon knocking for admission at its gateways. There 
 was some skirmishing by the advance and but slow progress 
 was made. After moving to the left and front about five or 
 six miles the lines halted, the Regiment being near Buck 
 Head. 
 
 Tuesday, July 19, the Third Division took the front line r 
 and the NINETY-SIXTH lay in camp until four o'clock p. M. r
 
 382 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 when it moved to the left and front, crossing the north fork 
 of Peach Tree Creek, taking position under fire and construct- 
 ing a heavy line of works. John Hay, of Company K, was 
 severely wounded, having his right thigh fractured. He was 
 taken to Chattanooga, where he died a fortnight later. 
 
 Wednesday, July 20, occurred the battle of Peach Tree 
 Creek. There was now a new commander of the Confederate 
 forces about Atlanta. Gen. Johnston was succeeded by Gen. 
 Hood, the recommendation of the latter being that he was a 
 great fighter. The Confederate cause was indeed growing 
 desperate, and a change of tactics was demanded. That change 
 was inaugurated on the day above mentioned. It was known 
 in the Union lines almost as soon as among the Confederates 
 that there had been a change of commanders, and all were 
 warned that an attack might be expected. Gen. Sherman had 
 separated his forces somewhat. Gen. McPherson was on the 
 left, Gen. Schofield next, and Gen. Thomas on the right, with 
 a gap between the forces of the last named commanders. 
 These forces were all feeling their way cautiously toward the 
 front, while the First Division of the Fourth Corps was also 
 bearing to the left in order to connect with and support the 
 Twenty-third Corps. Some delay occurred at the crossing of 
 the south fork of Peach Tree Creek, as it became necessary 
 to build a bridge to take the place of one destroyed by the 
 enemy. Skirmishing was heavy all along the front, and at 
 the right a heavy battle raged during the later hours of the 
 afternoon. At one time the Regiment was halted near some 
 farm buildings on a sloping highway commanded by Rebel 
 artillery. Cannon balls struck the ground in front and rico- 
 cheted across the lines. One shot struck a fence on which 
 some men were sitting, carrying away the rails and dropping 
 the soldiers, somewhat frightened but entirely unharmed. 
 Another tore its way corner- wise through a building around 
 which a few were standing. It was not always a pleasure at 
 such times to hear the bugle sound the "forward," but on this 
 occasion all were rejoiced to be speedily sent at double quick 
 across the hollow and upon the front line, even though the 
 skirmishing was brisk and continuous, and bullets came pat-
 
 1864] PEACH TREE CREEK. 383 
 
 tering through the ranks. Filing to the left, line-of-battle was 
 formed under the brow of the hill, and soon the Kegiment 
 moved forward to the ridge. A line of works was constructed 
 and a charge was looked for, but the main Rebel column did not 
 extend so far to the Union left as to lap the command, although 
 their skirmish line pushed close up to the Regiment. During 
 the engagement Thomas Kimmons, of Company F, was 
 wounded in the leg ; Peter Davidson, of Company H, in the 
 right wrist ; and George Deedrich, of Company D, in the leg. 
 At night the Regiment had the skirmish line and kept up a 
 continuous firing. The battle was a victory for the Union 
 forces, the assaults of the Rebels being repulsed with heavy 
 loss. The fighting was mainly on the part of the Fourth and 
 Twentieth Corps. The NINETY-SIXTH fired about ten thousand 
 rounds of ammunition during the twentieth and the night suc- 
 ceeding. 
 
 Thursday, July 21, the Regiment was relieved on the 
 skirmish line by the 84rth Indiana, and occupied a position 
 behind the breastworks. The general movement was a right 
 wheel of the army, and as the advance was slow little change 
 of position was made on the right. The Regiment was under 
 fire from both infantry and artillery, but sustained no losses. 
 
 Friday, July 22, found the works in front of the right 
 evacuated, and most of Gen. Thomas' command was able to 
 advance to within a mile and a half of the city. This move- 
 ment was made at daylight, the troops marching in column 
 until the skirmishers found the enemy, when the columns 
 deployed and pressed forward to the neighborhood of the 
 White House. At the final halt the NINETY-SIXTH was the 
 extreme left Regiment of the Corps. Adjoining was a Brigade 
 of the Twenty-third Corps, in which was the 65th Illinois, con- 
 taining a company from Lake County. Captain James S. 
 Putnam, of Company F, of that command, being on staff 
 duty, arranged to have the 65th transferred to the right of his 
 Brigade, and the Lake County men of the two regiments were 
 enjoying themselves in a general visit, when with little warning 
 a portion of the Twenty-third Corps was hurried off to the left. 
 As the 65th was included in the order the visit terminated
 
 384 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 very suddenly. It transpired that Gen. Hood had sent a 
 portion of his army far out to his right and over-lapped the 
 Union left, making repeated assaults, and for a time discon- 
 certing the Army of the Tennessee, whose commander, Gen. 
 McPherson, had fallen early in the battle. The NINETY-SIXTH 
 had no active part in this heavy engagement, but lay in line 
 anxiously awaiting the outcome of the terrible struggle, the 
 sounds of which indicated that the fighting was approaching so 
 near as to make it probable that all of the troops would soon be 
 involved. The skirmishers, under Captain Rowan, advanced 
 nearly to the city, and sent word that there was so light a line in 
 front that the main works at the north of Atlanta could be read- 
 ily taken. However, those higher in authority, being apprehen- 
 sive of disaster at the left, refused to make a forward move- 
 ment, and the opportunity to take Atlanta passed with the 
 coming of night. During the day a heavy line of earthworks 
 was constructed about one and one-half miles out from th& 
 city. During Saturday, Sunday and Monday the Regiment 
 did not change position, but Monday night the Army of the 
 Tennessee was moved by Gen. Sherman from left to right in 
 the endeavor to reach Atlanta from the southwest. There was 
 heavy artillery tiring on either side, the Union batteries being 
 able to throw shot and shell into the city. 
 
 Tuesday, July 26, the Regiment moved a short distance 
 to the left and rear, and occupied some abandoned Rebel 
 works. There was considerable shifting of position and but 
 little opportunity for sleep. Wednesday the troops closed to 
 the right, thinning the line somewhat and protecting the front 
 by constructing a heavy abatis. This line was occupied for 
 several days. Thursday, orders were read announcing that 
 Gen. O. O. Howard had been relieved from the command of 
 the Fourth Corps and assigned to the command of the Army 
 of the Tennessee ; that Gen. D. S. Stanley had succeeded Gen. 
 Howard ; and that Colonel Gross had succeeded Gen. Stanley 
 in the command of the Division. Gen. Howard had steadily 
 grown in the affections of the men, and there was general 
 regret at his loss, although all in the First Division knew that 
 in Gen. Stanley they had an able and worthy Corps com-
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 First Lieut. JAMES O. HAVENS. 
 EDWIN D KIT BY 
 
 Corp'l HENRY H. GAGE. 
 
 First Serg't AARON SCOTT. 
 Corp'l DELOSS ROSE. 
 
 dipt. JA.MKS II. CLAKK. 
 NAIIUM LAMB.
 
 1864] ATLANTA. 385 
 
 mander. A heavy fight took place on the right but did not 
 seriously involve the Fourth Corps, although there was contin- 
 uous skirmishing and heavy artillery firing, not on that day 
 alone but every day. The engagement was the third one 
 precipitated by Gen. Hood, and proved of decided advantage 
 to the Union cause. The enemy occasionally sent sixty-four 
 pound shells from their large siege guns, but none did serious 
 damage. 
 
 Sunday, July 31, hostilities were almost entirely suspended 
 for several hours, as if by mutual consent, but about noon the 
 huge shells came from the Rebel lines at frequent intervals. 
 One of these monsters exploded in camp but did no damage. 
 The Union batteries responded, and in the evening the sky 
 above the city was illumined by the bright blaze from build- 
 ings set on fire by exploding shells. 
 
 Monday, August 1, the Brigade extended its lines to cover 
 the ground previously occupied by the First Brigade, and at 
 night moved again, this time to the position of the Twenty- 
 Third Corps, the Army of t&;0h"ior being sent to the extreme 
 right. The Regiment was oii^Chej, move until about ten o'clock. 
 Captain A. Z. Blodge'tky <3f' Company 'D^ who had been able 
 to do but little duty for some months, owing to injuries re- 
 ceived at Chickamauga, resigned. First Lieutenant Hastings 
 succeeded him as Captain, and Second Lieutenant Clarkson 
 was promoted to First Lieutenant. 
 
 Tuesday, August 2, tents were put up, and the men pre- 
 pared to make their stay comfortable. The enemy was at 
 such a distance that all in the main line felt comparatively 
 safe, although the skirmishers kept up a desultory fire. Occa- 
 sionally bullets reached the camp, and one of them with fatal 
 effect, First Sergeant Aaron Scott, of Company G, being 
 struck in the body and mortally wounded. He had assisted 
 in building a bunk, and when struck was lying upon it engaged 
 in reading his bible. He suffered greatly for a few moments. 
 An officer standing near offered him some stimulants, which he 
 declined, remarking that he at all events wished to die sober. 
 The end soon came, and he died as he had lived, an exem- 
 plary Christian soldier, expressing, with his latest breath, his 
 25
 
 386 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 gratitude at having been able to do something for his country. 
 A hush fell upon the camp, and strong men were moved to 
 tears when they saw the manly courage of their gallant com- 
 rade as he gave his last messages to those about him. 
 
 The same day four members of the Regiment, who had 
 gone to the rear with a forage train, were captured by Rebel 
 cavalry. They were : Henry M. Williams, of Company D ; 
 Hugh Williams, of Company I ; and William W. Jellison and 
 Wallace W. Montgomery, of Company E. Hugh Williams 
 died at Florence, S. C. 
 
 Wednesday, August 3, the skirmishers of the Regiment 
 made a vigorous demonstration against the Rebel lines, in 
 which Myron Gillmore, of Company "B, was severely wounded 
 in the left leg. He had but recently returned to the Regi- 
 ment after a trip to his home in Lake County, where he had 
 accompanied the remains of his brother, Captain E. J. Gill- 
 more, who had died from wounds received at Kenesaw Moun- 
 tain. Myron was disabled for farther service, and was dis- 
 charged the following January. During the day the camp 
 was subjected to a severe shelling. 
 
 Thursday and Friday passed without any change of posi- 
 tion. Saturday brought orders for another strong demonstra- 
 tion on -the part of the skirmishers, which were obeyed with- 
 out loss to the Regiment. These demonstrations were re- 
 peated on Sunday and Monday, the enemy being found in 
 force each time. Some of the officers' valises coming up there 
 were many official reports made out and forwarded to head- 
 quarters. 
 
 Friday, August 12, the NINETY-SIXTH, with the 38th and 
 74th Illinois, made a reconnoissance under Col. Opdyke, 
 going out on the left beyond the Augusta Rail road, and encoun- 
 tering a strong force of the enemy, who undertook to ambush 
 the advance, at the same time moving a column with the 
 design of reaching the Union rear and cutting off the retreat 
 of the three regiments. The Union commander was too wary 
 to be thus entrapped, and, after driving the Rebel skirmishers 
 into their main line, he withdrew his forces. The movement 
 was over the ground where the severe fighting of July 22
 
 1864] ATLANTA. 387 
 
 occurred. The same day a strong reconnoissance was made 
 on the right of the Union lines. In fact, every day brought 
 movements and demonstrations on some part of the line, Gen. 
 Sherman seeking to find some weak point for an assault, while 
 still clinging to the hope that he would be able to so far 
 envelope the city as to cut the Macon Railroad at the south. 
 Rations were more abundant than on the Dallas line or at 
 Kenesaw Mountain, and the weather was less trying, although 
 showers were frequent. The lines, too, were more widely 
 .separated, but the danger was constant, as bullets and shell 
 passed through or over the camp at all hours, and more than 
 once men were wounded while asleep in their bunks, close 
 beside the breastworks. The skirmishers were considerably 
 exposed, but long ere this had learned how to protect them- 
 selves, and casualties were not very numerous. About one- 
 third of the command was daily detailed for picket duty, and 
 from three thousand to five thousand rounds of ammunition 
 were used up by the Regiment every twenty-four hours. 
 
 About this time there was great interest at the North over 
 the approaching Presidential election. The soldiers shared in 
 the anxiety as to the political situation, and in many com- 
 mands there was a formal canvass to know their preferences. 
 In the NINETY-SIXTH the Sergeant Major and Sergeant Cooper, 
 of Company E, made a canvass, with the following result : 
 Gen. Fremont, 1; Gen. Butler, 1; Gen. McClellan, 2; 
 Abraham Lincoln, 288 ; not voting, 20. 
 
 "Practice makes perfect," and the Regiment had by this 
 time acquired great proficiency in building breastworks. Those 
 built on the Atlanta line were greatly superior to the earth- 
 works constructed in the early part of the campaign.* 
 
 * A letter written from the Atlanta line, says : " Let me tell you how our works are 
 built : We fell trees and put the logs up two or three high, digging a ditch inside, and 
 throwing the dirt outside against the logs. A ditch is also dug on the outside. We have 
 to throw about ten or twelve feet of earth against the logs to make the works so that 
 they will be proof against heavy artillery. Then we put what is called a head log on top 
 of the works, raising it up three or four inches, so that the men can fire without expos- 
 ing their heads a great deal. The headlog rests on skids, so that if struck by a shot or 
 shell it will roll off without falling upon the men in the works. When building the works 
 we sharpen long stakes and place them six inches apart, throwing the earth around them. 
 A few feet in front of the works is another row of sharp sticks, four or five feet long, 
 and three or four inches apart, set at an angle of ninety degrees. These are held in place
 
 388 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Monday, August 15, Corporal Peter Mowers, of Company 
 G, was slightly wounded while on the skirmish line. 
 
 Tuesday, August 16, the 84th Indiana, which had been- 
 with the NINETY-SIXTH for about a year and a half, was trans- 
 ferred to the Third Brigade. Gen. Nathan Kimball was 
 assigned to the command of the Division, relieving Colonel 
 Gross. 
 
 First Lieutenant Wm. M. Loughlin, of Company C, who- 
 had been on detached duty for sixteen months, was transferred 
 to the First U. S. V. V. Engineer Regiment, and Second 
 Lieutenant Charles W. Earle was promoted to fill the vacancy. 
 Prior to this date First Lieutenant George H. Burnett was 
 promoted to the Captaincy of Company B, vice Gillmore, 
 killed, and a commission as First Lieutenant awaited the 
 return of First Sergeant Ambrose A. Bangs, then a prisoner 
 of war. First Lieutenant B. G. Blowney, of Company G, 
 was promoted to Captain, vice James, died of wounds, and 
 Second Lieutenant James O. Havens was commissioned First 
 Lieutenant. 
 
 Wednesday, August 17, at a little past midnight the Regi- 
 ment moved a short distance to the right, where it built good 
 shades over the tents. At night a detail of ten men was sent 
 out from each regiment to build fires in rear and on the left, 
 and in the morning some regiments and a battery marched 
 several times around a hill in rear of camp. All of this work 
 was with the intention of deceiving the Rebels into the belief 
 that the Union Army was massing on the left, but seems to 
 have been in vain, as no important advantages resulted. 
 
 Thursday, August 18, the sick were sent to the rear and 
 the troops ordered to be in constant readiness to march. No 
 move was made, however, but heav} r firing took place on 
 various parts of the line on that and the following day. 
 
 by logs, dirt being thrown in the spaces. Outside of these is a tier of heavy limbs, or 
 tree tops, sharpened and turned outward, which are piled thick and staked down. If 
 there be timber in front and there is generally timber everywhere at the South we fell 
 it, also lopping over the underbrush. So you can guess that it is no easy thing to charge 
 and take breastworks. It would take a line-of-battle several minutes to climb over or 
 crawl through an abatis, by which time most of them would be hit. You may think 
 that it takes a good deal of time to build such works, but many hands make light work, 
 and if tol8 and timber are plenty it does not take many hours to fortify a position."
 
 1864] ATLANTA. 389 
 
 Saturday, August 20, the Regiment made a strong demon- 
 stration in front of the Second Brigade. The command was 
 moved to the skirmish line at four o'clock, leaving camp in a 
 shower, and passing along a ravine that served to conceal 
 it from observation. Six companies were detailed from the 
 left and deployed as skirmishers, the four right Companies, 
 A, F, D, and I, being left in reserve. The regular skir- 
 mish detail, embracing men from every regiment in the 
 (Brigade, was ordered to advance with the six left companies, 
 all under command of Major Hicks. The orders were to con- 
 form the movement to that of the troops of the Brigade on the 
 Tight, advancing with them and charging the Rebel skirmish 
 pits. The line moved out across an opening and to the timber 
 beyond, in which was the line to be charged. At first the 
 Rebels seemed to be off their guard, probably owing to the 
 rain which was falling when the movement was inaugurated, 
 and the timber was gained without loss. The troops at the 
 right were noisy in their movement, cheering as they ran and 
 drawing a heavy fire. Midway in their course was a rail 
 fence, where they halted, and bej-ond which only a few of the 
 more daring ventured. Their officers urged them forward, 
 but in vain, and there they remained until ordered back to the 
 works from which they had started. 
 
 Meanwhile the NINETY-SIXTH, in heavy skirmish order, 
 had penetrated much farther than the line on which they were 
 to guide, and were ready to make the final rush upon the 
 enemy whenever the others should come forward. A terrific 
 'fire now raged along the line, the men lying behind trees or 
 logs, and giving shot for shot to the enemy behind their strong 
 rifle pits. Major Hicks was in a quandary what to do. The 
 orders received by him had been explicit enough, but events 
 had not occurred as contemplated. To add to the anxiety, a 
 portion of the line had misunderstood his command to "guide 
 right," and had borne to the left, thus opening a gap near his 
 centre. Word was sent to those on the left to correct the 
 error, and after a time the line was united. At length, it 
 being evident that the troops on the right would not come 
 forward, and the casualties in the Regiment becoming numer-
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ous, the Major determined to withdraw his brave men before 
 the enemy could move to his rear and subject him to the added 
 danger of capture. The retreat was a most difficult one, for 
 the men were within a few rods of the enemy's skirmish pits, 
 and no movement could be made without drawing the fire of 
 the skirmishers. There were wounded men to be assisted to 
 the rear, and the muskets of the killed and wounded to be 
 cared for. Orders for the retreat were issued, and the men 
 crawled or ran, as their positions permitted, to the reserve 
 line. By some means, however, a portion of the right of the 
 line, including the color guard, failed to hear the order, and 
 as the underbrush was so thick as to partially conceal the 
 movement, did not see their comrades leave. It was not long, 
 however, before they discovered their peril, and made their 
 way to the rear, just as a volunteer party was being organized 
 to go to their rescue. At dusk the Kegiment moved to the 
 main line, and the demonstration was at an end. The results 
 seemed of little moment, although the losses had been severe. 
 The men of the Regiment understood what was expected of 
 them, and would most surely have carried the skirmish pits 
 in their front had the troops on the right moved forward as 
 expected. As it was they made no attempt to charge the 
 works. 
 
 In this demonstration William A. Lewis, of Company A, 
 who happened to be on picket duty for the day, and was there- 
 fore with the skirmishers, instead of with his Company in 
 reserve, was killed ; also Fred Blackmail, of Company K. 
 Those wounded were First Sergeant F. A. Weir, of Company 
 A, right arm ; Ebenezer Tate, Company A, head ; Wm. W. 
 Tower, of Company B, who was wounded in the neck, and 
 died six days later ; John McGill, Company C, slightly, in 
 neck ; Corporal Frank Peppard, of Company D, hand ; Ser- 
 geant R. J. Cooper. Company E, shoulder ; Corporal Edward 
 Malone, Company G, leg ; William Joyce, Company G, arm 
 and leg, disabling him for further service ; Corporal Robert 
 D. Tarpley, Company I, arm ; Corporal Charles Shaw, Com- 
 pany I, side. 
 
 Sunday, August 21, the command moved to the support of
 
 1864] ATLANTA. 391 
 
 the Third Brigade, which made a feint upon the enemy's 
 lines, and was subjected to some annoying artillery and infantry 
 fire. Returning to their works the Regiment enjoyed com- 
 parative quiet for a few days, although a glancing ball on 
 Wednesday seriously wounded John McGill, of Company C, 
 in the shoulder, disabling him for further service. It was 
 now apparent that a change of plans was to be made by Gen. 
 Sherman, but what the movement contemplated could be no 
 one seemed to know. The sick and those not able to make a 
 hard march were sent to the rear, and an air of mystery seemed 
 to envelope all in authority. All efforts to take Atlanta, or to 
 reach and cut the Macon Railroad, had failed, and soldiers 
 and officers wondered if the effort was to be abandoned. The 
 Rebel cavalry had cut the railroad toward Chattanooga, and 
 many feared that the army was to retire to the line of the 
 Chattahoochie, and act on the defensive ; others, with implicit 
 confidence in their able and gallant commander, insisted that 
 the movement was to be an aggressive one, and so it proved. 
 In the operations along the Chattahoochie and about 
 Atlanta the Regiment had sustained the following 
 
 CASUALTIES. 
 
 Company A. 
 
 KILLED. William A. Lewis. 
 
 WOUNDED. First Sergeant F. A. Weir, arm ; Joseph D. Young, left 
 leg ; Ebenezer Tale, head. 
 
 Company B. 
 
 WOUNDED. Myron Gillmore, left leg ; W. W. Tower, mortally. 
 
 Company C. 
 WOUNDED. John McGill, neck and shoulder. 
 
 Company D. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Frank Peppard, hand ; George Deedrick, leg. 
 CAPTURED. Henry M. Williams. 
 
 Company E. 
 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant R. J. Cooper, shoulder. 
 CAPTURED. Wm. W. Jellison, Wallace W. Montgomery. 
 
 Company F. 
 WOUNDED. Thomas Kimmons.
 
 392 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Company G. 
 
 KILLED. First Sergeant Aaron Scott. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Edward Malone, leg ; William Joyce, arm and 
 thigh ; Corporal Peter Mowers. 
 
 Company H. 
 
 WOUNDED. Peter Davidson, right wrist. 
 Company I. 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal Robert D. Tarpley, arm ; Corporal Charles 
 Shaw, side. 
 
 CAPTUKED. Hugh Williams, died while prisoner of war. 
 
 Company K. 
 KILLED OK MORTALLY WOUNDED. John Hay, Fred Blackman.
 
 1864] ATLANTA. 393 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Preparations for a Grand Movement A Night March Building Breast- 
 works again Destroying the Railroad Fairly in Rear of the " Gate 
 City " Guarding a Wagon Train Hurried to the Front The Battle 
 of Jonesboro The Fight at Lovejoy's Station Four Fatalities 
 Anniversary of the Regiment's Muster-in "Atlanta is Ours, and 
 Fairly Won " Withdrawal of the Forces Burning Cotton In Camp 
 near the City. 
 
 THURSDAY evening, August 25, saw the grand movement 
 to the rear of Atlanta inaugurated. The pickets or skirmishers 
 detailed the previous morning had been instructed to take 
 their tents and blankets with them, and everything indicated 
 an important movement. The men amused themselves by writ- 
 ing letters to the Rebels, which they tacked to trees or tucked 
 in the breastworks. If these letters could be reproduced they 
 would be most interesting reading ; but this is impossible. 
 Some were poetical, some defiant. Advice of all kinds was 
 offered, and exaggerations generously indulged in. A dozen 
 outlines of the coming campaign were written, the soldiers 
 drawing upon their imaginations, and no two suggesting the 
 same destination. The Rebels who were so fortunate as to 
 gather up the missives left by the NINETY-SIXTH must have 
 been highly entertained, for this freak of letter writing seem- 
 ingly took hold upon a majority of the members of every Com- 
 pany. 
 
 At dusk the troops moved out upon the left and marched 
 westward until two o'clock in the morning, bivouacking in rear 
 of the Twentieth Corps. A part of the march was extremely 
 disagreeable, being along a road newly cut out through heavy 
 young timber, the stumps of which caused much stumbling 
 and barked many shins. The Twentieth Corps moved directly 
 to the rear and occupied works covering the crossing of the 
 Chattahoochie, remaining until Atlanta was evacuated. 
 
 Daylight of Friday, August 26, found the Fourth Corps 
 closely massed on a hill near Utoy Creek. At eight or nine
 
 394 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 o'clock the march was resumed. The Brigade was directed to- 
 guard the wagon train. The Rebels shelled the hill from 
 Atlanta, but the morning was foggy and the artillery did but 
 little damage. The march was not rapid, which was fortunate, 
 as the day was hot and rainy. The Regiment halted at five 
 o'clock and formed its camp for the night between Utoy and 
 Sandtown. During the day the Fourth Corps had passed a 
 portion of the Fourteenth Corps, and had learned that only the 
 Twenty-third Corps held its former position confronting 
 Atlanta. 
 
 Saturday, August 27, the march was continued to Mount 
 Gilead Church, near which occurred some heavy skirmishing. 
 A line of works was built by the Regiment in a surprisingly 
 short time, but the enemy soon retired and a further advance 
 was made to Camp Creek. The skirmishing continued until 
 after dark and was renewed in the morning. The Army of 
 the Tennessee had moved still farther to the right, and the 
 entire movement of Gen. Sherman's command took the form 
 of a grand left-wheel. 
 
 Sunday, August 28, there were orders for an early start, 
 but the Fourteenth Corps occupied the roads, and the Regi- 
 ment was idle until late in the afternoon, when it marched four 
 or five miles and halted for the night near Red Oak. The 
 Atlanta and West Point Railroad being reached other troops 
 spent the night in destroying the rails and ties, and blowing 
 up the masonry. 
 
 Monday, August 29, the Fourth Corps again advanced 
 and took its turn in the work of destroying the railroad. The 
 work was thoroughly done. A regiment would halt and stack 
 arms beside the road, and with a few iron bars and wooden 
 levers loosen the ties, when all would lift the track, turning 
 it upside down for a long distance. The ties were then 
 loosened and piLed up, the rails laid across them and fires kin- 
 dled. In a short time the rails would be red hot in the centre, 
 and the men would twist them about trees or stumps, completely 
 ruining them. In this way many miles of road were destroyed 
 during the movement. There was some skirmishing but no 
 heavy force was encountered.
 
 1864] JONESBOKO. 395 
 
 Tuesday, August 30, the command pushed forward to the 
 Fayetteville road. The skirmishing continued and at the right 
 there were indications of a battle. The march was a leisurely 
 one, the start being late and the halt at dusk. Some forage 
 was secured, including green corn and sweet potatoes. 
 
 Wednesday, August 31, the advance was resumed, the 
 enemy, with both infantry and cavalry, resisting and forcing 
 the Regiment to do considerable skirmishing. Three times 
 the resistance was so vigorous that halts were made and breast- 
 works begun. The enemy had good earthworks, but were 
 driven out. After resting a while on the Rebel works the 
 Regiment moved to the Atlanta and Macon Railroad and 
 halted, the pioneers cutting the telegraph wires and destroy- 
 ing the track, working the entire night. 
 
 Thursday, September 1, the Regiment was detailed to- 
 guard a wagon train and marched southward close beside the 
 railroad track, which was being torn up by other troops. The 
 air was full of smoke from the fires, and the skirmishing in- 
 creased as the day wore on. Toward night the wagons halted, 
 and the NINETY-SIXTH, relieved from its duty as train guard, 
 was hurried forward toward Jonesboro, passing close up to- 
 the skirmishers before swinging into line-of-battle, beside the 
 railroad track. This exposed position was reached under a 
 galling fire just before night, and about the time of the assault 
 on the part of the Fourteenth Corps on the right of the rail- 
 road. That assault was perhaps the most successful one of the 
 Atlanta campaign, for the Union forces swept entirely over 
 the Rebel earthworks, capturing a thousand prisoners and sev- 
 eral cannon and stands of colors. The NINETY-SIXTH was 
 probably the first regiment of Gen. Stanley's command in posi- 
 tion ; and before other troops of the Fourth Corps were able to 
 swing around upon the left and join in a general assault, night 
 closed in and the lines halted. The Regiment had occupied 
 an exposed position, close to the enemy's entrenchments, and 
 been under a heavy fire, but sustained no casualties. The 
 troops slept on their arms, and were startled during the night 
 by what appeared to be terrific artillery firing in the direction 
 of Atlanta. They supposed that there had been a night assault
 
 396 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 by the Twentieth Corps, but learned next day that the sounds 
 had proceeded from the explosion of ammunition which the 
 Rebels wished to destroy before evacuating the city. The 
 Twentieth Corps moved forward at daylight, occupying the 
 city and taking in charge the few stores not destroyed. Before 
 retreating the Rebels had set fire to many supplies and had 
 wrecked or burned a number of locomotives and many cars. 
 A few prisoners were captured. The captures at Jonesboro 
 numbered nearly two thousand, about one-half of them being 
 wounded. Three hundred Rebel dead were buried by the 
 Union forces. The losses on the part of the Federal forces 
 engaged were about one thousand, mostly in the Fourteenth 
 Oorps. The NINETY-SIXTH was separated from the rest of the 
 Brigade in the movement against Jonesboro, having no time 
 to go to its regular command after being relieved from the 
 care of the wagon train, but being pushed forward to support 
 the charge in which the 17th New York played so conspicuous 
 a part, and halted not far from where the bright uniforms of 
 the gallant Zouaves dotted the ground so thickly when the 
 battle closed. 
 
 Friday, September 2, found the army jubilant over the 
 news which reached them early in the day that Atlanta was 
 -occupied by Union troops, and there was lusty cheering all 
 along the lines. The Rebels had retreated from Jonesboro, 
 and the soldiers from all commands flocked to see the captured 
 cannon and the scene of the successful assaults of Thursday 
 night. Early in the day another advance was made, the 
 Rebels being overtaken and crowded rapidly southward. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH was near the left in the general advance and 
 skirmished briskly, covering the front of the Brigade, and 
 advancing vigorously two or three miles, when they came in 
 -sight of a long line of Rebel entrenchments. One Company 
 after another was thrown upon the skirmish line, until nearly 
 the entire Regiment was deployed. By a bold charge the 
 skirmish pits near Lovejoy's Station were captured by the Reg- 
 iment and a position gained close up to the enemy's main line. 
 This advance, which was made under the personal direction 
 of Major Hicks, was a most gallant one, the men evincing .an
 
 1864] LOVEJOY'S STATION. 39T 
 
 enthusiasm which called forth high encomiums from the Brigade 
 and Division Commander. It was attended by four fatalities, 
 Andrew Disch, of Company A, and Patrick Hewitt, of Com- 
 pany T, being killed and William Calvert and Andrew Jelly, 
 of Company F, mortally wounded. Calvert died two days 
 later and Jelly was conveyed to Chattanooga, where he died 
 September 10. John Lister, of Company F, lost a finger, and 
 Charles Hawkins, of Company D, was wounded in the hand. 
 The firing was very heavy until long after nightfall and so close 
 was the range that the men on either side were compelled to- 
 hug the ground closely to prevent heavy loss. As soon as it 
 was dark, a line of works was constructed, a heavy line of 
 skirmishers firing incessantly to keep the enemy down and 
 allow the work to proceed. So hot was this fire that the 
 Rebels actually abandoned their front line before daylight, 
 their forces moving a hundred yards or more to a second line 
 of works. 
 
 Saturday, September 3, brought no forward movement, but 
 a continuous firing was maintained by both infantry and artil- 
 lery on either side. Large supplies of ammunition were 
 required, and the men cheered loudly at frequent intervals,, 
 at times shouting questions and answers toward the still defiant 
 but evidently disconcerted men in grey. The day passed 
 without serious casualties. 
 
 Sunday, September 4, was a repetition of the previous day. 
 Corporal Peter Fleming, of Company E, was wounded in the 
 left shoulder. At night a band came out in the rear of the 
 Union lines and played several patriotic airs, but their music 
 came to a sudden termination when a Rebel battery let off a 
 half dozen shells i quick succession. 
 
 Monday, September 5, the second anniversary of the organ- 
 ization of the Regiment, found the command still under a 
 heavy fire, and the men still responding, resolutely and enthu- 
 siastically, to the shots of the enemy they had so long con- 
 fronted. From the first it had been evident that the entire 
 Rebel army had successful!} 7 eluded Gen. Sherman in their 
 retreat from Atlanta, and that all were gathered at Lovejoy's 
 Station. But ten days rations had been taken when the move-
 
 398 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 meiit began, August 25, and these were about exhausted. 
 The weather was rain}', the roads bad, and the thirty miles 
 which separated the Army from the city precluded the possi- 
 bility of an immediate supply by wagon trains. For four long 
 months the men had been actively at work, and were now 
 in much need of rest. Gen. Sherman therefore determined 
 to bring the long campaign to a close, and on the evening of 
 September 5, began the movement back to the city of Atlanta, 
 which had been one of the objectives of the campaign. The 
 night was dark and rainy and the troops tired, but there was 
 no murmuring and few if any left the ranks. Jonesboro, 
 which was passed about one o'clock in the morning, presented 
 a weird sight, for hundreds of bales of captured cotton were 
 burning in the streets, details of soldiers being made to see 
 that it was destroyed, and thus prevent it from failing into 
 the hands of the enemy. A halt was made at two o'clock in 
 the morning, the Regiment, with other troops, laying in 
 bivouac all of Tuesday and Tuesday night, and until other 
 portions of the army had passed on toward the city. 
 
 Wednesday, September 8, the Regiment marched back to 
 Rough and Ready, and on Thursday, September 9, to Atlanta, 
 going into camp some two or three miles from the city, near 
 the Augusta railroad, and pitching its tents near the graves 
 of the brave men who fell with the gallant McPherson, July 
 22. The Army of the Cumberland encamped in and about 
 the city, the Army of the Tennessee at East Point, and the 
 Army of the Ohio at Decatur. 
 
 The Atlanta campaign had ended ; a campaign destined to 
 live in history as one of the most remarkable of any clime or 
 time. And well had the NINETY-SIXTH borne its part, and 
 sustained the record for heroism and gallantry won at Chicka- 
 mauga and indorsed at Lookout Mountain. The army hailed 
 the needed rest with pleasure. The President, Congress, the 
 press and the loyal people of the land showered encomiums 
 upon Gen. Sherman and the gallant officers and soldiers who 
 had forced their way over mountains and across rivers from 
 Chattanooga to the "Gate City," and saw in the successes of 
 the four months a hope arising that the long and bloody strug-
 
 1864] CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. 399 
 
 gle would soon terminate in a victory that should be final and 
 complete. But there were to be other arduous campaigns and 
 bloody battles, and in them the NINETY-SIXTH was to have a 
 conspicuous part.
 
 400 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL,. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Gains and the Losses of the Campaign Plans for the Future A, 
 Skirmish near Stone Mountain Deaths by Disease Gen. Hood 
 takes the Initiative A Race to the Rear Passing Familiar Ground 
 In Sight of the Rebel Army Allatoona The March to Rome- 
 Delays for want of a Little Bridge Calhoun, Resaca and Dalton 
 On the Flank of the Enemy Alternate Brief Rests and Heavy 
 Marches Southward to Gaylesville A week in Camp with Abundant 
 Rations Last Days with Gen. Sherman. 
 
 THE stay at Atlanta continued for nearly a month, and was 
 comparatively uneventful to the NINETY-SIXTH. A few men 
 were daily permitted to visit the city, and in time all who 
 cared to do so had made the circuit of the breastworks, and 
 gone over the numerous and now historic battlefields about the 
 town. The official reports brought out the fact that in the 
 campaign more than three thousand officers and soldiers in 
 the Federal army had been killed, about sixteen thousand 
 wounded, and two thousand seven hundred captured. Four 
 cannon had been captured at Resaca, ten at Rome, twenty at 
 Atlanta and eight at Jonesboro. The Federal army had 
 expended 86,611 rounds of artillery ammunition and 11,815,299 
 rounds of infantry ammunition. More than 8,000 prisoners 
 had been taken, and 2, 1 62 deserters had come within the lines. 
 But the Rebel army was not destroyed, and while Gen. Sher- 
 man was planning for a new and aggressive campaign Gen. 
 Hood was also arranging to assume the offensive, and startle 
 the world by a campaign bold in its conception, but destined to 
 be disastrous to the brave men in his command. 
 
 Meanwhile a spirited correspondence sprung up between 
 the two commanders, growing out of the question as to what 
 should become of the citizens in Atlanta, and resulting in the 
 sending of nearly all non-combatants north or south, which- 
 ever way they chose to go. A heavy inner line of works was 
 constructed, so that a small force might hold the city against 
 assault. The terms of many of the troops enlisted in 1861
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 GEOROE M. FABNSWOBTH. 
 Corp 1 ! JUDSON A. MASON. 
 
 Corp'l JAMES HICKCOX. 
 
 Second Lieut. HIRAM W. FABNSWORTH. 
 
 .IIISIAII H. WRIGHT. 
 
 JOSEI-H PALMEU. 
 JOHN K. BECK.
 
 own
 
 1864] RESTING AT ATLANTA. 401 
 
 were expiring, and these men were sent north by rail. Gen. 
 Thomas was sent to the rear to look after the defence of the 
 long line of communications, and to gather troops to resist 
 the raids of the enemy. Gen. Sherman and Gen. Grant were 
 in constant communication, and before the close of Septem- 
 ber the march to the sea had been proposed. It was expected 
 that Gen. Hood would follow, or march upon parallel lines, 
 seeking to harass or annoy the Union forces, but instead he 
 assumed the initiative and threw his entire army northward, 
 crossing the Chattahoochie a few miles west of Atlanta. 
 Early in October the enemy began the work of destroying the 
 long lines of railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga, thus 
 attempting to do to Gen. Sherman's army precisely what the 
 latter was purposing to do to Gen. Hood's. 
 
 During the month of September the health of the Regi- 
 ment was good, and its numbers were increased by the return 
 of many of those who had dropped out because of sickness or 
 wounds during the campaign. ^Lieutenant Earle, who had 
 been acting as Adjutant of the^'Begimfent for a few weeks, was 
 detailed as Aide-de-Cafet^ jm I^a^^g^^ff^and entered upon 
 his duties September 23, serving as Aide and Inspector until 
 the close of the war. Hospital Steward Ferguson was mus- 
 tered as First Lieutenant of Company H. Colonel Cham- 
 pion returned to the Regiment, and toward the close of the 
 month was assigned to the command of the Brigade. His 
 wound had healed but his health was poor, and he looked 
 many years older than when he left the front in June. 
 
 The number of deaths from disease, aside from those occur- 
 ring among prisoners of war, was much smaller than during the 
 previous summer. A. C. Tarpley, of Company I, a brother 
 of Capt. Tarpley, died at Bridgeport May 1-1. John R. Dun- 
 more, a recruit to Company D, died at Chattanooga July 1. 
 Thomas Kinreid, of Company G, died at Nashville June 27. 
 William H. Bevard, of Company I, died at Nashville, August 6. 
 Corporal John Hill, of Company I, died at Atlanta Septem- 
 ber 23. 
 
 On the eleventh the Regiment went out about thirteen 
 miles with a forage train, loading the wagons south of Deca- 
 26
 
 402 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 tur. The start was at daylight and the return at dark, mak- 
 ing a hard day's march. 
 
 Monday, September 26, the Brigade went out with a forage 
 train, leaving carnp about noon and going into bivouac at sun- 
 down in an orchard near Stone Mountain. Next day the 
 march was continued for two or three miles, when a halt was 
 made. While the wagons were being loaded Kebel cavalry 
 made their appearance, and a lively skirmish ensued in which 
 the 21st Kentucky had several men wounded. The enemy 
 were driven into the timber and then, the train being loaded, 
 the return march was safely made, camp being reached a little 
 before sundown. 
 
 Dress parades were held daily for a fortnight, and on Fri- 
 day, September 30, there was a Division review and conse- 
 quently a day of hard work. A few officers and men in each 
 regiment received twenty or twenty-five-day furloughs. Gen. 
 Whittaker returned and was for a few weeks in command of 
 the Division. There had been rumors of a raid in the rear 
 for two or three days, and on Sunday, October 2, it was 
 learned that the entire Rebel army had crossed the Chatta- 
 hoochie. Orders were issued by Gen. Sherman to move at 
 midnight, the Twentieth Corps to remain and garrison Atlanta. 
 A heavy rain storm prevailed during the night, and the start 
 on the part of the command, to which the NINETY-SIXTH was 
 attached, was delayed until daylight of Monday, October 3. 
 The column passed through Atlanta and out on Marietta street, 
 marching all day in the rain and mud, crossing the Ohatta- 
 hoochie and camping for the night, behind the breastworks 
 which the Regiment had confronted three months before at 
 Smyrna Camp Ground. The distance traveled was about 
 twenty miles. 
 
 Tuesday, October 4, the command remained in camp until 
 noon, and then marched about nine miles northward past Mari- 
 etta, camping behind the Rebel breastworks west of Kenesaw 
 Mountain, almost directly opposite the point where the Regi- 
 ment had its night fight June 20. It was there learned that 
 the Rebels had possession of the railroad from near Kenesaw 
 to Allatoona and had captured the garrisons at Big Shanty
 
 1864] FOLLOWING HOOD'S ARMY. 403 
 
 and Ackworth, among the prisoners being Jared Blodgett, of 
 Company G, who had taken advantage of a brief furlough to 
 visit a brother in the 15th Illinois, then on duty at Ackworth, 
 and who remained a prisoner until near the close of the war. 
 
 Wednesday, October 5, the Regiment moved northward 
 about eight o'clock, passing through the breastworks it had 
 defended from June 20 to June 23. It was evident that there 
 was trouble ahead, for the march was a slow and cautious one 
 and the troops were kept well in hand. The column finally 
 halted and the lines were formed, the NINETY-SIXTH camp- 
 ing on the east slope of Pine Mountain, behind the old 
 Rebel works. Gen. Sherman was near at hand, watching 
 with anxiety the outcome of the engagement in progress at 
 Allatoona Pass, and from a position near the Regiment, it is 
 understood, caused to be signalled to Gen. Corse the historic 
 message: "Hold the Fort for lam coming! " The smoke from 
 camp fires and from the burning of railroad ties and fences, 
 and the more distant smoke from the battle raging about Alla- 
 toona from ten o'clock A. M. until nearly two o'clock p. M., 
 gave evidence, were any wanting, that the entire Rebel army 
 was in front. Gen. Sherman directed the Twenty-third Corps 
 to advance on the left, hoping to cut off the retreat of the 
 enemy, meanwhile holding the other troops in readiness to 
 move in such direction as circumstances might require. 
 
 The battle at Allatoona resulted disastrously to the enemy, 
 the garrison repulsing every attack and compelling them to 
 retreat. Eventually they took up their line of march and 
 moved northwesterly, going toward Rome. They had done 
 their work upon the railroad well, for 35,000 new ties and six 
 miles of iron were required to put it in repair ; but ten thou- 
 sand men were set at work, and in one week the break was 
 closed. About this time four companies of the 40th Ohio 
 were mustered out, their term of service having expired. 
 
 Thursday and Friday the main army still waited. Satur- 
 day, October 8, late in the afternoon, the bugles sounded the 
 order to move forward, and the columns marched out, camp- 
 ing late in the evening near Ackworth. Gen. Whittaker was 
 on Kenesaw Mountain when the movement began, and for a
 
 4:04 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 time Colonel Champion commanded the Division. The night 
 was unseasonably cold and the troops had a foretaste of winter. 
 
 Sunday, October 9, there was but a short march, and it 
 being given out that the command would perhaps remain some 
 time, a good camp was laid out and fixed up during that after- 
 noon and the next day. Monday, at half past three, the order 
 was given to march immediately, and before night the Regi- 
 ment had passed Ackworth and Allatoona, going over the 
 bloody battle field of five days before. There was still abund- 
 ant evidence of the fierceness of the struggle. Many of the 
 Regiment met and talked with acquaintances from the 12th 
 Illinois, who had shared in the engagement, and from them 
 learned some particulars of the fight. Gen. George C. Rogers, 
 then Colonel of the loth Illinois, who had many acquaint- 
 ances among the Lake County boys, stood by the roadside 
 near the huge buildings where were stored a million rations, 
 and to capture which the Rebels had made the desperate and 
 repeated assaults. As soon as he recognized his former neigh- 
 bors and friends he ordered a barrel of whisky from the Post 
 Commissary, had the head knocked in, and gave every one 
 from Lake County an invitation to join in celebrating the vic- 
 tory and the unexpected meeting. The men halted for but 
 a moment, but somehow the word spread backward along the 
 column, and it is understood that every officer and soldier who 
 passed Allatoona that night, and there were two or three 
 entire Corps, claimed to hail from Lake County and to have 
 a personal acquaintance with the General. 
 
 The Regiment crossed the Etowah river on the railroad 
 bridge about dusk, and some time after dark camped near 
 Cartersville, having marched thirteen miles. Rations were 
 issued a little after midnight, and but little opportunity given 
 the ; ' government people" for sleep. 
 
 Tuesday, October 11, the command started at daylight, 
 passing near Cassville, halting at Kingston at noon, and in the 
 afternoon marching through town and out a short distance on 
 the road toward Rome. Colonel Champion was here so 
 unwell that he could no longer continue with his command, 
 but went north by train ; Lieutenant Colonel Evans, of the 21st
 
 1864] FOLLOWING HOOD'S ARMY. 405 
 
 Kentucky, taking command of the Brigade. An immense 
 mail was distributed, the first for a fortnight, and the camp 
 rang with cheers. 
 
 Wednesday, October 12, brought one of the longest con- 
 tinuous marches in the Regiment's experience. The column 
 moved at seven o'clock, but was greatly delayed by the 
 wagon trains which crowded the road. After most of the 
 wagons had passed, the infantry was ordered to the front, 
 and through thickets and over rocks and hills at the roadside 
 made their way past the teams, marching rapidly for some 
 time. Then came one of those annoying experiences so 
 common when large bodies of troops were marching on a 
 single road. As it transpired, a broad, unbridged creek 
 made its way across the road. The advance, instead of 
 bridging the stream, broke into single file and crossed on a 
 log. This interrupted the march, the troops in rear halting 
 & moment and then moving forward a rod or two, only to be 
 halted again, and again moved forward. This was continued 
 for hours, and the NINETY-SIXTH, being near the rear of the 
 column, was thoroughly tired out with this annoying 
 method of marching when they neared the stream. The 
 disgust of the men when they found what a trivial thing had 
 caused so provoking a delay, found expression in language 
 .not entirely elegant. The command was marching left in 
 front, as the enemy was supposed to be on the right of the 
 road, and when the stream was reached, Company B never 
 broke ranks, but waded through in solid column. The 
 other companies followed, and the Regiment was the first to 
 keep closed up in passing the watery obstacle. Those ahead 
 were either running or walking rapidly to close up the long 
 column, which had strung out for miles. Everyone was 
 angry, and the NINETY-SIXTH, by a common impulse and 
 without orders, resolved to keep in ranks. It was nearly 
 sundown when the stream was crossed, and the heavy firing 
 in the direction of Rome, toward which the column was 
 inarching, indicated heavy work ahead. At a rapid walk, 
 occasionally breaking into a double quick, the resolute men 
 pressed on, passing many stragglers, and subsequently the
 
 406 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 remnants of several regiments, until from being the rear it 
 was the front of the Brigade. For some miles the fences on 
 one side of the road were on fire, and tired men were resting- 
 and warming themselves, the night being cool. At nine 
 o'clock the broad field of light in front indicated that the 
 troops in advance had gone into camp. The rapid march 
 had continued up to this time, although the firing in front had 
 ceased as darkness came on. Gen. Stanley, commanding 
 the Corps, stood at the roadside as the command neared its 
 designated camping ground two miles from Rome, and asked :: 
 " What brigade is this ? " " This is no brigade ; this is only 
 a regiment," was answered by one of the men. " What regi- 
 ment, then ? " he asked ; and on being told, he remarked :: 
 " Well, that NINETY-SIXTH must be a good one, for it numbers- 
 more men present than any Brigade that has come in to- 
 night." With scarcely a halt, except the brief and annoying 
 ones occasioned by the wagon train and the unbridged stream, 
 the Regiment had made twenty-eight miles, and almost every 
 man was in his place. They were a tired lot, however, and 
 glad of an opportunity to rest. 
 
 The Rebels had made a strong demonstration toward 
 Rome, while their main army moved to Resaca, as was after- 
 ward learned, and at two P. M. of Thursday, October 13, 
 the Federals moved eastward, retracing their steps for a 
 few -miles and then turning northward and marching until 
 midnight, making about thirteen miles, and camping south of 
 Calhoun. 
 
 Friday, October 14, the Regiment marched seventeen 
 miles, passing Calhoun and Resaca, and camping for the 
 night at the breastworks it had constructed at the opening of 
 the battle of May 14, exactly five months before. The 
 Rebels had demanded the surrender of the garrison at 
 Resaca, and, upon its being refused, had destroyed such of 
 the railroad as they could reach, and then moved around the 
 village, going northward and occupying Snake Creek Gap. 
 At the same time a force was sent against Dalton, where were 
 some large hospitals. Some slight defense was attempted, 
 but eventually the garrison surrendered, about one thousand
 
 1864] FOLLOWING HOOD'S ARMY. 407 
 
 prisoners being taken. Among the number was Edwin 
 Drury, of Company G, who had been in hospital for several 
 weeks. He remained at Dalton, the Rebels not even requiring 
 a parole. 
 
 Saturday, October 15, an important mission was assigned 
 to the NINETY-SIXTH and the other Regiments comprising the 
 Corps of which it was a part. Moving to the right, it 
 inarched rapidly up the railroad to the vicinity of Tilton, 
 where occurred a halt of two or three hours, while a reconnois- 
 sance was made. Then the troops turned sharply to the left 
 and crossed Rocky Face and another ridge, gaining the flank 
 of the Rebels in Snake Creek Gap about sundown. As the 
 Regiment reached the top of the second ridge the sight 
 was one to stir them with peculiar emotion. In the valley 
 below were long columns of the enemy, marching rapidly 
 northward, thousands of men being almost in rifle range. 
 The Regiment, with other troops, raised a shout and dashed 
 part way down the hill, but the officers in command, fearing 
 the small force might be captured if they ventured too far, 
 checked the advance. Twilight was rapidly deepening, and 
 the rear of the Rebel column soon passed and disappeared in 
 the darkness. The Regiment then descended into the valley 
 and made its camp for the night beside the rocky creek. 
 The distance traveled was about twelve miles. 
 
 Sunday, October 16, the Regiment marched six or eight 
 miles, overtaking the Rebel rear guard, capturing a few pris- 
 oners and camping near Ship's Gap, about one mile from 
 Villanow. The command lay in camp all of the next day, 
 other portions of the army making reconnoissances. Orders 
 were issued for all men and animals not fit for severe service 
 to be sent to Chattanooga. Forage was abundant, and every- 
 one had fresh meat and sweet potatoes. 
 
 Tuesday, October ]8, the Regiment marched twenty-four 
 miles between daylight and dark, crossing Taylor's Ridge and 
 camping near Summerville. The men stood the long march 
 remarkably well, and there were but few stragglers. 
 
 Wednesday, October 19, the command remained in camp
 
 408 HISTORY OF THE 96ra EEGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 until late and then marched five or six miles, passing Sum- 
 merville. 
 
 Thursday, October 20, twenty miles was accomplished, 
 and the camp of the Regiment was made at four o'clock, two 
 miles from Gaylesville, Alabama. Here the Army rested for 
 nearly a week. Three days' rations of bread, meat and coffee 
 were issued, with orders that they must last five. This was 
 no hardship, however, as forage was abundant in the rich 
 valleys of that pleasant region. Details of from twenty to 
 twenty-five men, under competent officers, were sent out from 
 each regiment to procure supplies, and returned with an 
 abundance of sweet potatoes, meat, molasses and honey. 
 Strict orders were issued prohibiting the pillaging of houses 
 or the wanton destruction of property not of value to the 
 armies. The guard duty was light, as the troops were well 
 massed, and all who spent that delightful October week at 
 Gaylesville will ever cherish pleasant memories of the last 
 days in which the Fourth Corps was under the immediate 
 command of General Sherman.
 
 1864] LAST DAYS WITH SHERMAN. 409 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Parting with Gen. Sherman Abundance of Forage A Rapid March 
 Northward Crossing the Chickamauga Battle Field At Rossville 
 and Chattanooga Westward by Cars The Trip to Athens Anxiety 
 as to the Situation The Rebels Near Fording Elk River The 
 March to Pulaski Ragged but Resolute Entrenching Again Paid 
 Off. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the stay at Gaylesville was one of comparative 
 rest to the rank and file of the army, to their commander, 
 Gen. Sherman, it was a period of great activity, for he was 
 completing plans for his March to the Sea. His purpose was 
 to leave only the Fourth Corps, with such detachments as were 
 at Chattanooga or points farther north and west, for the 
 defense of Tennessee. He fully believed that Gen. Hood 
 would be compelled to turn southward and follow him 
 through Georgia. 
 
 In pursuance of his plans Gen. Sherman caused the railroad 
 to be repaired from Atlanta to Chattanooga, and ordered all 
 sick and wounded soldiers to be sent back. Surplus artillery, 
 wagons and animals were also hurried to Chattanooga, and 
 the army was put in light marching order. The wagons 
 retained at the front contained little except ammunition and 
 the more necessary rations, the latter not in large supply, as 
 it was determined that the soldiers should live mainly upon 
 such provisions as it was known must be abundant in the coun- 
 try to be passed. The main body of his forces left Gayles- 
 ville toward the last of October, the Fourth Corps going 
 northward, the others via Rome toward Atlanta. The Second 
 Division of the Fourth Corps, which had been sent by rail to 
 Chattanooga shortly after the fall of Atlanta, was marched 
 southward to Alpine and then, meeting the other Divisions of 
 the Corps, retraced its steps. Meanwhile the Army was liv- 
 ing better than ever before, for the country was full of pro- 
 duce, and all were instructed to "forage liberally." Certain
 
 410 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 it is that the NINETY-SIXTH never lived so well as during the 
 stay about Gaylesville, and the Surgeons declared that the 
 complete change of diet had done more for the health of the 
 Regiment than they had deemed possible. 
 
 After Gen. Sherman had started southward it became cer- 
 tain that Gen. Hood was still determined upon an aggressive 
 campaign into Tennessee and was not likely to follow the Fed- 
 eral forces through Georgia. Upon arriving at Rome, at the 
 earnest solicitation of Gen. Thomas, who had been sent to 
 Nashville to look after the defenses of that region, the Twenty- 
 third Corps was diverted from the main column, marched to 
 the neighborhood of Resaca and Dalton, and taken thence by 
 rail to Nashville and out toward Columbia and Pulaski. 
 
 At Atlanta Gen. Sherman reorganized his Corps to some 
 extent, burned everything in the city that could make it valu- 
 able to the enemy as a military point, destroyed the railroad 
 to Chattanooga, and, November 16, set out on his march to 
 Savannah. It was a brilliant movement, and one destined to 
 live in song and story to the end of time. But the troops left 
 in rear, to battle with Gen. Hood, were fated to endure harder 
 marching, shorter rations and more severe fighting during the 
 two months immediately succeeding the separation at Gayles- 
 ville than were the soldiers under the immediate command of 
 Gen. Sherman. Indeed the two Corps, with a comparatively 
 slight reinforcement, were to meet, in two desperate engage- 
 ments, almost the identical forces that for four long months 
 had resisted Gen. Sherman, with seven Corps, in his move- 
 ment upon Atlanta. Not only were they to race with them 
 upon the march and meet them in battle, but they were to 
 overthrow and send them, routed and hopeless, to the far 
 South. 
 
 But to return to the Regiment. Thursday, October 27,. 
 the NINETY-SIXTH, with the other troops comprising the Fourth 
 Corps, left camp at Gaylesville about 8 o'clock A. M., and 
 marched to a point a little south of Alpine, a distance of fif- 
 teen miles. The night preceding was rainy and the roads 
 were consequently in bad condition. Capt. Burnett, of Com- 
 pany B, who with fifty men had been guarding a bridge seven.
 
 1864] THE MARCH TO LA FAYETTE. 411 
 
 miles from camp, joined the main column that night, after a* 
 hard march across the unfamiliar country. Fortunately their 
 orders and directions were so explicit that they had no trouble 
 in finding the way. Capt. Rowan, of Company F, who had 
 been out for a day or two with a foraging party, and whoso 
 absence had been so prolonged as to cause some apprehension 
 lest he and his associates had fallen into Rebel hands, came- 
 into camp, late at night, with an immense amount of forage, 
 including nearly a barrel of honey. His men being over- 
 loaded, a pair of oxen had been impressed, and the wagon to- 
 which they were attached was loaded down with bacon, sweet 
 potatoes and other palatable articles. 
 
 Friday, October 28, the Corps made a march of twenty- 
 four miles, passing through and across several rich valleys and 
 camping near La Fayette. 
 
 Saturday, October 29, the command marched at daylight 
 and made twenty-three miles, passing along the La Fayette 
 road across the Chickamanga battle field, and camping at 
 Rossville. It was familiar and historic ground, but the march 
 was so rapid and the men so fatigued that but few ventured to 
 leave the ranks and go over that portion of the field where the 
 NINETY-SIXTH met its bloody baptism a little more than a year 
 before, and where so many of its members were sleeping their 
 last long sleep in unknown graves. 
 
 There were many marks of the terrific struggle all along 
 the way from the crossing of Chickamauga Creek, at Lee & 
 Gordon's Mills, nearly to Rossville. The shattered trees, the 
 prostrate or burned fences, the mounds where were interred 
 the bodies of the Blue and the Gray, the skeletons of horses, 
 the broken muskets, the disabled gun carriages, were much as 
 when the armies had left the field, except that a year and 
 more had brought decay and partially dimmed the ghastliness 
 of the scene. Strange and exciting memories were revived as- 
 the column hurried on. But the soldiers were too practical 
 to lapse into sentiment while hurrying toward new dangers 
 that seemed imminent, for while all was uncertainty as to- 
 what the present movement meant, somehow every one seemed.
 
 412 HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 to feel that they were to be sent from Chattanooga on some 
 perilous mission. 
 
 Sunday, October 30, the command left its camp at Rossville 
 and marched to Chattanooga, halted for a time, and then 
 bivouacked near the base of Lookout Mountain. A few 
 recruits joined the Regiment at this point. Capt. Stephen 
 Jeffers, the former Quarter-Master, who was then stationed in 
 the city, bestowed numerous favors upon the Regiment. The 
 Third Division was ordered to take the train going west, and 
 reached Pulaski November 1. 
 
 Monday, October 31, the train having returned, the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, with other troops, was loaded upon the cars 
 about noon and rode through Bridgeport and Stevenson to 
 a point near Paint Rock without incident worthy of note. It 
 had been reported that there was heavy fighting near Flor- 
 ence and Decatur, and that the entire Rebel Army was 
 attempting to cross the Tennessee River. This made the 
 trainmen somewhat timid, and upon the first indication that 
 the cavalry had been upon the railroad track the train came 
 to a standstill. The officers consulted briefly and then ordered 
 a Company out to reconnoitre the front. A partially 
 destroyed culvert indicated that the enemy had been fright- 
 ened off without completing their work. The skirmishers 
 were ordered forward at a rapid walk, sometimes breaking 
 into a double-quick, and the train followed them. Soon 
 another halt was made and a fresh detachment sent out, the 
 tired men coming back to the train. In this way a few miles 
 were made. The danger being passed, the skirmishers were 
 called in and the train proceeded to the junction, and thence 
 northward to Athens, which point was reached about seven 
 o'clock A. M. of Tuesday, November 1. There was no one 
 to receive the troops or give directions what to do or where 
 to go, for the small detachment of Union forces had evacu- 
 ated the town the day before. Pickets were posted and the 
 arrival of other regiments awaited. There was much anx- 
 iety lest the Rebels should arrive first, but fortunately they did 
 not come. Tuesday night was cold and rainy. 
 
 Wednesday, November 2, the column marched at six
 
 1864] PULASKI. 
 
 o'clock through the rain and mud to Elkton, making twenty 
 miles. The last act in the day's drama was to ford Elk River r 
 a rapid stream, so swollen by the rains as to bring the water 
 nearly to the armpits of the shorter men. Most of the com- 
 mand stripped off their clothing, and all carried their ammu- 
 nition and watches in their hands. There was much dis- 
 comfort, not unmixed with merriment, in the crossing. A col- 
 ored man, who, being a cook for some of the officers, waa 
 loaded down with camp-kettles and other commodities, was 
 tripped up near the middle of the stream and so badly fright- 
 ened that some of the boys declared that he actually turned 
 white. The night was an exceedingly stormy one. 
 
 Thursday, November 3, camp was broken in a terrific 
 rainstorm, and the blankets and shelter-tents were so satu- 
 rated with water, notwithstanding the persistent wringing 
 given them, as to be exceedingly heavy. The road was 
 muddy, and when the command reached Pulaski, seventy-five 
 miles south of Nashville, in the middle of the afternoon, all 
 were thoroughly tired out. The column passed the town on 
 the right and wearily made its way to a long range of hills 
 north of the village. Here the NINETY-SIXTH remained until 
 the 23d. But little clothing had been issued for nearly six 
 months and the men were absolutely ragged. Very many 
 were barefoot, and comparatively few had clothing at all suit- 
 able for picket duty in the severe cold, rainy weather that 
 ensued. Cabins were put up and they could get along fairly 
 well in camp. This was not enough, however, for the officers 
 were auprehensive of an attack, and, as a consequence, heavy 
 picket lines were maintained. Eighty-four men were actually 
 excused from duty at one time because of having insufficient 
 clot hing to properly fit them for the exposure insepara- 
 ble from the picket line. This was in a measure overcome 
 in a few days. Heavy lines of breastworks were built, and 
 for two or three days the right and left wings alternated, 
 working continuously in the trenches night and day. The 
 baggage which had been stored at Bridgeport came up on the 
 14th and the officers busied themselves with their long-neg- 
 lected ordnance reports and other blanks. The paymaster,
 
 414 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 who had not been seen for about six months, came to camp 
 and paid off the several regiments. 
 
 Friday, November 18, the NINETY-SIXTH, together with the 
 45th Ohio, went out with fifty wagons after forage, returning 
 without accident or adventure. 
 
 During the stay at Pulaski there was much speculation as 
 to Gen. Hood's intentions. Bad weather and want of trans- 
 portation and supplies had detained him, but about the 20th 
 it became apparent that he was to push northward into Ten- 
 nessee. The main body of the Twenty-third Corps had 
 reached Pulaski by this time, but the entire force then num- 
 bered but about twenty-five thousand men, while the rebels in 
 their front numbered more than fifty thousand. Gen. Thomas 
 was receiving considerable reinforcements at Nashville, many 
 of them, however, being new recruits, and toward that city 
 lie ordered Gen. Schofield, then in command at Pulaski, to 
 retreat if it became necessary in order to avoid a battle.
 
 1864] PULASKI EVACUATED. 415 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV- 
 
 'The Rebels Advance Pulaski Evacuated A Short Sleep Refugees 
 on the Road A Trying Night March A Sombre Thanksgiving 
 Columbia Reached Again Outflanked Spring Hill Close Prox- 
 imity of the Enemy A Halt on the Ridge The Battle of Frank- 
 lin Another Night March Arrival at Nashville Two Nights on 
 the Front Line The Army Reinforced Waiting for the Battle. 
 
 THE situation of affairs in Tennessee and Georgia was now 
 a most peculiar one. Gen. Sherman had hardly more than 
 fairly started from Atlanta when Gen. Hood left the line of 
 the Tennessee River, and the strange spectacle was presented 
 of two armies that had long confronted each other, and often 
 met in battle, marching in opposite directions, each intent 
 upon invasion. Opposed to Gen. Sherman were a few cav- 
 alrymen and state troops. Gen. Hood was confronted by 
 two Corps of Infantry, a small force of cavalry and a few 
 detached regiments that had been doing garrison duty at 
 various points between Nashville and Decatur. 
 
 By November 20 the Rebel infantry had crossed the Ten- 
 nessee River and were pushing rapidly northward, aiming to 
 go by way of Lawrenceburg and interpose themselves between 
 Pulaski and Columbia, in the neighborhood of Lynnville. 
 The Union cavalry was active and vigilant, and reported to 
 Gen. Schofield, then in command at Pulaski, and arrange- 
 ments were speedily made for a retreat. Tuesday, Novem- 
 ber 22, a part of the Twenty-third Corps and the Second 
 Division of the Fourth Corps marched to Lynnville, thus pre- 
 venting the Rebel forces from reaching that point. Gen. 
 Hood then directed his columns toward Columbia, going by 
 way of Mount Pleasant, whereupon the Union forces at 
 Lynnville resumed their march on the morning of the 23d. 
 The weather, which had been rainy much of the time for a 
 fortnight, turned bitter cold, the ground freezing and ice 
 .forming upon the smaller streams.
 
 416 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 While the campaign had been thus inaugurated, a portion 
 of the Fourth Corps still remained in Pulaski. Wednesday, 
 November 23, the Regiment was busily engaged in strength- 
 ening its already strong intrenchments when orders were 
 received to march in an hour. At noon the column filed out 
 and marched to the pike, where the entire Division remained 
 until nearly dark, the road being thronged with wagons, 
 troops and refugees, hurrying northward. All of the refugees 
 were colored people, most of whom had been quartered on 
 some abandoned plantations not far from Huntsville, the Gov- 
 ernment having encouraged them to remain there and raise a 
 crop. The advance of the Rebel Army had alarmed them, 
 and, gathering up such effects in the way of clothing and bed- 
 ding as they could carry, they sought to escape from a return 
 to slavery, which they imagined would surely follow if they 
 allowed the Confederates to overtake them. 
 
 Pulaski was evacuated early in the evening, considerable 
 amounts of clothing and provisions being burned to prevent 
 their falling into the hands of the enemy. A few buildings 
 were destroyed. The. teams and artilery, which had come 
 from Chattanooga by way of Dechard and Fayetteville, were 
 loaded to their utmost capacity, but the transportation was 
 inadequate to meet the emergency then arising, and an im- 
 mense bonfire was made necessary. A little before dark the 
 NINETY-SIXTH was on the road and marched back to Lynnville, 
 being delayed by the troops and trains that had preceded. 
 There was more or less firing on the left, not a great distance 
 from the pike. At a late hour the Division halted and went 
 into camp. Hardly had the tired men fallen asleep when the 
 bugle sounded and they were again hurried out upon the pike. 
 It was reported that the Rebels had not halted, but were mak- 
 ing a night march, hoping to reach Columbia before Gen. 
 Schofield could get his troops into position, and all understood 
 that it was a race between the two armies. The Regiment 
 hurried along the road, until the rear of the main column was 
 overtaken, when the march was slower. The poor refugees 
 were overtaken and passed. They were most pitiable objects, 
 having marched for many hours with little to eat and without
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 * 
 
 Corp 1 ! PBTER MOWERS. 
 JAMES DONAHUE. 
 
 Corp'l JAREU O. BLODGETT. 
 
 Second Lieut. JOHN W. SWANBROUGH. 
 
 LOYAL CADWELL. 
 
 REUBEN MILLER. 
 SAMUEL P. VOSE.
 
 1864] COLUMBIA. 417 
 
 daring to stop for rest. There were hundreds of women and 
 children, the latter crying piteously from hunger and cold. 
 But the soldiers could give them no assistance, and they were 
 compelled to halt beside the road and let the column pass. 
 Fires were kindled in the fence corners, and many of them 
 gave up the march in despair, although others kept on to 
 Nashville. The troops were given to understand that an 
 attack might be expected any moment, and none were allowed 
 to straggle. 
 
 The dawn of Thursday, November 24, found the long 
 columns still toiling on, the one in grey hoping to reach 
 Columbia while their opponents were far away, the one in blue 
 resolute in its purpose to head off their wary rivals, if hard 
 and continuous marching could effect so desirable a result. It 
 was the National Thanksgiving Day, and throughout the loyal 
 States the people were returning grateful thanks to the Provi- 
 dence that had smiled upon tl\e JJni.pjfi armies, East and 
 West, and were hopeful th^peap.e. ; 0rn(^tin.a,l.yJQfcory were near. 
 But to the soldiers of the lifct%"aYmy* under Gen. Schofield the 
 day was filled with forebodings, for they were retreating over 
 ground reclaimed more than a year before, and the haste of 
 the movement, the evident anxiety of their commanders, and 
 the occasional sounds of cannon and musketry that came from 
 the flank, where the cavalry was watching the enemy, made 
 them feel apprehensive that all was not going well. At noon 
 the tired troops ahead left the pike and moved into a large 
 field for a brief rest, and the members of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 were discussing the expected Thanksgiving dinner and making 
 up impossible bills-of-fare as they neared the halting place. 
 Considering their questionable surroundings they were cer- 
 tainly a very jolly lot. But as they were about to halt, a staff 
 officer rode up and ordered Major Hicks to march the Regi- 
 ment to a high ridge on the flank, nearly a half mile from the 
 pike, and keep a sharp lookout for Rebels, returning when the 
 column began to move. The order was by no means a wel- 
 come one after being on the move so long, but, knowing that 
 it was their turn for duty, the men cheerfully complied. It 
 was a long, hard climb. Just as the head of the Regiment 
 27
 
 418 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 was uearing the summit some shots were heard, and a moment 
 later a little squad of cavalry dashed out of the woods, many 
 of them hatless and all greatly excited. Reaching the infant- 
 ry they reported that they had been ambushed and had lost 
 several men, killed or captured by a large body of the enemy 
 near at hand. This information set the men on their mettle 
 and a sharp lookout was maintained. In a few minutes the 
 teams had passed on toward Columbia, and the troops in the 
 valley had finished their hurried dinners. The NINETY -SIXTH 
 soon took up the line of march, at the rear of the column. 
 The march was kept up till almost night, the firing increasing 
 toward Columbia, on the Mount Pleasant road. At length the 
 village was reached and the race for that day was at an end. 
 The heads of the opposing armies had reached the outskirts of 
 the town almost simultaneously, but the small force then acting 
 as a garrison to the town met and delayed the Rebel advance, 
 thus giving the Union forces time to partially deploy their 
 lines. A portion of the Twenty-third Corps reached the town 
 about noon. There was a sharp contest, resulting in a few 
 casualties on either side ; but Gen. Hood found himself check- 
 mated, and night shutting down the two armies moved into 
 position and halted. The NINETY-SIXTH was sent to a position 
 in the front line, and at once threw up breastworks, the men 
 working diligently, in reliefs, all night, notwithstanding their 
 fatigue. They had marched about thirty miles, with many 
 halts and interruptions, but with little rest, and only the neces- 
 sity of the hour inclined them to the hard labor of entrenching. 
 Columbia was situated on high ground in a deep bend of 
 Duck River, and here Gen. Thomas, who still remained at 
 Nashville, hoped his army would make a final stand and fight 
 a decisive battle with Gen. Hood. He was expecting three 
 Divisions of the Sixteenth Corps, under Gen. A. J. Smith, 
 from the Mississippi, and also other reinforcements, but unex- 
 pected delays occurred. Two or three regiments and a goodly 
 number of recruits came to the department and were hurried 
 forward by rail. But Gen. Hood remembered his experiences 
 at Atlanta and Allatoona, and decided to postpone any charges 
 upon the Yankee breastworks. Instead, while keeping up a
 
 1864] A CRITICAL DAY. 419 
 
 feint of assaulting the lines at Columbia, he rested his army 
 for a day or two, and then, moving by the right flank, made a 
 bold push for the Union rear, determined to interpose his 
 Army between Gen. Schofield and Franklin. The movement 
 was admirably conceived and well-nigh successful. 
 
 Meanwhile the Union forces had been disposed for defen- 
 sive operations. The cavalry was watching the fords of Duck 
 River and attempting to hold the Rebels in check. A part of 
 the Fourth Corps moved slightly to the rear Friday evening, 
 and occupied a shorter and stronger line than the one so hastily 
 formed on Thursday. Saturday brought heavy skirmishing, 
 but no casualties occurred in the Regiment. At dark the 
 troops were ready to move, but after a delay of some hours it 
 was learned that the pontoon bridge had broken, a portion of 
 the troops having crossed. The lines were thinned out so as 
 to occupy the works vacated by that portion of the army 
 which had crossed ; a work of great difficulty, as the night 
 was intensely dark and the rain pouring down in torrents. 
 
 Sunday, November 27, was spent in the lines about the 
 little city, but when darkness came, the troops, except a 
 small force which remained until daylight to cover the retreat, 
 silently moved to the rear, waded through the rnud to the 
 pontoon bridge, and then halted and fortified, the NINETY- 
 SIXTH marching eastward up the river two or three miles. 
 The men were on the move almost the entire night, and when 
 they halted, near daylight, were called upon to fortify their 
 position. Captain Pollock was sent out with a small force to 
 reconnoitre the front, and meeting a detachment of cavalry 
 falling back before the Rebel advance, had a lively skirmish. 
 During all of Monday the Brigade lay near Duck River, and 
 Monday night moved to Rutherford's Creek, partially fortify- 
 ing another line, where it remained for nearly twenty-four 
 hours, guarding the crossing while troops and trains passed 
 to the rear. 
 
 Tuesday, November 29, was a critical day with the army. 
 General Kimball having come up and assumed command of 
 the Division, General Whittaker took command of the 
 Brigade. There was ample evidence that Rebel infantry was
 
 420 HISTORY or THE 69ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 marching past the position held by the NINETY-SIXTH and 
 other portions of the Division, for the pickets were constantly 
 reporting moving troops in sight, and were frequently fired 
 upon. The wagon trains had been ordered to Franklin under 
 escort of the Second Division of the Fourth Corps, the 
 infantry taking the lead. Their march was begun about eight 
 o'clock A. M. Twelve miles north of Columbia was Spring 
 Hill, a small village, where was stationed a company or two 
 of cavalry. As the infantry approached the village firing 
 was heard, indicating that the Rebels had outmarched them 
 and were fighting for the possession of the village and pike. 
 It proved to be only a cavalry fight, at first, and when the- 
 head of the Second Division reached the scene the enemy 
 retired. A brisk skirmish followed, for the Rebel infantry 
 was close at hand and made a vigorous attempt to gain a 
 position on the highway and cut off the troops that had not 
 yet arrived from Columbia. The Second Division was re- 
 peatedly attacked, and on the right and a little south of the 
 village was forced to retreat for some distance. Most of the 
 artillery was at hand and aided in repelling the charges. For- 
 tunately the Rebels lacked the nerve to take advantage of the 
 situation, and the day closed without serious losses. Most 
 of the teams closed up at a run when the skirmishing began r 
 and were parked at the village. A few went forward and 
 were captured and burned by the cavalry near Thompson'^ 
 Station. Gen. Hood seems to have realized his opportunity 
 and to have made an earnest effort to take advantage of it, 
 but Gen. Cheatham, in command of his advance, with a corps 
 at hand and another rapidly approaching, delayed, through 
 fear that he was outnumbered, the amount of artillery and the 
 vigor with which General Stanley resisted disconcerting him 
 and rendering him timid. The Union loss was about two- 
 hundred ; the Rebel loss fully five hundred. 
 
 Meanwhile the NINETY-SIXTH, with the other troops of the 
 Brigade, had been comparatively idle at Rutherford's Creek, 
 but just before night took up the line of march. The Regi- 
 ment had the lead and marched left in front. An advance 
 guard was put out, and after a time flankers were sent upon
 
 1864] AN ANXIOUS NIGHT. 421 
 
 the right, marching through the fields parallel with the main 
 column. The utmost silence prevailed, and all commands 
 were given in low tones. There were frequent halts, and 
 more than once men were seen or heard leaving the pike. A 
 light barricade was found at one point, the enemy disappearing 
 in the darkness. Nearing Spring Hill some horsemen were 
 met, and a brief parley ensued, each party being afraid the 
 others were Rebels. Everything was soon explained, how- 
 ever, for some one soon recognized Gen. Whittaker's pecu- 
 liar voice and made known the fact that fears had been 
 entertained that the command had been cut off and pos- 
 sibly dispersed or captured. The march was then continued 
 to Spring Hill, where the NINETY-SIXTH was moved into a 
 cornfield on the north side of the pike and directed to build a 
 line of works. All were cautioned to maintain silence, and 
 hardly a cornstalk rustled, so careful were the men. The 
 Rebel camp fires were but a hundred rods distant, and the 
 men could be plainly seen standing or walking around them. 
 Orders were given not to fire a gun unless the enemy should 
 be seen advancing in force directly toward the pike. It was 
 stated as a fact that some members of the Regiment, going 
 for rails, a short distance in front, found the Rebels taking 
 rails from the same fence, and Sergeant Murrie and Corporal 
 Swazey, of Company C, going out to reconnoitre, actually 
 passed between the pickets of the enemy, going nearly to the 
 camp-fires and returning without being fired upon. For hours 
 the flankers of the two armies were within a few yards of each 
 other, but each apparently under orders not to bring on an 
 engagement. It was probably eleven o'clock or after when 
 the Regiment was halted in the cornfield. A light barricade 
 was soon completed, and then the men stood or laid in line, 
 chilled to the marrow, and anxiously awaiting orders to leave 
 the perilous position. 
 
 Toward morning, the last wagon having got in line, the 
 Regiment moved to the road and pushed northward, being 
 almost the rear of the army. With the first glimmer of day- 
 light the firing, which had been confined to an occasional 
 shot, increased somewhat, and before sunrise was quite lively.
 
 422 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH marched in the fields much of the way. 
 Apparently there was great confusion, for detached regiments 
 from several brigades, groups of men who had tired out and 
 left their commands, a few ambulances, a part of a battery, and 
 a group of citizens and railroad men were all crowding for the 
 pike at the same time. By good management on the part of 
 Gen. Stanley, and because of timidity on the part of the 
 Rebels, only a few of the eight hundred wagons in the train 
 were lost, and before daylight Gen. Schofield's advance was 
 crossing the Harpeth River at Franklin. His rear, however, 
 had still about eight miles to march. 
 
 That night had been one of extremest peril, and it was a 
 relief to the rear-guard when, at a little after sunrise, it became 
 apparent that the Rebel infantry had not marched during the 
 night, and that its advance was barely abreast with the Union 
 rear guard. 
 
 The skirmishing grew lively as the hours wore on, but 
 the danger of attack in flank was over. The Twenty-third 
 Corps had reached Franklin before daylight, and a portion 
 of the Fourth Corps soon followed, forming a line about the 
 village, the flanks resting on the river. The wagons were 
 parked on the north side of the river, Gen. Wood's Division 
 forming as a guard near the ground where the NINETY-SIXTH 
 had encamped for several weeks in the spring of 1863. The 
 crossing of the river was a difficult matter, but enough planks 
 were found to convert the railroad bridge into a wagon bridge, 
 and also to construct a crossing above. 
 
 But the troops in rear were still toiling on, with the Rebel 
 rear-guard closely following. Once at least, a little north of 
 Thompson's Station, they pressed so hard that the NINETY- 
 SIXTH formed in line, faced to the rear, and showed so bold a 
 front as to compel them to halt and deploy their lines, thus 
 saving valuable time to the retreating forces. The soldiers of 
 either army shouted in defiant tones and were repeatedly so 
 near as to be readily understood. 
 
 Not far from eleven o'clock in the forenoon of Monday, 
 November 30, the Regiment halted beside the pike, two 
 miles south of the village, and prepared a hasty breakfast from
 
 1864] FRANKLIN. 423 
 
 the well nigh empty haversacks. Before all had succeeded in 
 boiling coffee, an order came to move to a high knob some 
 distance west of the road, and prepare to resist the enemy. 
 In a moment the column moved for its position, where a 
 grand panorama spread out before them. Approaching a 
 stone wall at the foot of the ridge were the skirmishers of 
 the enemy, in so close range that a musket ball fired by one 
 of them buried itself in the shoulder of Sergeant Effinger, of 
 Company 0, inflicting a painful and dangerous wound. Far- 
 ther out to right and left the long columns of infantry were 
 rapidly deploying, y with squadrons of cavalry on either liank, 
 and all advancing steadily toward the ridge. Beyond, the 
 covered wagons were going into park in a meadow close beside 
 the road. Ambulances and artillery followed the infantry, and 
 everything indicated that a battle was near at hand. How- 
 ever severely historians may criticise Gen. Hood, no one who 
 witnessed the marshalling of that vast army outside of Frank- 
 lin can fail to give him high praise for the skill and rapidity 
 with which he formed his lines on that eventful day. 
 
 The Regiment hastily threw up a light barricade of rails 
 and rocks along the summit of the ridge, the skirmishers 
 responding to the fire of the enemy. As soon as the lines in 
 the rear, just at the outskirts of the town, were well formed, 
 the Regiment was ordered to retire and was speedily marching 
 at a swinging gait along the old familiar pike, past its picket 
 and reserve posts of 1863, and through the village to the right 
 of the line, being probably the last command to pass the breast 
 works on the Columbia pike.* 
 
 * Most writers give to Col. Opdyke's Brigade the credit of being the rear guard from 
 Spring Hill to Franklin, and the last troops to reach the village. The editor finds some 
 conflict of testimony among the records at command, but while not claiming for the 
 NINETY-SIXTH that it acted as rear-guard the entire distance, is certain that it did a part 
 of the time. It was left in its position in the cornfield east of Spring Hill until all of the 
 wagons were in line, and passed the range of hills east of Thompson's Station after day- 
 light. The battalion of the 40th Ohio, embracing its non-veterans and those whose terms 
 of service had not expired, and also the 45th Ohio, having been on the skirmish line at 
 Rutherford's Creek, were brought back by Lieutenant Earle, Brigade Inspector, and were 
 among the last troops to reach Spring Hill, remaining with the NINETY-SIXTH for a time. 
 On the ridge, outside of Franklin, the NINETY-SIXTH had the right of the line facing 
 south, and from there in was certainly the rear-guard. There is little doubt that the Reg- 
 iment was the last organized command to pass the breastworks near the Carter 
 residence. The brigades of Lane and Conrad were constructing the works from
 
 424 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 In leaving the ridge, Albert Paddock, of Company D, who, 
 tired out with the long march, had thrown himself down 
 beside a log and gone to sleep where the Regiment halted to 
 make coffee, was not missed, but slept on until rudely awak- 
 ened by the Rebels to find himself a prisoner of war. 
 
 Arrived at the right, after passing through the village, the 
 Regiment found itself crowded out of the front line, and bivou- 
 acked on a little hill near the cemetery close beside the river, 
 and not far from the ford. Here the men rested, most of 
 them cooking, a few sleeping, and others speculating as to what 
 the coming hours would bring. 
 
 For some hours before the Regiment arrived, the troops 
 of the Twenty-third Corps occupied the main line from 
 the river on the left, two-thirds of the distance around 
 the town, crossing the Lewisburg and Columbia pikes. The 
 First Division of the .Fourth Corps was at their right, com- 
 pleting the line to the river above, and nearly all on ground 
 favorable for defense. 
 
 These troops had lost no time in rendering their position 
 defensible by the construction of breastworks, and the semi- 
 circle, a mile and a half in length, was speedily so strong as 
 to afford protection from bullets. In the construction of these 
 works, there being but little timber accessible, fences of every 
 description were utilized and a few barns and abandoned 
 houses were torn down, the boards being used as a barricade 
 to hold the earth in place, while the sills served an admirable 
 purpose as head logs. Near the Columbia pike an old cotton 
 press was torn down and made to do service. A locust grove 
 was partially cut and used as an abatis at the right of the road, 
 and in the vicinity of the Lewisburg pike an osage orange 
 
 which they were subsequently driven when the NINETY-SIXTH passed. A brigade, 
 which the editor believes to have been Col. Opdyke's, was bivouacked near the 
 roadside in some vacant lots a short distance in rear of the works. Before its 
 arrival in Franklin, the lines were formed and the works were well advanced, most of 
 the Division having been there several hours. The battle began within a few moments 
 from a half hoar to an hour after the Regiment reached the right. Sergeant Effinger 
 declares it to have been two o'clock when he was wounded, two miles outside of Frank- 
 lin, but letters and diaries say: "About noon." Sergeant Berg's diary, written at the 
 time, says: "We arrived at Franklin about 2 p. M. Sergeant Effinger, of Company C, 
 was wounded severely at noon. Our Division covered the retreat of the Army all day."
 
 1864] FRANKLIN. 425 
 
 hedge was lopped and converted into an effectual protection 
 against the charging columns. 
 
 On the right and in the immediate front of the posi- 
 tion held by the First Division of the Fourth Corps were 
 a few houses, with lawns and gardens enclosed, and farms 
 stretching out beyond. In rear and near the extreme right of 
 the line was a deep ford, through which many citizens made 
 their way as the day wore on. In rear of the extreme left of 
 the line, upon the north bank of the Harpeth, stood Fort 
 Granger, on which the men of the NINETY-SIXTH had spent so 
 many days of hard labor in the spring of 1863. It was now 
 well filled with artillery, and commanded the open plain 
 between the Lewisburg and Columbia pikes. Gen. Sehofield 
 was in the fort awaiting the movements of the enemy. The 
 rank and file of the Army expected a battle, but the Com- 
 mander and many of his subordinates apparently thought that 
 there would be a repetition of the tactics pursued at other 
 points, the enemy, after a strong demonstration in front, 
 seeking to gain the rear of the line by fording the river 
 east of town and making a race for Nashville. With this 
 expectation Gen. Wilson's cavalry was sent to the north 
 side of the Harpeth and pushed well to the front, the teams 
 were massed to await the coming of night and the Third Divi- 
 sion of the Fourth Corps was held near Fort Granger, in read- 
 iness to move to support the cavalry and protect the train. 
 The troops were ordered to be ready to march at six o'clock. 
 
 It proved that the men in the ranks were right, and that a 
 bloody battle was impending. For a little time there was 
 quiet along the lines, and the air seemed humid with the great 
 agony and sorrow now so near. During the early afternoon 
 the enemy swarmed across the hills from which the NINETY- 
 SIXTH had retired after the inner lines had been formed, and at 
 four o'clock attained the position from which a most desperate 
 assault was to be made. 
 
 It was a splendid spectacle as their lines of infantry, a mile 
 In length, came out from the timber which had partially con- 
 cealed them, and swept across the open plain in full view of 
 the Union forces. More than twenty thousand of the enemy
 
 426 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 could be seen at one time by the troops upon the higher 
 ground. Slowly at first, and then more rapidly, they swept 
 forward, at length breaking into a run and rushing toward the 
 Union lines in a broad torrent that it seemed could not prove 
 otherwise than irresistible. 
 
 By some strangely interpreted order two Brigades of the 
 Second Division of the Fourth Corps had been left outside 
 the continuous line about the village, across the field from the 
 Carter residence, one at the right, the other at the left of the 
 Columbia pike. They had built a light breastwork but both 
 flanks were in air. As the long line came sweeping toward 
 them they poured a volley into the troops in their front, check- 
 ing them for a moment. But the enemy was passing them on 
 either flank and their only safety lay in flight. Several hun- 
 dred surrendered at this point. The others ran to the rear, 
 those not killed or wounded in the movement falling breath- 
 less on the outside of the works or, leaping over the line, 
 turning and joining in the attempt to hold in check the oncom- 
 ing foe. In this wild race the Blue and the Grey were so 
 mingled that for a time the troops in the main line feared to- 
 fire lest they should kill or wound their friends. At the pike 
 the advance of the enemy reached and crossed the works sim- 
 ultaneously with the fugitives, and the line was borne back- 
 ward, the breastworks falling into the hands of the enemy for 
 a distance of three hundred yards. But if the leaving 
 of Lane's and Conrad's Brigades in front had been a great 
 misfortune, it happened that Col. Opdyke's Brigade of the 
 same Division had been most fortunately placed in some 
 vacant lots a hundred yards in rear of the works, and were 
 quickly hurried to the front under the personal leadership of 
 Col. Opdyke and of the Corps Commander, General Stanley, 
 who remained with them even after being severely wounded 
 in the neck and shoulder. These troops charged gallantly for- 
 ward and retook a portion of the works, battering the edge of 
 the entering wedge that had come so near hopelessly severing 
 the Union line, and holding in check the Rebel columns as- 
 they sought, again and again, to take advantage of the slight 
 break and compel the Union forces to retreat.
 
 1864] FRANKLIN. 427 
 
 The main body of Rebels retired after a vain struggle to 
 maintain their advantage, but a few still clung to the breast- 
 works at the right of the pike with a tenacity that bespoke 
 their desperate valor. Soon the columns formed again and 
 moved in another charge upon tlfe works. There were a few 
 pattering shots, and the artillery upon the line and in Fort 
 Granger opened upon the level plain. A volley was heard, 
 and then the deafening and continuous roar as thousands of 
 muskets belched forth their deadly fire. The moments length- 
 ened, and the smoke hung suspended in the quivering Autumn 
 air as if to shut out the dreadful carnage. Rebel officers rode 
 to the very breastworks, seeking to inspire their men with the 
 idea expressed by Gen. Hood before the charge began: 
 "Break that line and there is nothing between you and the 
 Ohio river." But even such reckless valor could not avail. 
 The leaders went down until twelve Generals had been killed 
 or wounded, and one, who rode straight across the works, had 
 been captured. One of the officers mortally wounded was 
 Brigadier General Carter, whose father owned the brick house 
 just in rear of the works. He fell close to the works, and upon 
 the very farm where he had spent the early years of his life. 
 Gen. Clebourne was killed near the cotton press and almost 
 upon the Union works. The firing slackened and a cheer 
 arose, which was taken up and carried around the lines. 
 Darkness was now settling down upon the scene, but the enemy 
 still pressed upon the Union lines, seeking to penetrate with 
 hundreds where thousands had failed. Acres of the level 
 field, at the right and left of the Columbia pike, were almost 
 covered with the dead and dying. The muskets, so fouled 
 that it was almost impossible to load them, belched out their 
 red fire long after darkness came. A hundred wagon loads 
 of ammunition were expended during that single afternoon 
 and evening. 
 
 The position of the NINETY-SIXTH, at the opening of the 
 battle, has already been described. A few moments pre- 
 viously a staff officer had called for a detail to take the skirmish 
 line. Thirty men were furnished, and reporting near the right 
 of the line were counted off and deployed. Thomas Craig, of
 
 428 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 Company I, was among the number, and chancing to be in 
 the file with some men from another regiment, went forward 
 through a door-yard and past a group of cedars where were 
 clustered a few of the enemy's dismounted cavalry. He had 
 not been absent from the line five minutes before he was told 
 to lay down his gun, and finding himself completely at the 
 mercy of the Rebels he, with a few others, surrendered and 
 was hurried off across the field. Craig had been with the 
 Regiment but a month, having come to it as a recruit at Chat- 
 tanooga, after a three years' service with the 19th Illinois. 
 
 Edwin Potter, of Company B, shot a Rebel from his horse 
 in front of the skirmish line. The horse kept right on and 
 was secured by the Union forces. After dark the skirmishers 
 were repeatedly fired on by the pickets of the Third Division, 
 from across the river. 
 
 Simultaneously with the opening of the battle on the left 
 a vigorous demonstration was made upon the right, in front 
 of the First Division, by a body of dismounted cavalry. The 
 NusjETY-SiXTH instantly fell in and moved through a depres- 
 sion, and up to the spot toward which the attack was appar- 
 ently to be directed. The bullets flew thick and fast, and 
 John H. Holden, of Company A, was wounded in the head, 
 quite seriously but not so badly but that he insisted on remain- 
 ing with the command. The Regiment was halted in reserve, 
 just back of the main line, near the left of the Brigade, until 
 about twelve o'clock, being called up once or twice with the 
 expectation of going to the left, the movement never becom- 
 ing necessary, however. The fire of the Rebel left was annoy- 
 ing at times, but did not prove especially severe. Occasion- 
 ally overshot bullets from the neighborhood of the Carter 
 residence, nearly a mile distant, and others from near the 
 Carter's Creek pike, struck uncomfortably near, and it was a 
 continual wonder that casualties were not more numerous. 
 
 When the first charge occurred the view from the elevated 
 position of the cemetery was a grand one. Looking across the 
 village the field was in plain sight and the long lines of Rebels 
 could be distinctly seen as they emerged from the woods and 
 pressed back the brigades occupying the advanced position. A
 
 1864] FRANKLIN. 429 
 
 volley came, bul before the sounds reached the ear the smoke 
 obscured the view. Then the cloud lifted and the lines could 
 be seen, partially disorganized but rapidly pressing forward 
 with a wild yell. Other volleys followed, and then the con- 
 stant, deafening roar, increasing in volume until it reached 
 proportions such as are seldom attained in any battle. The 
 smoke now totally obscured the scene, and for a time it was 
 doubtful which side had won, but soon there arose the unmis- 
 takable Union cheer which, sweeping around the lines, wa& 
 caught up by brigade after brigade until every man seemed 
 to be participating. 
 
 A crowd of fugitives, mainly citizens, white and black, 
 ran back from the town when the battle opened, many cross- 
 ing the ford near the cemetery. Among the number were two 
 gentlemen, in a buggy, with a little girl between them. They 
 had reached the middle of the stream when a dull, sick- 
 ening thud was heard and the innocent child sunk down, 
 doubtless killed outright. Apparently the bullet which struck 
 her came from where the main charge was taking place, al- 
 most a mile away. Other casualties occurred momentarily, 
 but none seemed so terrible as the one by which that little 
 child was struck down. 
 
 The charges made after dark were with less vigor than 
 those which at first proved so nearly fatal to the Union forces, 
 and by nine o'clock there was comparative quiet along the 
 line, although the firing was continued at intervals until 
 eleven o'clock. Most of the wounded Federals were placed 
 in ambulances or in the empty ammunition wagons, but a few 
 had to be left, some in houses, and others where they had 
 fallen. 
 
 The scene in front of the works, where the main fighting 
 occurred, beggars description. Wounded men begged for 
 water or assistance, and in many instances their wants were 
 supplied, brave men, at great peril, going between the lines 
 with canteens of the fluid always so precious at such times. 
 
 Shortly after nine o'clock, orders were issued to leave the 
 lines at midnight. Long before this the trains had been 
 started for Nashville. The flanks were first retired, and after
 
 430 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 that the centre. A building was set on fire and threatened 
 to so light up the town as to make the movement visible to 
 the watchful enemy, but an old fire engine was found and the 
 flames were soon extinguished. Both of the bridges were 
 piled with kindling early in the evening and made ready for 
 burning. Little time was occupied in the movement to the 
 north side of the river, the skirmishers in front retiring 
 to the breastworks as soon as they were vacated, and in a few 
 moments moving silently across the bridges. The NINETY 
 SIXTH, with the other troops comprising the First Division, 
 crossed by the wagon bridge. Most of the Twenty-third 
 Corps passed over on the railroad bridge. Even before 
 the last of the skirmishers were across, the bridges were set 
 on fire. The Rebels were not long in discovering the move- 
 ment, and hurr\ed through the town, but attained no advant- 
 age, as the Third Division still defended the crossings and 
 gave them a noisy reception. Two hundred Federal wounded 
 were left in the village. 
 
 The retreat from Franklin to Nashville, a distance of 
 eighteen miles, was a most tedious march. It should be 
 remembered that for a full week the troops had been almost 
 constantly on the road, or building breastworks and fight- 
 ing. For a night or two at Columbia there was some brief 
 opportunity for sleeping, but very little afterward. All were 
 thoroughly tired out and greatly in need of rest. But there 
 was no alternative, and wearily the long column moved for- 
 ward along the only pike leading northward. The usual vex- 
 atious delays occurred, an unbridged stream being the prin- 
 cipal cause. This was some distance out, and as every team 
 had to be whipped into it, the column was continually stop- 
 ping and starting. Knowing that if an attack was made it 
 would be from the east, the battalions marched left in front. 
 These annoying delays occurred frequently for two or three 
 hours, and so exhausted were the men that at each brief halt 
 nearly all would drop down in the road and instantly fall 
 asleep. A whispered, " Fall in, boys ! " would as quickly 
 rouse them, and, more asleep than awake, they staggered 
 rather than marched forward. Indeed, many of them slept
 
 1864] THE RETREAT FROM FRANKLIN. 431 
 
 soundly as they walked along, and at each halt would bunt 
 against the man next ahead of them. Field and staff officers 
 slept for miles in their saddles, and even the horses staggered 
 as they walked along. 
 
 Stragglers were numerous, many being so tired and lame 
 that they could not walk. Some of them lay in the fence cor- 
 ners, sound asleep. On one occasion, toward morning, 
 occurred a halt somewhat longer than usual and several of 
 these sleepers were awakened, partly for sport. One of them 
 could not be aroused, so soundly was he sleeping, and mem- 
 bers of the NINETY-SIXTH actually picked him up, lifted him 
 over the fence and placed him on the ground again without 
 awakening him. The rear-guard must have had many trying 
 experiences in forcing the multitude of worn out men to fall 
 in and move forward. Captains Pollock and Blowney became 
 so exhausted that they determined to sit still for a five-min- 
 utes' rest after the column moved on, and speedily fell asleep, 
 to be awakened only when the rear guard shook them and 
 ordered them to move on. 
 
 Daylight came at last and a little later all halted at Brent- 
 wood, when the inevitable coffee pot was brought out and 
 breakfast prepared. Then the troops again took the road, 
 marching leisurely and reaching the outskirts of the city 
 about noon. 
 
 It was a thoroughly tired out lot of men that reached Nash- 
 ville that Thursday. But it was a relief to know that the 
 Rebels had not followed closely, having so many dead to bury 
 and so many wounded to care for that the day was consumed 
 at Franklin. Most of the NINETY-SIXTH busied themselves 
 with cooking, some rested and slept and others cared for their 
 lacerated feet. Major Hicks and Adjutant Blodgett rode to 
 town and all were hoping for a good night's rest when a staff 
 officer rode up and announced that the Regiment must go 
 upon the skirmish line and picket the front of the Brigade. 
 Captain Pollock took command and marched the tired men 
 out a few hundred yards, established as few picket posts as 
 was deemed safe, and began to fortify a line on either side of 
 the pike. The Major and Adjutant soon returned and joined
 
 4:32 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 the command. That night on picket was a trying one and 
 only by constant vigilance on the part of a few could the men 
 be kept awake. Relief guards were sent out with more than 
 ordinary frequency and would even then find the pickets 
 sleeping. 
 
 The forenoon of Friday, December 2, passed, and no relief 
 having been offered, the Major sent word that his men must 
 be taken from the line and given an opportunity for rest. 
 The message served its purpose, and the Regiment soon 
 marched back to the main line, where the men threw them- 
 selves down and in a moment were asleep. The afternoon 
 was wearing away, when of a sudden firing began directly 
 in the front. There was an immediate commotion all along 
 the line, for it was evident that the Rebels had moved up from 
 Franklin. Officers and men questioned whether Gen. Hood 
 would repeat his tactics of two days before and assault the 
 line of works which the Union army had thrown up about the 
 city. 
 
 "Where's the NINETY-SIXTH?" shouted Gen. Whittaker, 
 as he dashed along the line a moment later. " Here it is ! " 
 responded Major Hicks, as, hatless and coatless, he raised up 
 and threw off the blanket under which he had been sleeping. 
 "Fall in your Regiment and move to the skirmish line 
 immediately ! " was the order. " But," protested the Major, 
 " we have just come from the skirmish line and my men need 
 sleep!" "There will be no sleep for anyone to-night," 
 shouted the General. "Take your men out there at once t 
 The whole Rebel army is there, and i must send the best 
 Regiment in the Brigade ! " The Major knew that further 
 protest was useless, and accepting the implied compliment, 
 prepared as speedily as possible, and moved the men over 
 the breastworks and out to the front, taking position at the 
 right of the pike, about in line with the skirmish reserves. 
 A new line of works was at once constructed, the Rebels 
 meantime keeping up a skirmish fire, and pressing forward 
 until seemingly satisfied that the Yankees would not retreat far- 
 ther unless compelled to do so. . Their lines were soon formed, 
 extending far around to right and left, but they made no
 
 MAJP OF THEI 
 
 Battlefield of Franklin, Tenn, 
 
 NOVEMBER 30th, 1864. 
 
 
 
 Sarriian *Z
 
 1864] ARRIVAL AT NASHVILLE. 433 
 
 charge. The Regiment lay behind its barricade that night, 
 every man with his musket clutched, but all sleeping soundly, 
 except that a single guard was stationed, hourly, to wake the 
 officers should there be an alarm from the pickets. 
 
 The night passed quietly, however, and the next day the 
 Regiment was relieved and sent to the main line. The works 
 having been filled while the command was absent, there 
 seemed to be no place for it, and Gen. Whittaker directed, as 
 a special favor, that it be camped in the beautiful grounds of 
 the Acklin place, partially out of range of the picket firing, 
 and, in view of its arduous services and its two nights on out- 
 post duty, that no pickets should be called for from its ranks 
 until further orders. Here, on the night of December 2, for 
 the first time in nine successive days, the men felt at liberty 
 to remove their accoutrements, build good camp fires, and take 
 oft such of their clothing as December weather and an out- 
 door camp would permit. 
 
 The battle of Franklin was of decided advantage to the 
 Union forces. Gen. Hoo^WMktT ftjfo^^t $]$& than three- 
 fourths of his entire army into action, and after assaults as 
 desperate and determined as any of the war, had been re- 
 pulsed with frightful loss. A thousand prisoners and the few 
 flags captured from Lane's and Conrad's Brigades were 
 meager compensation for the loss of thirteen general officers, 
 thirty stands of colors, 1,750 men killed, 4,000 wounded and 
 700 captured. The Union losses, mainly in the Second Divis- 
 ion of the Fourth Corps, were reported at 189 killed, 1,033 
 wounded and 1,104 missing. The Union Army had gained 
 confidence, while the Confederates, appalled at their unex- 
 pected repulse and their almost unprecedented losses, were 
 much dispirited, and approached Nashville with far less con- 
 fidence than that felt as they n eared Franklin. 
 
 Perhaps this chapter cannot be better closed than by the 
 following extract from the official report of Gen. Stanley. In 
 speaking of the breaking of the Union line on the Columbia 
 pike, and the gallant charge of Col. Opdyke's Brigade, by 
 which they were restored, he says : " The moment was critical 
 beyond any I have known in any battle." 
 38
 
 434 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 In describing the march from Franklin to Nashville, he 
 says : 
 
 "Our men were more exhausted, physically, than I have ever seen 
 on any other occasion. From November 23, when we left Pulaski, until 
 arriving at Nashville, we had been constantly in the immediate presence 
 of an enemy we knew to be vastly superior to us in numbers, closely 
 watching to attack us at disadvantage. With us, both mind and body 
 were kept at full stretch, and it was only by night marches and the con- 
 stant use of intrenchments that we could hope to save ourselves. Many 
 of our men were overtaxed and broke down, unable to travel any longer. 
 They fell into the hands of the enemy. On two occasions the enemy 
 was very near attaining the advantage he sought of us. The first was 
 when Cox drove back his advance, just about entering Columbia. The 
 second and greatest escape for us was at Spring Hill, when, with a whole 
 corps in line of battle, the left of the line within six hundred yards of 
 the road, they allowed all our army, except Wagner's Division, which 
 had fought them during the day, to pass them with impunity during the 
 night."
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 435 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 The Siege of Nashville Reinforcements Arrive Recruits Received 
 Citizens Building Breastworks The Country Anxious Reason of 
 the Delay An Ice Storm The Weather Grows Milder The Bat- 
 tle Begins First Day's Work Important Gains Night on the 
 Battlefield The Second Day's Battle A Charge on the Skirmish 
 Line Long Hours Under Fire A Gallant Charge Four Guns and 
 Many Prisoners Taken A Glorious Victory Incidents of the Bat- 
 tle The Gains and the Losses The Casualty List. 
 
 THE position of the NINETY-SIXTH during the siege of 
 Nashville if siege it could be called was a fairly comfort- 
 able one. The camp was pleasant, the guard duty light, 
 and the position but little exposed to the enemy's fire. 
 Rations were ample, and included many sanitary supplies sent 
 from the North. Clothing was issued in abundance, and a 
 few passes were given out daily, so that in time all who cared 
 to do so were permitted to visit the city. 
 
 Gen. Thomas, having assumed the immediate command 
 of the army, Gen. Schofield returned to the Twenty-third 
 Corps. Gen. Stanley relinquished the command of the Fourth 
 Corps, owing to the wound received at Franklin, and was suc- 
 ceeded by Gen. Wood, commander of the Third Division. 
 The 115th Illinois, which had been doing garrison duty at 
 Resaca and points near by, from the time of the battle at that 
 place, rejoined the Brigade. The remaining six companies of 
 the 40th Ohio, having completed their term of enlistment, 
 were mustered out and left for home, their veterans and 
 recruits being assigned to the 51st Ohio. A few other regi- 
 ments whose terms of service had expired were sent north- 
 ward, but there was not a large number of such, and, on the 
 whole, the army at Nashville was very largely reinforced. 
 Simultaneously with the arrival of the Fourth and Twenty- 
 third Corps from the front, Gen. A. J. Smith came by river 
 from the rear with three divisions of the Sixteenth Corps, 
 and other detached troops. A considerable number of cav-
 
 436 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 airy regiments also arrived, not all of them being moimted r 
 however. Men from almost every regiment then with Gen- 
 Sherman were sent from the various camps and hospitals, and 
 with the recruits and detailed men, organized into a "Provis- 
 ional Division," which was placed under command of Gen. 
 J. B. Steedman. Sergeants were given command of the 
 improvised companies, and line officers of the battalions thus 
 formed. Several colored regiments also came up and took 
 their place in the line. By December 10 the army under 
 Gen. Thomas comprised about fifty-five thousand effective 
 men of all arms. 
 
 Eighty-six recruits joined the NINETY-SIXTH on the 10th, 
 most of them coming from Jo Daviess county, and being en- 
 listed for one year. There was great anxiety in Galena and 
 vicinity for a few days, owing to a report that all of these 
 newly enlisted men had been captured between Louisville and 
 Nashville, a report that happily proved untrue. The recruits 
 were an excellent body of men, most of them being young, 
 and all of them taking hold of their army duties with enthu- 
 siasm. Almost one third of them had brothers in the com- 
 mand, and nearly all acquaintances or near friends. A num- 
 ber of men who had been in hospital or on detached service 
 came up, and the Regiment had four hundred men present 
 for duty when the advance from Nashville finally took place,. 
 a larger number than at any time for seven months. 
 Among the recruits were Allen B. Whitney, formerly Cap- 
 tain of Company B ; and Reuben L. Root, formerly Second 
 Lieutenant of Company H ; both of whom were now enlisted 
 as privates. 
 
 A large ."number of recruits for the 45th Illinois came to 
 the camp of the NINETY-SIXTH, their regiment being with 
 Gen. Sherman. Having many acquaintances, they obtained 
 permission to remain with the Regiment for two or three 
 days, but were then attached to Gen. Steedman's command. 
 
 Gen. Hood completed the formation of his lines Decem- 
 ber 3, and made occasional demonstrations on the front, but 
 almost immediately sent a portion of his cavalry with a few 
 regiments of infantry to operate against Murfreesboro and
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 437 
 
 points in that vicinity. These detached Kebel forces met with 
 heavy losses without achieving any marked results. 
 
 Many citizens from Nashville came out to visit the army 
 and look over the lines, but none cared to repeat the visit, as 
 all were put at work in the intrenchments ; the officers argu- 
 ing that of all persons in the world those resident in Nashville 
 were interested in its defense, and ought to be willing to at 
 least use so harmless an implement as a shovel. Some took 
 the order good naturedly, while others complained, but there 
 was no appeal, and all had to work for at least a few hours. 
 
 The weather, which was rainy during the early days of 
 the month, turned extremely cold on the 8th, causing much 
 discomfort. The men were fairly provided for in the way of 
 blankets, and took what comfort they could out of the thought 
 that the Rebels were not as well protected as they. Fuel 
 soon became scarce in the camp, and rigid economy was 
 necessary in its use. On one of the coldest days a loud cheer 
 was heard in the Rebel lines, and the men sprang up in 
 anticipation of an assault. A moment later a dog, with a tin 
 pan attached to his tail, was seen coming with great speed 
 toward the Federal lines, and then the Yankees cheered, 
 while the frightened animal leaped the works and sped on 
 toward Nashville. 
 
 Thursday, December 8, the Regiment was called in line 
 and prepared to move to the front, the enemy having driven 
 in the pickets on the left, but the skirmish pits were speedily 
 retaken without any assistance from this command. Once or 
 twice afterward there were 'alarms, which kept the men in 
 line for a time. Colonel Smith, Captain Hastings, Captain 
 Taylor, and other wounded officers, visited the camp repeat- 
 edly, and were warmly greeted. Captain Burnett was so for- 
 tunate as to secure leave of absence and went home for his 
 first visit. Captain Blowney was taken seriously ill, and 
 went to hospital, where, after a partial recovery, he also 
 obtained a leave of absence. The three left companies, B, 
 <or and K, were commanded by Sergeants Wait, Swanbrough 
 and Luke. 
 
 During the two weeks in which he confronted Nashville,
 
 438 HISTORY OF THE 96TH EEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Gen. Hood was sparing of artillery ammunition. This was r 
 no doubt, partially due to the fact that he had to bring it so- 
 far, and that his transportation was limited, for although he 
 had repaired the railroad from Pulaski to Franklin, he had 
 but two locomotives and a very few cars at his command, 
 most of these having been captured at Spring Hill. 
 
 The country became exceedingly anxious over matters in 
 Tennessee, even before the retreat from Franklin ; and now, 
 although the railroad was kept open from Louisville and boats- 
 were arriving frequently, coming up the Cumberland, the 
 public generally seemed to regard Nashville as in a state of 
 siege, and to anticipate that Gen. Hood would flank the 
 forces out, and compel Gen. Thomas to make a race with him 
 for the Ohio river. Gen. Grant shared in this anxiety, and 
 telegraphed for a forward movement on the sixth ; and as his 
 orders were not obeyed, intimated that he should direct Gen. 
 Schofield to take command. Subsequently he ordered Gen. 
 Logan to proceed to Nashville and take charge of affairs in 
 the Department, and that officer had proceeded as far as 
 Louisville, when word come that an advance had been made. 
 While Gen. Logan was on the road, Gen. Grant even left the 
 Army of the Potomac, then confronting Petersburg, and had 
 reached Washington, with the avowed purpose of going to- 
 Nashville and taking charge in person, when a telegram an- 
 nounced the exceedingly satisfactory result of the first day's 
 battle. 
 
 But Gen. Thomas had been neither idle nor indiiferent, 
 and felt that his knowledge of affairs in the Department jus- 
 tified his delay. Many of the recruits were still unarmed. 
 A large number of horses were arriving daily, and were 
 greatly needed by his cavalry, almost one-half of whom were 
 still dismounted. The newly arrived horses had to be shod, 
 and saddles and bridles had to be taken from the depot to the 
 camps. Preparations were so far completed that an advance 
 was promised on the 9th, but a heavy rain storm, turning into 
 sleet, left the roads and fields so icy that neither men nor 
 horses could keep their feet. The cold continued for several 
 days, but on the 14th, the weather having moderated and the
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 439 
 
 ice disappeared, orders were issued to move the following 
 morning. 
 
 Up to this time Gen. A. J. Smith's command had occu- 
 pied the right of the line, with the Fourth and Twenty-third 
 Corps and Steedman's Division successively on its left, either 
 flank resting on the Cumberland River. The Rebel line was 
 somewhat shorter, but its flanks were guarded by cavalry 
 and heavy earthworks, well supplied with artillery, and com- 
 manded the country to the river. 
 
 Thursday, December 15, reveille sounded at four o'clock, 
 and before daylight the Union forces were moving out upon 
 the right. The plan of the battle was a grand left wheel, 
 the right of the line to be so extended as to overlap the 
 enemy's left, and take it in flank and rear. The Twenty- 
 third Corps early left its place in the line and was moved to 
 the right, detachments from Gen. Steedman's command tak- 
 ing its place. Under cover of a dense fog the cavalry moved 
 out upon the Harding and Hillsboro pikes, and as Gen. 
 Smith advanced, extended the swinging column. The Fourth 
 Corps moved out simultaneously and was soon engaged. The 
 First Division had the centre of the Corps and was in double 
 line, the first deployed and the second in column. It hap- 
 pened that for the day the NINETY-SIXTH had the second line. 
 
 The plan of the battle was admirably carried out. Gen. 
 Steedman made a strong demonstration on the left, deceiving 
 the enemy into the belief that the main attack was to be 
 made at that point, and causing him to weaken his left and 
 centre. The fog served as an admirable shield, and when it 
 began to lift, Gen. Hood was surprised to find great masses 
 of soldiers in blue lapping his left and breaking across his 
 front with rapid musketry and tumultuous shouts. The cav- 
 alry still bore to the right, and soon made way for the 
 Twenty-third Corps. Meanwhile the First Division, marching 
 forward between the Hillsboro and the Granny White pikes, 
 pressed the enemy back to his main line, and shortly after 
 was shouting and charging with the troops on the right. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH followed on, sometimes under heavy fire from 
 both musketry and artillery, but without an opportunity to
 
 440 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 take position in the front line or to return the fire. There were 
 protracted halts, the men hugging the ground to avoid the 
 ever-present danger. Occasionally a fine opportunity was 
 offered for those curiously inclined to watch the maneuvering 
 of the long lines of battle from the elevations gained, the 
 country being comparatively open. 
 
 The fog being dispelled, all could see that the Federals 
 were achieving a grand success, the heavy breastworks, 
 although guarded by formidable abatis, not being proof 
 against the vigorous assaults of the resolute and confident 
 soldiers. In front of the First Division a fortified hill, with 
 artillery, was taken, and a long column of prisoners filed to the 
 rear. The same scene was witnessed at other points, and by 
 night the enemy had been forced to leave its original line and 
 defend a new position, its right upon Overton's Hill, its left 
 extending to some elevations known as the Harpeth Hills, but 
 with heavy skirmish lines still in their front. The Hillsboro 
 and Granny White pikes were both clear, and when night 
 closed upon the scene, and the brilliant successes of the day 
 were telegraphed over the country,* the Federals were 
 noisy and exultant in their extended camps, while the Con- 
 federates, sullen and dispirited, were contracting their lines 
 and building new earthworks. 
 
 All night the pickets could hear the sounds of preparation 
 in their front. The skirmishers were bold, and kept up a vig- 
 orous response whenever they were pressed. Trees were 
 being felled, and the orders shouted to the moving troops, as 
 they massed for their last grand stand, could be plainly heard. 
 While their defeat had been so marked the day before as to 
 make the outcome of a second day's battle almost certain to 
 be a victory for the Union forces, yet Gen. Hood seems to 
 have conceived the idea that upon the shorter and stronger 
 line he had now chosen he could resist all direct assaults, 
 
 * President Lincoln telegraphed Gen. Thomas next morning : "Please accept for 
 yourself, officers and men, the Nation's thanks for your work of yesterday. You made 
 a magnificent beginning. A grand consummation is within your easy reach. Do not let 
 it slip." 
 
 Gen. Grant telegraphed at midnight: "Your dispatch of this evening just 
 received. I congratulate you and the army under your command for to-day's operations, 
 and feel a conviction that to-morrow will add more fruits to your victory."
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 441 
 
 punish the Federals, as his forces had been punished at 
 Franklin, and then, by a night movement to the left, gain 
 the rear of the Union lines, as he had sought to do at Atlanta 
 and Peach Tree Creek. 
 
 The Federals made only meagre preparations for defense, 
 confident that the enemy would not attack. It was a sight to 
 be remembered as the troops lay down to sleep that night, 
 scattered about and covering every level spot. Each kept on 
 his clothing and accoutrements, ready 'at the order to fall in 
 for work of any kind. None doubted that there would be a 
 renewal of the battle on the morrow, or that the Regiment, 
 'having been with the reserves the day before, would lead in 
 the advance next morning ; but none seemed unhappy, or to 
 delay the hour of retiring to indulge in gloomy forebodings. 
 
 Friday, December 16. Long before daylight the troops 
 -were ready for action, and the grand left-wheel of the main 
 army was resumed. The Brigade to which the NINETY-SIXTH 
 was attached, maneuvered for a time, and when an advance 
 was ordered was the left battalion of the Brigade, and in the 
 front line. At its left, separated by a space of several rods, 
 was the Third Brigade, Col. Grose commanding. But little 
 time was lost in preparation, and then the line swept forward, 
 past farm-buildings and through fields and openings, for a mile 
 or more, the Division gradually swinging to the right, until 
 the left of Grose's Brigade rested upon the Franklin pike. 
 The enemy's batteries had begun playing long ere this, and 
 their skirmish fire was growing uncomfortable, when the lines 
 halted near the verge of some timber, and lay down directly 
 in front of a battery, which fired rapidly over them. Across 
 the open field in front could be seen a fringe of willows, 
 marking the course of a creek, along which the Rebel skir- 
 mishers had taken refuge as the Union lines advanced, and 
 beyond it their main works were visible. Soon word came 
 to cross this open field and drive the skirmishers still farther 
 back. Leaving the cover of the timber, the long line of blue 
 pushed steadily but rapidly across a gently sloping ploughed 
 field and meadow, the NINETY-SIXTH having no shelter and 
 no support upon its left. How wickedly the bullets came
 
 442 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 humming across the field ! Occasionally a man raised his ; 
 musket and fired, as a peculiarly tempting offer presented 
 itself, but most of them went forward with their Enfields at a 
 right shoulder shift ; at first silently, and then with a rousing 
 cheer. There was no hesitation anywhere, although the 
 skirmishers on the left were soon firing almost lengthwise of 
 the line and at short range. John Washburn, of Company 
 JB, was shot through the body, being among the first hit, and 
 with a single exclamation staggered forward a few steps and 
 fell dead, before one half the distance across the field had 
 been traversed. Poor fellow ! With a presentiment of what 
 was to come he had handed his watch and pocketbook to 
 Nile Wynkoop, of the same Company, that very morning, 
 and requested him to forward it to his wife when the battle 
 was over. His comrades laughed at his fears, but could not 
 dissuade him from his purpose. Bravely he went forward 
 and met a soldier's death. His brother, Volney Washburn, 
 who had joined the command as a recruit but a few days 
 before, went back with a comrade and bore the body from the 
 field, giving it such burial as he could. 
 
 Sergeant Swanbrough, commanding Company G, turned 
 to give some word of encouragement to his men, when a bul- 
 let disabled his left hand, giving him a wound that proved 
 painful and compelled him to go almost immediately to the 
 rear. Sergeant Miller at once ran bravely to the front and 
 assumed command, the line moving forward without a break. 
 A little further on, Corporal Hamilton, of Company C, who 
 had been terribly wounded through the face at Chickamauga, 
 was struck squarely in the forehead by a bullet, and fell dead 
 without a groan. The bullet passed entirely through his head 
 and entered the shoulder of Sergeant Vandervoort, of Com- 
 pany H, who chanced to be a step in his rear, inflicting a 
 severe wound. Others were also wounded and compelled 
 to go to the rear. As the creek was neared, the opposing 
 line gave way, running back to another depression, and thence 
 to some fences and buildings, where they secreted themselves 
 and kept up a most annoying fire. 
 
 This charge was made about nine o'clock. The men were
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 443 
 
 ordered to halt at the creek, the bank affording some pro- 
 tection, although the position was uncomfortable, owing to 
 the mud and water. A few rods in front of the stream, and 
 on slightly higher ground, was a rail fence, separating the 
 meadow from a cornfield in which the stalks were still stand- 
 ing, and to this fence the line soon made its way and began 
 to fortify. Grose's Brigade moved up and took position, 
 about on a line with the NINETY-SIXTH. Here the troops lay 
 for several hours, a light breastwork being soon constructed. 
 Looking across the cornfield, the Rebel breastworks could be 
 plainly seen, the flags planted upon them being so numerous 
 as to indicate a heavy line. A continuous but not a rapid 
 fire was maintained. Soon there was a wild cheer, and a 
 heavy musketry fire, a little beyond the Franklin pike, oft 
 to the left, where, as it proved, a brigade of colored troops, 
 who had driven the enemy from the Nolensville pike, were 
 assaulting the Rebel intrenchments at Overton's Hill. This 
 assault, which was participated in by the Second Division of 
 the Fourth Corps, failed, but was renewed and repeated sev- 
 eral times, always without success. In these charges, Lieu- 
 tenant Woodruff, formerly First Sergeant of Company I, but 
 who had been commissioned in a colored regiment, bravely 
 met his death, and Captain Collier, formerly First Sergeant 
 of Company D, but who had been commissioned in the same 
 brigade with Woodruff, was wounded. 
 
 Meanwhile the troops on the right had driven the enemy 
 from several strong positions, not only gaining valuable 
 ground, but making numerous captures of prisoners and 
 artillery. 
 
 The position of the NINETY-SIXTH was not only under a 
 severe fire from the front, but became most uncomfortable 
 because of the firing of a battery in its rear, the artillerists 
 cutting almost every fuse so short as to cause the shells to 
 explode long before reaching the Rebel lines. One of these 
 shells exploded near the right of the Regiment and wounded 
 Sergeant Sullivan, of Company F, so severely as to cause his 
 death three weeks later. To add to the discomfort, a cold
 
 444 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 rain set in, making the ground upon which the men were 
 lying extremely muddy. 
 
 The right having driven the enemy back upon his main 
 line, orders were given to press at all points, and command- 
 ing positions in front of each corps, were selected to be 
 assaulted. Major Hicks passed along the line, telling the 
 men that they were expected to break the line in their front 
 should a charge farther to the right, and then about to be 
 made, prove successful. Instantly the men prepared for 
 action. There soon came to their ears the rattle of musketry 
 and all were on their feet. Some of the bolder ones jumped 
 upon the breastworks to watch the result of the charge. An 
 instant later, and without waiting for the order, all jumped 
 the works, and with a loud and continuous cheer, began 
 charging forward. For a hundred rods the route lay through 
 a muddy cornfield ; beyond was a deep creek, a farm house, 
 with its yard and gardens, some outbuildings, a clump of 
 cedars, a high rail fence, partially thrown down at the right, 
 but a formidable obstruction on the left ; then a raise of 
 ground, with a network of abatis ; then a ditch, deep and wide 
 in many places ; then a strong line of works, filled with armed 
 men. Just at the left, upon a commanding eminence, stood a 
 four-gun battery, which had been throwing shot and shell at 
 intervals all day long. 
 
 At a brisk run the line pressed on, entirely outstripping 
 every other regiment in the Brigade. The merciless bullets 
 cut through the cornfield, each one striking many of the 
 stalks, and giving the impression of a hailstorm of lead. 
 Men fell out wounded here and there along the way. At the 
 cedars a tempest of grape swept above them, mowing off the 
 evergreen verdure, and dropping it in showers upon the gal- 
 lant men below. The house and outbuildings were swarming 
 with Rebel skirmishers when the charge began, some of 
 whom kept up a fire as the line advanced, while others ran 
 out and sought to escape to the main line. A few were shot, 
 but a majority surrendered. A squad of the new men, whose 
 softer muscles and heavier knapsacks had prevented them from 
 keeping up with the main line, came upon these prisoners,
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 445 
 
 and when the latter began waving their hats and handker- 
 chiefs, some of these men, not understanding that it was in 
 token of surrender, but supposing that the Rebels were mak- 
 ing fun of them because they were recruits, actually resented 
 the supposed insult by firing upon them, but with such indif- 
 ferent aim that only two or three were hit. At the fence the 
 rails were splintered by the fire from the main line. " Boys, 
 their guns are empty ! " shouted an officer as the volley 
 passed. Everyone seemed to catch the idea suggested, and 
 to resolve to reach the works before they had time to reload. 
 The abatis offered little resistance, and in a moment the fore- 
 most men were upon the works and shouting to the occupants 
 of the long line to surrender. With rare exceptions the 
 enemy threw down their guns and ran to the rear. 
 
 Sergeant John Vincent, of Company A, who, from the 
 time of Color-Sergeant Swanbrough's promotion to First 
 Sergeant, the previous August, had carried the stars and 
 stripes, bravely mounted the works and ran along the parapet, 
 only halting when the battery was reached, and then but for 
 an instant, when he jumped over the heads of the Rebels in 
 the works and joined his comrades, who had crossed the 
 line farther to the right, swinging the flag to indicate to the 
 troops in rear that the Rebel line had been broken. The flag 
 was hit by bullets several times, but the gallant color-bearer 
 escaped. The battery fired when the men were swarming 
 almost up to the guns, and the commander was shot as he 
 turned to strike one of his men because he would not again 
 load his piece. Corporal Henry H. Cutler, of Company C, 
 who was one of the foremost in the charge, after crossing the 
 works, was mortally wounded, dying within a few hours. 
 Corporal John McCusker, of Company B, was badly wounded 
 near the battery and while shouting to his comrades to 
 come on. William Kimball, of Company K, and Francis 
 S. Bailey, of Company F, both recruits, were also mortally 
 wounded. Lieutenant William Dawson, of Company F, who 
 for some breach of discipline had been placed under arrest a 
 few days before, went into action carrying a club. He was 
 one of the most conspicuous for his bravery, and the sword
 
 446 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ,he had so gallantly won was returned to him at the close of 
 the battle. William J. Fuller, of Company B, who had 
 served in a batten- for a time, stopped at the captured guns 
 and called to some of his comrades to assist him in turning 
 them upon the enemy, but most of the men were too eager 
 in the pursuit to halt, and after one or two gun-stocks had been 
 broken in the vain attempt to turn the heavy wheels about in 
 the mud, the effort was abandoned. Most of the artillery 
 horses, which had been standing in a depression at the rear 
 of the battery, were disabled or captured, but a few were 
 .mounted by their postillions and ridden to the rear. It would 
 be impossible to say who was first across the works. A dozen 
 men mounted them almost simultaneously, most of them 
 leaping over the heads of the foe and then rushing directly 
 toward the battery. The guns proved to be four twelve- 
 pound Napoleons, and all were hot and the smoke was still 
 issuing from their muzzles when the men laid their hands 
 .upon them. 
 
 Notwithstanding the great fatigue incident to the long run 
 and the climbing of numerous obstacles, the men all carry- 
 ing their knapsacks and considerable extra ammunition, 
 the Regiment pressed on, capturing scores of the enemy. 
 The Rebels shook their hats and handkerchiefs from behind 
 every log and tree, and were promptly invited to step out and 
 run to the rear. 
 
 The Union battery in the rear seemed not to under- 
 stand that the charge had proved successful, although the flag 
 was displayed where they should have seen it, and continued 
 to play upon the hill, fortunately without injuring any of the 
 Regiment. A few of the NINETY-SIXTH ran toward the 
 Franklin pike, directly in rear of the Rebel works, gathering 
 in many prisoners, among them numerous officers, all of 
 whom were directed to report at the battery. But little for- 
 mality was observed, but a portion of the prisoners were 
 grouped together and sent under guard to the rear. It is 
 probable that the prisoners taken by the NINETY-SIXTH num- 
 bered nearly eight hundred. Lieutenant Pepoon secured a 
 receipt for the captured battery, which he still retains among
 
 1864] NASHVILLE. 447 
 
 his highly prized army relics. Two other batteries were cap- 
 tured by other regiments of the Brigade. 
 
 It happened that the formation of the Rebel works was 
 such as to bring the NINETY- SIXTH nearer than other por- 
 tions of the Brigade, and as they were the first to start in the 
 charge they crossed the breastworks first, secured many more 
 prisoners, and suffered heavier loss than the troops on their 
 right. Col. Grose's Brigade came forward after the line was 
 broken, but not with the impetuosity that had characterized 
 the movements of Gen. Whittaker's command, and lost a 
 grand opportunity to make large captures, for a brigade or 
 more of Rebels were massed close beside the pike, for the 
 purDoae, it was said, of making a counter-charge upon the 
 Union lines. These troops immediately retreated in consid- 
 erable confusion, and had the brigade on the left moved for- 
 ward simultaneously with the NINETY-SIXTH, most of the Con- 
 federates on the Franklin pike would have been captured. As 
 it was, the NINETY-SIXTH spread out along their flanks, annoy- 
 ing them with a constant and telling fire, and dropping 
 many of them as they ran back along the road. The lines 
 opposite Overton's Hill, soon charged forward, capturing some 
 artillery and prisoners. 
 
 Captain Rowan and Adjutant Blodgett pushed on to the 
 right with a few men, pursuing a brigade and a battery nearly 
 two miles, and when near the Brentwood hills captured a 
 number of prisoners. Discovering a drove of beef cattle that 
 the Rebels were attempting to drive off they succeeded in 
 stampeding them toward the Union lines. Farther to the 
 right the enemy was completely routed, and an attempt was 
 made to push the Union cavalry forward to the pike near 
 Brentwood so as to completely cut off' their retreat. In this 
 movement many guns, prisoners and colors were taken, num- 
 erous wagons and teams were captured, and the enemy was 
 sent fleeing through the woods, toward Franklin, in wild 
 dismay. 
 
 But the short December day was drawing to a close, and 
 darkness came too soon to complete the flanking movement. 
 When there could be no farther advance in safety the exult-
 
 44:8 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ant Federal army halted for the night, the NINETY-SIXTH 
 being about one mile from Brentwood. It was a chilly, rainy, 
 winter evening, and there were many vacant places in the 
 ranks, but so complete had been the victory to the Union 
 arms and so thorough the overthrow of the vast host that had 
 exultantly pressed them back from the Tennessee river so 
 short a time previously that the camps rang with shout and 
 song, all rejoicing most heartily, and none more heartily than 
 the recruits, who had all day vied with the old veterans in 
 valor and zeal, and moved gallantly in the final charge. 
 
 At no other time did it happen in the four years of war 
 that an army was so completely routed as at the battle of 
 Nashville. Their line of retreat was lined with everything 
 that could be thrown away, indicating precipitate haste and 
 utter discouragement. One major-general, three brigadiers, 
 two hundred and eighty officers of lower rank, more than four 
 thousand enlisted men, fifty-three pieces of artillery, and 
 twenty-five battle flags were captured during the two days. 
 The Federal losses were stated at about three thousand. 
 Few battles of the war were fought upon such open ground, 
 or where the maneuvering of either army was so open to the. 
 observation of the other. , 
 
 The losses in the NINETY-SIXTH were much less in number 
 than might be supposed from the work accomplished, but 
 were more than were sustained by a majority of the regiments 
 engaged. The swiftness of the final charge, the fact that the 
 last volley of the enemy in the breastworks was from higher 
 ground than that on which the advancing line was moving, 
 and consequently passed mainly over their heads, and the rush 
 that followed so quickly that the line was upon them before 
 they could reload, were the factors that conspired to make the 
 aggregate loss so light. The following were 
 
 THE CASUALTIES. 
 
 Company A. 
 WOUNDED. Eugene Langdon, thigh. 
 
 Company B. 
 KILLED. John Washburn.
 
 MAP OF. THE 
 
 Battlefield of 
 Nashville. 
 
 '\ T)ec. 15 -Kith. 1864.
 
 1864] NASHVILLE.' 449 
 
 WOUNDED. Corporal John McCusker, left ankle ; Orskine Ferrand, 
 hand ; Joel Grove, left hand. 
 
 Company C. 
 
 KILLED OR MORTALLY WOUNDED. Corporal Henry H. Cutler ; Cor- 
 poral Norris Hamilton. 
 
 Company F. 
 MORTALLY WOUNDED. Sergeant Michael Sullivan, Francis S. Bailey. 
 
 Company G. 
 WOUNDED. First Sergeant John W. Swanbrough, left hand. 
 
 Company H. 
 WOUNDED. Sergeant H. S. Vandervoort, shoulder ; R. L. Root, neck. 
 
 Company K. 
 MORTALLY WOUNDED. William Kimball. 
 
 rfi&fi 
 
 29
 
 450 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 The Pursuit of Hood The Pontoon Train Missent A Halt at Frank 
 lin Condition of Affairs in the Village A Stern Chase Delays 
 at Rutherford's Creek and Duck River Last Volley at the Enemy 
 Floundering in the Mud How Christmas passed Waiting for 
 Rations Forward Again The Enemy Escapes Across the Tennes- 
 see Results Achieved in the Campaign General Thomas' Con- 
 gratulatory Order. 
 
 SATURDAY, December 17, the troops were early on the road 
 and pursuing the flying enemy. All were in the best of 
 spirits, notwithstanding that the rain continued. Wounded 
 men were found in several houses about Brentwood, and num- 
 erous stragglers were picked up, most of them in a pitiable 
 condition for want of shoes and clothing, and all professing 
 to believe .their cause now hopeless. Doubtless their punish- 
 ment at Franklin, and their utter defeat at Nashville, made 
 the outlook gloomy, and dreading the long march back to 
 the Tennessee River and the possibility of other battles, these 
 stragglers concluded to leave the service. The road was 
 strewn with camp equipage for many miles. The cavalry in 
 advance soon overtook the enemy's rear guard, and had a 
 lively fight, capturing about four hundred prisoners and three 
 stands of colors at Hollow Tree Gap. At Franklin there was 
 another skirmish, but the enemy was soon in retreat. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH reached the north bank of the Harpeth River 
 shortly after noon. The cavalry was able to ford the stream 
 and press on toward Spring Hill, but the water was too deep 
 and cold for the infantry, and they were ordered to bivouac. 
 By a mistaken order the pontoon train took the Murfreesboro 
 pike, and had to be recalled, so that nearly a day was lost in 
 the pursuit. The troops that crossed the river found a terri- 
 ble condition of things in Franklin. All of the public build- 
 ings and many private residences had been turned into hos- 
 pitals, and two or three thousand wounded were to be cared
 
 1864] CHASING HOOD SOUTHWARD. 451 
 
 for, although the resources at command were of the most lim- 
 ited character. The Federal wounded from the Franklin 
 tight were quite numerous, but all were given such attention 
 as was possible, regardless of the color of their uniforms, and 
 many were removed to Nashville within a few days. 
 
 Sunday, December 18, a bridge having been laid during 
 the night, the infantry again set out for the front. The 
 approaches to the bridge were terribly muddy, and as a con- 
 sequence the column was badly strung out. The NINETY- 
 SIXTH was near the rear of the Division, and as soon as the 
 bridge was crossed was obliged to make an exceedingly rapid 
 march. The roads were soaked with rain, and the pike, cut 
 through by the trains and troops that had passed over it, was 
 in a terrible condition. Through the town, although march- 
 ing almost at a double quick, the soldiers noted many marks 
 of the recent battle. On the plain just outside the village the 
 graves covered several acres, and the unburied carcasses of 
 the horses killed in the engagement were very numerous, 
 many of them lying close to the breastworks. 
 
 With occasional brief halts for rest, the column made its 
 way southward over the familiar ground, many giving out 
 because of the bad roads and the rapidity of the march. The 
 recruits suffered most, but all were greatly fatigued, when a 
 halt was made for the night in a muddy cornfield, about three 
 miles south of Spring Hill. The Sixteenth and Twenty-third 
 Corps followed, but were kept a day's march or more in the 
 rear. During the night the camp was fairly inundated by the 
 terrible storm. 
 
 Monday, December 19, the troops again moved out in the 
 rain and mud, but only made about two miles, halting near 
 Rutherford's Creek, where that day and a part of T.uesday 
 were occupied in constructing a bridge ; the troops succeeding 
 in crossing Tuesday afternoon, marching to Duck River and 
 camping behind their old works. The rains, which had been 
 almost incessant, now gave way to a snow storm, followed by 
 extreme cold weather. Much delay was experienced in 
 bridging Duck River, and it was not until late in the evening 
 of Thursday, December 22, that the Regiment reached the
 
 452 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 south bank of the stream, and, after a march of two miles r 
 went into camp a short distance south of Columbia. 
 
 Friday, December 23, Gen. Whittaker took leave of the 
 Brigade and started northward on a leave of absence, Col. 
 Moore, of the 115th Illinois, succeeding to the command. 
 During the stay at Nashville, a fund was raised among the 
 officers and men of the Regiment, amounting to one hundred 
 and ten dollars, and an elegant gold-headed cane was pur- 
 chased for presentation to Gen. Whittaker. There was a 
 delay in having the proper inscription made, and the formal 
 presentation did not occur until Christmas Day, when Colo- 
 nel Smith met the General in a hotel at Nashville, and after 
 a brief address handed him the testimonial, as complete a 
 surprise, perhaps, as the General ever experienced. 
 
 From Duck River south the chase was as vigorously 
 pushed as the weather and roads would permit. The cav- 
 alry were compelled to take the pike, so deep was the 
 mud upon the dirt road and in the fields. They pressed 
 forward as rapidly as possible, but Gen. Hood had organized 
 a strong rear guard of his best forces, and could readily delay 
 the advance, for any movement in the fields was exceedingly 
 difficult. The infantry did not break camp until noon, and 
 within a few miles came in range of the enemy's artillery. 
 The Rebels had halted, and were stubbornly resisting the 
 advance, when the NINETY-SIXTH and the 115th Illinois were 
 deployed, and pushed gallantly forward in line-of-battle. 
 The enemy stood their ground for a time, and the firing 
 became spirited on either side. The men of the Regiment 
 never faltered for an instant, but swept across the open field 
 and up the ridge, killing a Rebel captain and capturing five 
 prisoners, when the opposing line gave way and fled precipi- 
 tately through the woods in their rear. ,Here were fired the 
 last shots at the enemy by the Regiment as an organization. 
 The pursuit was continued until dark, the Regiment being 
 kept in line until a guard detail could be organized, when it 
 was relieved and went into bivouac for the night. Next day 
 the march was resumed at noon, and was without incident.
 
 1864] CHRISTMAS ON THE MARCH. 453 
 
 Lynnville was passed and a halt made two or three miles south 
 of the diminutive village, after dark. 
 
 Sunday, December 25, the Regiment left camp at eight 
 o'clock. The enemy was pressed back rapidly through 
 Fulaski. Here the Corps left the pike and marched south- 
 westerly over terrible roads. By a quick movement on the 
 part of the advance, the bridge over Richland Creek was 
 secured and the troops thus saved from a long delay. The 
 cavalry made a vigorous fight, and were once driven back 
 with the loss of one piece of artillery, but quickly rallied and 
 succeeded in capturing a few wagons and a considerable num- 
 ber of prisoners. The afternoon was rainy, and the roads 
 were bottomless. Five or six miles southwest of Pulaski a 
 halt was made, about nine o'clock at night, the Regiment 
 .going into camp on a hill-side, where the ground was 
 so sloping and the stones so numerous that it was almost 
 impossible to sleep. The Christmas had been strangely 
 passed. Instead of the holiday feast there had been a posi- 
 tive shortage of food. The rations issued three days before 
 were meagre at best, and active campaigning, then, as always, 
 made the men extremely hungry. A few had absolutely 
 nothing left, and were dependent upon the generosity of their 
 comrades, who had been so prudent as to save a hard tack or 
 two. The country had been stripped of every article of food 
 for miles on either side of the road, and it being impossible 
 for the army to proceed, the pursuit was practically aban- 
 doned at this point, although the cavalry followed the enemy 
 to the Tennessee River. 
 
 Monday, December 26, the infantry lay idly in camp, 
 awaiting the arrival of the supply train. A cornfield, which 
 had been carefully harvested, was visited by hundreds of sol- 
 diers, and every nubbin secured. An ear of respectable size 
 was regarded as a valuable prize, even though it might have 
 been trodden in the ground, or besmeared with mud, for it 
 could be washed and made "clean enough for a soldier." 
 This corn was parched in the universal frying-pan or skillet, 
 .and served to partially appease the hunger which had taken 
 possession of every man. The wagons did not arrive until
 
 454 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 after dark, and the early hours of the night were occupied inr 
 issuing, dividing and consuming rations. The recruits had 
 looked pretty doleful during the day, but cheered up as the 
 coffee-pots began to boil and the pork to sputter over the 
 ruddy camp fires, their happiness being increased by the 
 arrival of a large mail. 
 
 Tuesday, December 27, the march was resumed at day- 
 light, over the terrible roads, and in a pitiless rainstorm. 
 The country was broken and timbered. At three o'clock 
 p. M. the columns halted and went into camp, a mile south 
 of Sugar Creek. 
 
 Wednesday, December 28, the command left camp at ten 
 o'clock and halted at five, in the neighborhood of Lexington, 
 where it was ascertained that the Hebels had succeeded in 
 crossing the river. The Corps remained at Lexington until 
 Saturday, December 3 1, when it marched nearly to Elk river, 
 a distance of fourteen miles. This long delay from Wed- 
 nesday until Saturday was necessary in order that rations 
 might be brought up. the deeper streams made passable by 
 the construction of bridges, and plans for the future partially 
 perfected. The country was scoured for forage and consider- 
 able amounts secured. 
 
 The twenty-seventh saw the last organized force of the 
 army under Gen. Hood cross the Tennessee river in discom- 
 fiture. With pleasant weather and better roads it is probable 
 that the Federal Army would have captured or dispersed the 
 greater part of them, but considering the conditions the pur- 
 suit had been as vigorous and as fruitful in results as could 
 have been reasonably expected.* Exclusive of stragglers who 
 voluntarily left the command, Gen. Hood's Army had lost, in. 
 their final invasion of Tennessee, more than thirteen thousand 
 men by capture alone, including seven general officers, sixteen 
 
 * Major Sanders, of the Confederate Arrnj', writing of this campaign in the Southern 
 Bivouac, of September, 1885, said: " General Wood, commanding the Fourth Corps, pur- 
 sued the rear-guard with idomitable resolution and untiring energy. He was incited to 
 make his wonderful infantry march to Pulaski by the indications of demoralization, 
 distress, and the hopeless condition of the retreating army that abounded all along the 
 line of Hood's retreat. * * * * His troops responded to the demands made on their 
 endurance, and achieved for themselves a reputation that will live forever in the mili- 
 tary annals of their country."
 
 1864] CONGRATULATORY ORDER. 455 
 
 colonels and nearly one thousand officers of lower grade. 
 Seventy stands of colors, seventy-two pieces of artillery and 
 many wagons and other valuable material had been captured. 
 There were also many deserters, and it is safe to conclude that 
 fully one-half of the entire force that marched so hopefully 
 northward in November were never again in line after their 
 rear guard crossed the Tennessee at Bainbridge. The Union 
 losses during the same period numbered about ten thousand, 
 very many of whom were slightly wounded and soon returned 
 to their commands. 
 
 Gen. Thomas announced, in General Orders, the termina- 
 tion and results of the campaign, as follows : 
 
 PULASKI, December 29, 1864. 
 
 SOLDIERS : The major-general commanding announces to you that the rear-guard 
 of the flying and dispirited enemy was driven across the Tennessee river, on the night of 
 the 27th instant. The impassable state of the roads, and consequent impossibility to 
 supply the army, compels a closing of the campaign for the present. 
 
 Although short, it has been brilliant in its achievements, and unsurpassed in its 
 results by any other of this war, and is one of which all who participated therein may 
 be justly proud. That veteran army which, though driven from position to position, 
 opposed a stubborn resistance to much superior numbers during the whole of the At- 
 lanta campaign, taking advantage of the absence of the largest portion of the army which 
 had been opposed to it in Georgia, invaded Tennessee, buoyant with hope, expecting 
 Nashville, Mnrfreesboro, and the whole of Tennessee and Kentucky to fall into its 
 power, an easy prey, and scarcely fixing a limit to its conquests. After having received, 
 at Franklin, the most terrible check that army has received during this war, and later, at 
 Murfreesboro, in its attempt to capture that place, it was finally attacked at Nashville, 
 and, although your forces were inferior to it in numbers, was hurled back from the cov- 
 eted prize, on which it had been permitted to look from a distance, and finally sent flying, 
 dismayed and disordered, whence it came, impelled by the instinct of self-preservation, 
 and thinking only of how it could relieve itself for short intervals from your persistent 
 and harrassing pursuit, by burning the bridges over the swollen streams, as it passed 
 them, until, finally, it had placed the broad waters of the Tennessee river between you 
 and its shattered, diminished and discomfited columns, leaving its artillery and battle 
 flags in your victorious hands lasting trophies of your noble daring, and lasting monu- 
 ments of the enemy's disgrace and defeat. 
 
 You have diminished the forces of the Rebel army since it crossed the Tennessee 
 river to invade the State, at the least estimate, fifteen thousand men, among whom were 
 killed, wounded, and captured eighteen general officers. 
 
 Your captures from the enemy, as far as reported,* amount to sixty-eight pieces 
 of artillery, ten thousand prisoners, as many stand of small arms several thousand of 
 which have been gathered in and the remainder strew the route of the enemy's retreat 
 and between thirty and forty flags, besides compelling him to destroy much ammunition 
 and abandon many wagons ; and, unless he is mad, he must forever abandon all hope of 
 bringing Tennessee again within the lines of the accursed rebellion. 
 
 A short time will now be given you to prepare to continue the work so nobly begun. 
 
 By Command of Major-General Thomas. 
 
 W. D. WHIFFLE, Assistant Adjutant General. 
 
 * Subsequent reports materially increased the number of prisoners, cannons and flags.
 
 456 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Subsequently the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of 
 America passed the following : 
 
 Resolved, That the thanks of Congress are due and are hereby tendered to Major- 
 Qeneral George H. Thomas, and the officers and soldiers under his command, for their 
 skill and dauntless courage, by which the Rebel army under General Hood was signally 
 defeated and driven from the State of Tennessee. 
 
 Similar resolutions were adopted by Congress on but two or three occasions during 
 the war.
 
 THE MARCH TO HUNTSVILLE. 457 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 New Year's Day Celebrated The March to Huntsville Going into 
 Winter Quarters The Army Dispersed Incidents of the Stay at 
 Huntsville How Brick and Lumber were Obtained Drill and 
 Dress Parades Resumed Changes and Promotions Bollenbach's 
 Capture and Escape Music in Camp A Sermon that was not En- 
 joyed Winter Amusements The Division Reviewed Rumors of 
 a Movement. 
 
 NEW YEAR'S Day, 1865, found the army jubilant over the 
 announcement of the result of the campaign, as detailed in 
 the preceding chapter, and at daylight the men of the Iron Bri- 
 gade began tiring off their guns by way of introduction to the 
 welcome anniversary, increasing the noise by cheering and 
 shouting. The officers, apparently, did not approve of these 
 demonstrations, and ordered them discontinued, but with only 
 partial success, until the long column filed out upon the road. 
 Once out of camp, the men were required to halt and "lay 
 around " until afternoon, when they crossed the fields for a 
 couple of miles, and halted for the night, remaining in camp 
 during Monday, in order that a bridge might be constructed 
 across Elk River. 
 
 Tuesday, January 3, the troops began crossing the river 
 at eleven o'clock, and marched until four, halting at Athens. 
 Next day the column started at daylight, and marched seven- 
 teen miles, camping seven miles from Huntsville. 
 
 Thursday, January 5, the march was resumed at daylight, 
 and at nine o'clock the troops passed through the pretty vil- 
 lage of Huntsville. Their camp was located about a mile 
 from town, and the Regiment was not obliged to change its 
 quarters until March 13, being much the longest continuous 
 stay in any one camp during its term of service. 
 
 When the Fourth Corps started in pursuit of Gen. Hood, 
 on the morning following the close of the battle of Nashville, 
 Gen. Steedman marched a portion of his command to Mur- 
 freesboro, going thence to Stevenson by rail ; gathering up
 
 458 HISTORY OF THE 96in REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 such forces as he could at the latter place and marching to 
 Decatur, hoping to intercept the enemy at the Tennessee 
 River. In this he was disappointed, but pushing forward 
 with his mounted forces, he captured many prisoners, des- 
 troyed a large number of wagons, and returned safely with 
 his command. 
 
 The Twenty-third Corps, which had followed the Fourth 
 Corps as far as Pulaski, directed its course to Clifton, Ten- 
 nessee, where it embarked on transports, and was conveyed 
 to the army then operating with Gen. Sherman, going by way 
 of Washington, and thence to North Carolina. Portions of 
 the " Provisional Division " were also sent to Gen. Sherman, 
 and Gen. A. J. Smith's command was sent to Eastport, Mis- 
 sissippi, and thence to the gulf. The cavalry was dispersed to 
 various points, the greater portion being again gathered in a. 
 few weeks for extended raids through Mississippi and Ala- 
 bama, including in their work the capture of Jeff Davis.. 
 The Fourth Corps was, therefore, alone in that region, but 
 the enemy had been so thoroughly whipped that the com- 
 mand was not seriously molested at any time. Portions of 
 the Corps were camped at Athens, Decatur, and other points 
 near by. 
 
 Upon the arrival of the First Division in Huntsville, a 
 requisition was made for clothing and other necessary articles. 
 The long march had worn out the shoes of the men, and one 
 hundred and fifty pairs were required to meet the immediate 
 needs of the Regiment. Four hundred pairs of socks, and 
 other articles in proportion, were also needed. Provisions 
 were scarce for some time, and for a week or more only half 
 rations were issued, but in time the railroad bridges were 
 rebuilt and the trains soon began to run ; thereafter supplies 
 were abundant. The first work was to lay out a camp and 
 construct cabins for winter quarters. Abandoned houses and 
 barns were torn down, the lumber being conveyed to camp 
 on the shoulders of the men or by wagons. Usually four 
 soldiers would unite and put up a "shebang" about eight by 
 ten feet in size. The walls would be three or four feet in 
 height, with boards for such part of the roof as was not cov-
 
 1865] IN WINTER QUARTERS AT HUNTSVILLE. 459 
 
 ered by the shelter tents. The weather being cold, fire-places 
 were a necessity, but material for their construction was at 
 first by no means abundant. A large unfinished brick build- 
 ing, intended for a college, stood in sight, a half mile or so 
 from the camp. This was eyed by the men for a day or two ; 
 then some one devised a battering ram, and knocked out a 
 few bricks from one corner. Instantly the building was 
 doomed, for the entire Division flocked to the scene and 
 began to knock ont brick. An officer finally took charge of 
 this work, to prevent accidents, and soon the walls toppled 
 over with a great crash. Everyone was after the brick, car- 
 rying them in blankets or on boards, and in a day or two 
 hardly a piece the size of a biscuit remained. Mortar was 
 made by wetting up the native soil, and in a short time excel- 
 lent fire-places were constructed, those who were short of 
 brick extending the tops of their chimneys with barrels or 
 boxes procured from the Quarter-Master. Doors were impro- 
 vised, bunks built and seats and tables made. The little 
 houses were warm and comfortable, and presented a home- 
 like appearance. The grounds were nicely cleaned, ditches 
 dug, and an air of comfort prevailed in a very few days. 
 
 Water had to be carried quite a distance, and wood soon 
 became so scarce that details of men with teams had to be 
 sent out daily to supply the needs of the camp. After a time 
 dress parade was resumed, and later the men were required to 
 drill once or twice daily. Major Hicks having been detailed as 
 Judge Advocate General on general court martial, the com- 
 mand of the Regiment devolved upon Captain Rowan for a 
 time, Captain Pollock being absent, sick, at Pulaski, for a few 
 weeks. Subsequently Captain Pollock came up and took com- 
 mand. A number of men were permitted to visit home dur- 
 ing the winter. 
 
 Saturday, February 4, a man of the 51st Ohio had his 
 head shaved and was drummed about camp with a placard on 
 his back bearing the word "skulker.'' Washington's birth- 
 day was observed by an artillery salute. A review of the 
 Division was ordered for the afternoon, and the troops were
 
 4:60 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 forming when a rain storm sent them back to camp at a double 
 quick. 
 
 The Huntsvitte Union was issued at the village, under 
 charge of the military, Sergeant Berg and John Connor, of 
 Company A, working a week or more at their old trade as 
 compositors. A few recruits joined the Regiment, bringing 
 two Companies up to the minimum number and permitting of 
 some promotions. First Sergeant Franklin W. Pierce, of 
 Company F, and First Sergeant John Long, of Company I, 
 were commissioned and mustered as Second Lieutenants. 
 
 Occasionally foraging and scouting expeditions were sent 
 into the country, and not unfrequently Rebels were seen. 
 February 1, a small mounted party went out several miles, 
 when some Rebels gave chase and captured Gustavus Bollen- 
 bach, of Company B, whose mule gave out, or refused to run 
 with sufficient speed to carry its rider into camp. "Gus" 
 was taken into the mountains, where were a squad of strag- 
 glers from Hood's army, but was able to make his escape in 
 the night, after about a fortnight of alternate starving and 
 freezing. His return to camp was heartily cheered, for he 
 was always a favorite, and few believed that he had escaped 
 the hanging promised by the Rebels to men who should 
 indulge in foraging. Charles Sammons, of Company C, who 
 had fallen out on the march southward from Nashville, and 
 concluded to rest for a few days at a private house, was also 
 captured by some strolling cavalry and threatened with hang- 
 ing. His extreme youth probably saved him, for after a pro- 
 longed discussion of his case the Rebels permitted him to sign 
 a lead-pencil parole and then turned him loose. He soon 
 made his way to camp and was afterward cautious about leav- 
 ing the command. 
 
 A glee club was organized, and many were the rehearsals, 
 most of the songs being of a patriotic nature or relating to 
 home. Religious services were held in town, and every Sab- 
 bath morning and evening a long procession filed out of camp 
 and visited the various churches. On one occasion they re- 
 turned greatly incensed, a local pastor having preached a ser- 
 mon entirely too pro-slavery to receive the endorsement of
 
 1865] LAST DAYS AT HUNTSVILLE. 461 
 
 Union soldiers. They refrained from any disturbance of the 
 service, but did not again honor the preacher with their pres- 
 ence. 
 
 Horse racing was one of the amusements indulged in, 
 almost every pleasant day seeing a running race. Adjutant 
 Blodgett's saddle horse was one of the favorites. Dr. Evans 
 lost his favorite saddle mare from sickness, an animal that he 
 had ridden for two years or more. Dinner parties were fre- 
 quently given by the officers, and the men imitated their 
 example to such extent as their limited quarters would permit. 
 
 The old members of the Regiment enjoyed excellent health. 
 as a rule, but there was considerable sickness among the 
 recruits. However, the deaths that winter were mainly among 
 the veterans. Nelson Huson, of Company B, a member of 
 the band, was left at Columbia, on the march southward, and 
 died in hospital at that place January 4. . James Telford, of 
 Company F, died at Washington, D. C. Samuel Wilcox, of 
 Company H, died at Huntsville, Jan. 28. William N. Bates, 
 a recruit of Company K, died at Huntsville, February 16. 
 William Saulsbury, of Company A, died at Chicago, Jan. 9. 
 
 March 5, there was an imposing review of the Division, 
 and immediately following it came rumors of a movement. 
 
 The news from the East was of the most encouraging char- 
 acter during the last days of the long stay at Huntsville, and 
 the troops were in the highest spirits. All were in doubt as 
 to where they were to be sent, but knew that the long period 
 of idleness must soon come to an end, and the Fourth Corps 
 bear its part in bringing the Rebellion to a close.
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 .Leaving Winter Quarters By Rail to East Tennessee A Glimpse of 
 Parson Brownlow Arrival at Strawberry Plains Russelville 
 Visiting School Dancing Parties Scouting Experiences Cap- 
 tain Sizemore and his Methods Glad News from the East Rich- 
 mond is Taken Lee and his Army Surrender How the News was 
 Received The Celebration at Shields' Mills A Hush on the Camp 
 The Appalling News of Lincoln's Assassination Its Effect on 
 the Soldiers. 
 
 EARLY in March it was determined to move the Fourth 
 Corps into East Tennessee, and place it in position where it 
 could readily march forward toward Richmond, the Rebel 
 capital, from the West. In pursuance of this plan, the 
 NINETY-SIXTH abandoned its winter quarters at Huntsville, on 
 Monday, March 13, marched to the village, and at dark 
 boarded the freight cars. From forty to tifty men were 
 placed in each car. Captain Pollock continued to command 
 the Regiment, Major Hicks being detained a few days, in 
 order that he might complete his duties with the court-mar- 
 tial. Col. Moore commanded the Brigade. Whitesides was 
 passed at daylight next morning, and Chattanooga reached at 
 seven o'clock. After a delay of an hour or two at the latter 
 place, the train moved forward, passing Cleveland and Lou- 
 don. The men were crowded, and many rode on top of the 
 cars until driven inside by a cold rainstorm. At Concord the 
 train came to a halt, which lasted almost twenty-four hours. 
 The road was in a wretched condition, and several accidents 
 occurred ; fortunately none to the train bearing the NINETY- 
 SIXTH. 
 
 Knoxville was reached Wednesday evening, March J5. 
 After a two hours' delay at the depot, during which the men 
 had a glimpse of that sturdy old Unionist, Parson Brownlow, 
 and other notables, who called upon Gen. Thomas, the latter 
 having come by a special train, the command was ordered 
 forward. At eight o'clock that evening the train made a final
 
 1865] EAST TENNESSEE. 463 
 
 halt at Strawberry Plains, twenty miles east of Knoxville, 
 the men clambering from the cars and making themselves as 
 comfortable as possible on the bleak, wind-swept field, where 
 was their temporary camp. 
 
 All along the route through East Tennessee the loyalty of 
 the people was manifest by the waving of hats and handker- 
 chiefs at every village and hamlet, the people of every age 
 and color, and of either sex, manifesting a pleasure not often 
 shown at the presence of Union soldiers in other portions of 
 the South. 
 
 That first night in camp at Strawberry Plains was a most 
 cheerless one. There was little or no fuel at hand, and when, 
 after a long search for poles, the tents were put up, the wind 
 blew them down again, so that by daylight all were thor- 
 oughly soaked by the cold rainstorm that prevailed for more 
 than thirty hours. The command remained at Strawberry 
 Plains until Saturday, March 25, changing its camp-ground 
 on the 17th to a former battlefield. On the 25th it marched 
 thirteen miles along the railroad, passing New Market, 
 whither the Third Division had preceded it, and camping at 
 Mossy Creek. 
 
 Sunday, March 26, the command marched twenty miles 
 to Russelville. Next morning the other regiments of the 
 Brigade went forward to Bull's Gap, the NINETY-SIXTH 
 remaining to guard a railroad bridge. The camp was on a 
 beautiful slope, just at the outskirts of the village, and the 
 fortnight's halt in that pretty and loyal town a pleasant epi- 
 sode in the Regiment's history. The farmers brought many 
 articles of produce to the camp, selling them at prices 
 regarded as low at that time, although butter was fifty cents 
 a pound, eggs twenty-five cents a dozen, chickens a half dol- 
 lar each, and other articles in proportion. Many arranged 
 with families to cook for them, and enjoyed the luxury of 
 sitting in boughten chairs, at tables spread with linen, and 
 eating their meals from earthen plates. The citizens were 
 glad of the opportunity to take boarders, especially as the 
 boarders furnished the provisions and paid good prices for 
 the work.
 
 464 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 A good school was in progress, and the lady principal had' 
 many visits from the numerous ante helium teachers in the 
 ranks. At the first visit she seemed startled, and hardly able 
 to believe that the soldiers could be what they claimed to be, 
 experienced teachers, but she was readily convinced of 
 the genuineness of their claim, although never overcoming her 
 native timidity. A school in progress was something not 
 elsewhere encountered south of Kentucky, except in the larger 
 cities, and the novelty was such that many members visited it. 
 
 The officers of the Regiment gave two balls at Russel- 
 ville, the citizens quite generally attending. The soldiers 
 also gave parties, and greatly enjoyed the opportunity of 
 u tripping the light fantastic toe," many of them for the first 
 time since leaving Illinois. Much ingenuity was displayed 
 in preparing such suppers as were deemed fit accompani- 
 ments for these festive occasions ; but the experienced army 
 cooks, with the assistance of the ladies, arranged very respect- 
 able banquets. 
 
 Captain Sizemore, a noted Union cavalryman and scout, 
 had headquarters in the village at this time, and with six or 
 eight associates, was endeavoring to rid the region of a gang 
 of Rebel bushwhackers and guerrillas, who were annoying 
 the loyal citizens, and conscripting men of all ages for service 
 in the Rebel Army. He was familiar with every road and 
 by-path, and had a reputation for daring unexcelled in that 
 region, where few escaped thrilling adventures. Recently 
 an own brother, a mere lad, had been taken from his 
 home and shot by these bushwhackers, and the Captain 
 vowed revenge. Saturday, April 1, a volunteer party of 
 fifty men, under Captains Rowan and Burnett, accompanied 
 Sizemore and his men on an extended trip in search of the 
 party, but returned without finding them, although capturing 
 their horses and tearing down some of their houses. Some 
 of the members of the Regiment, learning where a large 
 amount of tobacco belonging to a leading citizen of secession 
 proclivities was stored, organized a second expedition, and 
 brought a wagon load of it to camp, supplying those who- 
 used the weed with all they wished to carry.
 
 I 
 
 c > 
 
 s >
 
 1865] A SCOUTING EXPEDITION. 465 
 
 Tuesday, April 4, Captain Sizemore again asked for a 
 scouting party, and ninety men, under command of Captain 
 Townsend, of Company K, volunteered for the duty. At nine 
 o'clock A. M. they set out, Sizemore with eight mounted men 
 leading the way. The Holston river was crossed in dug-outs, 
 and the first halt made about two o'clock at some farm houses, 
 the large party being assigned, a few in a place ; the people 
 being ordered to prepare a good dinner for all without delay. 
 The citizens all knew and feared the leader, and implicitly 
 obeyed him. At one house he took a little boy as a hostage, 
 telling the family that the lad should be returned next day if 
 the father did not leave the house, adding, significantly : "I 
 shall know it if you do leave ! " Dinner over, the men again 
 assembled and marched, by obscure roads, eight or nine miles 
 farther, when they were again quartered upon the farmers and 
 secured good suppers. At midnight the march was resumed, 
 the party going three miles beyond Rodgersville, the county 
 seat, and resting until the approach of daylight, when they 
 surrounded four houses where 'Borne, .df the bushwhackers 
 lived. But their game had .flown^-tlttfe Jiebelsuevidently hav- 
 ing been warned just before, as 'breakfast was found partially 
 prepared at some of the houses. 
 
 After a hasty lunch the party returned to Rodgersville, a 
 pretty village that had escaped the ravages of war. There the 
 citizens prepared breakfast for all. The meal being over the 
 soldiers marched out of the village at ten o'clock, giving the 
 people to understand that they should at once return to Rus- 
 selville. 
 
 This was not their purpose, however, for when a few 
 miles out they left the main road and secreted themselves in 
 some cedars upon a high hill, near the river, intending to rest 
 until night-fall and again raid the houses of the bushwhackers. 
 They had been in their hiding place but a short time when 
 one of the party discovered some men in the distance. Calling 
 their leader's attention to them he soon announced that they 
 were a portion of the band for whom they had been searching. 
 Calling upon the infantry to deploy, the mounted scouts rode 
 rapidly away, to cut oft the retreat of the enemy and drive 
 30
 
 466 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 them into a large bend of the river, opposite the temporary 
 bivouac. The line deployed and moved rapidly forward, 
 advancing so far before being discovered that the enemy could 
 not retreat. A running tight ensued in which two of the 
 bushwhackers were killed, two captured ; and their leader, who 
 swam the river, mortally wounded, dying next day, as was 
 afterward learned. 
 
 The men captured were a part of what was called the 
 Hodgkins gang, and well known to Captain Sizemore, being 
 of the party who shot his brother. The Captain had an angry 
 conversation with one, ending by shooting him. One of his 
 scouls, a mere boy of sixteen, rode forward and shot the 
 other, giving as a reason that the man had driven him away 
 from home and killed some of his near friends. 
 
 The soldiers were inured to all the horrors of war, but the 
 shooting of these two men, after they had surrendered, 
 was regarded as a stretch of military law not fully justified by 
 the surroundings, and there was a little disinclination to vol- 
 unteer for future expeditions under the leadership of the Cap- 
 tain. Still, there is no doubt that the men thus summarily 
 dispatched were ruffians of the most notorious character, who 
 had for months persecuted Union men, forced scores of them 
 into the Confederate army ; and shot down, in cold blood, such 
 as they could not intimidate. They richly deserved the very 
 fate that overtook them, but regularly enlisted soldiers from 
 Illinois were disposed to at least allow a court martial to hear 
 and decide the fate of even known desperadoes. 
 
 The shooting over, the men marched to a mill, where they 
 rested for the night. Citizens were notified to go and care 
 for the four dead bodies, and Captain Sizemore rode to the 
 house of one of the men, and calling the widow by her given 
 name, told her what had occurred and promised to see that 
 she did not suffer for food, assuring her that she and her fam- 
 ily should not be molested. He even promised to provide 
 seed and a horse so that she might raise a crop. Three of the 
 horses of the Rebels were found and taken charge of, the men 
 halting for dinner at Sinclair and going from there to Russel- 
 ville. The boy-hostage was left at his home.
 
 1865] NEWS RECEIVED OF LEE'S SURRENDER. 467 
 
 This incident will serve to show the deplorable condition 
 of affairs in East Tennessee, and at many other points, during 
 the years of the war. Nearly all of the male population out- 
 side the Union lines were forced into the Rebel army, and 
 such as did not go were obliged to hide in the woods, or turn 
 bushwhackers for their own protection. 
 
 After the Regiment left Russelville the Rebels made a 
 dash upon the town, killing some of the Union scouts, and 
 losing some of their own men. Captain Sizemore escaped for 
 a time, but a few months later was killed by some of the 
 friends of the men whom he had so summarily disposed of 
 when the detail from the NINETY-SIXTH were with him. 
 
 It was while the Regiment was at Russelville that news 
 was received of the capture of Richmond and Petersburg, and 
 the subsequent surrender of Gen. Lee and his army at Appo- 
 mattox. It is impossible to picture the scenes in camp as the 
 cheering news was received, day by day, each dispatch re- 
 counting some gratifying success. The men were wild with 
 joy and daily shouted themselves hoarse. They indulged in 
 the most extravagant actions, firing off their guns, burying 
 powder in canteens and then exploding it, upsetting each 
 other's bunks and tents, hugging each other, and in every man- 
 ner conceivable giving expression to the great pleasure that 
 must have vent. 
 
 The same scenes were enacted at Bull's Gap and Green- 
 ville, whither the main body of the Corps had marched, but 
 on a larger scale. At Greenville Gen. Stanley directed a 
 grand illumination of the houses, and ordered the Quarter- 
 master to provide the citizens with candles for the purpose. 
 A few citizens who declined to compty with the order were 
 provided witli buckets, and forced to carry water from a dis- 
 tant spring for several hours, and mockingly water a long row 
 of evergreens that had been sawed off and set up for the pur- 
 pose of shading the headquarters tents. 
 
 The celebration lasted far into the night of April tenth, 
 when the news of Lee's surrender was verified by official tele- 
 grams, and those wooded gaps and mountain passes witnessed 
 a scene that pen cannot describe.
 
 468 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 Tuesday, April 11, the day following the reception of this 
 news, the Regiment marched thirteen miles, joining the Bri- 
 gade at Shields' Mills, on Lick Creek. Lieutenant Dawson, 
 of Company F, with twenty-five men of the Regiment, was 
 left at Russelville as a guard for the bridge, remaining there 
 for several weeks, and joining the command at Nashville. 
 
 Friday, April 14, the victory was celebrated by the army 
 amid the rugged mountains of East Tennessee. All of the 
 troops in the vicinity were massed, by order of Gen. Stanley. 
 In the First Division there was elegant music by a veteran 
 band, prayer by the Chaplain of the 45th Ohio, and addresses 
 by Gen. Kimball, Col. Waters, Col. Moore, Major Hicks and 
 Chaplain Crissey. The Battle Cry of Freedom was sung, 
 thousands of voices joining in the glad refrain ; then a hush, 
 until the voices again swelled out with 
 
 " Praise God from Whom all blessings flow." 
 
 The occasion was one to be remembered for a life-time. All 
 nature was smiling ; the orchards were in blossom ; the fields- 
 and woods donning their robes of green ; the air seemed full 
 of the very spirit of Liberty. The day ended delightfully, and 
 far into the night were heard the sounds of music and the glad 
 shouting of the happy soldiers. 
 
 Saturday, April 15, dawned cold and cloudy, but the 
 spirits of the men rose above the outward gloom and every- 
 where there was shouting, cheers, starting at any point, run- 
 ning along the line for miles and then returning, until every 
 one seemed wild with joy. But there came a change. Some 
 teams were approaching from Bull's Gap with supplies. An 
 officer or orderly accompanying them rode ahead and in low 
 tones reported to some officers the terrible words that had just 
 come over the wires from the Nation's Capital, "LINCOLN 
 is ASSASSINATED ! " The words passed quickly from man to 
 man. A hush fell on the camp. Men fairly caught their 
 breath. A great sorrow welled up in every heart. There 
 seemed a mighty pain tugging away in every throat. In low 
 breath, between deep sobs, the brief but terrible details were 
 recited by the messenger. The day before had seemed to 
 these brave veterans the gladdest in all their lives ; and now
 
 1865] DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 469 
 
 an unspeakable grief had blotted out their happiness and a 
 gloom that seemed well-nigh impenetrable was upon them. 
 All day they stood about their camp fires, speaking, if at all, 
 in quiet undertones. All the gladness was gone. Hope for 
 a time seemed dead. As the heavy hours wore on, one word 
 alone seemed to give relief: " Revenge ! " To all the Pres- 
 ident seemed a loved father, and now that he was stricken 
 down, by the hand of a foul assassin, in the very hour of the 
 Nation's victory at the supreme moment when he saw the 
 grand sun-burst dispelling the clouds that had enshrouded all 
 the years in which he had sat at the Nation's helm, and held 
 the Ship of State along its troubled course there were few 
 in all that vast army but felt that they had sustained an over- 
 whelming personal loss.
 
 470 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Again at Russelville Ordered to Nashville Camp Harker Beside the 
 Cumberland Camp Rumors The Good News Continues Changes 
 and Promotions Grand Review of the Corps Torch Light Parade 
 Preparing for Muster-Out Gen. Kimball's Congratulatory Order 
 The Recruits Transferred Good Bye to Tennessee The March to 
 New Albany Cattle Cars or Passenger Coaches ? Colonel Smith vs. 
 the Railroad Authorities Arrival in Chicago. 
 
 THE announcement of the surrender of the army of Gen. 
 Lee changed the entire aspect of affairs in Tennessee. There 
 was no large force in the front of the Fourth Corps ; it was 
 distant from its base of supplies, and was not in position for 
 a rapid movement should it become necessary to send it to the 
 trans-Mississippi department to aid in a campaign against 
 Gen. E. Kirby Smith. The bands of Rebel cavalry near the 
 eastern borders of the State learned speedily of the surrender 
 at Appomattox and quickly dispersed, many coming daily to 
 the Union camps, and being sent to Knoxville. There many 
 of them were paroled and provided with transportation to any 
 point desired on the lines of road then in operation. Not a 
 few of them were hardly less pleased, albeit somewhat less 
 demonstrative, at the news that the war was practically over r 
 than were their late opponents. Others were glum and de- 
 jected, answering questions in monosyllables, and evidently 
 surprised that the collapse of the rebellion had come so soon. 
 
 The Corps was soon ordered to rendezvous at Nashville. 
 Sunday, April 16, the Regiment changed camp. Next day 
 it returned to Russelville, thirteen miles, and took posses- 
 sion of its old camp. As rapidly as trains could be secured 
 the different regiments were started for Nashville. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH took the cars Thursday night, and reached their 
 destination at eight o'clock on the evening of Saturday, April 
 22, having been on the road more than forty-eight hours. 
 The bivouac for the night was about two miles outside the- 
 city. On Sunday, April 23, they marched to a point about
 
 1865] CAMP HARKEB. 471 
 
 five miles from Nashville, going out on the Charlotte pike 
 and camping about one-fourth of a mile from the Cumberland 
 river, in a beautiful field, nicely shaded and admirably car- 
 peted with a profusion of white clover. 
 
 This rendezvous was named Camp Harker, in honor of 
 Brigadier General Charles Harker, of the Second Division, 
 who fell in the fatal charge at Kenesaw Mountain, J nne 27, 
 1864. It was a delightful spot, and would have been greatly 
 enjoyed but for the anxiety of the soldiers to be mustered out 
 and sent home. 
 
 For a time there was much speculation as to the future, 
 and camp rumors were as numerous as it is possible to con- 
 ceive. One day it would be reported that the Corps was 
 to be sent to Texas ; the next, Mobile was the point desig- 
 nated ; another day, Atlanta, Selma or Montgomery were 
 mentioned : but all of the time there was a strong hope that 
 those whose terms of service were to expire during the sum- 
 mer would be mustered out and sent home. There were nu- 
 merous new regiments of one-year's men in the field, and the 
 soldiers argued that if the fighting was actually over these new 
 troops would be sufficient to care for the public property until 
 such time as the civil authorities or the Regular Army could 
 be organized for its protection. 
 
 The announcement that Gen. Johnston's army in North 
 Carolina had surrendered to Gen. Sherman came early in 
 May, and was the signal for great rejoicing. This was speed- 
 ily followed by intelligence of the capture of Jeff Davis. A 
 little later official dispatches announced the surrender of Gen. 
 Richard Taylor, and the last organized army east of the Mis- 
 sissippi, and then the glad news that Gen. E. Kirby Smith 
 and the main army west of the Mississippi, the last body of 
 troops in the alleged Confederacy, had accepted the situa- 
 tion and laid down their arms. 
 
 The soldiers now felt pretty certain that they would be 
 speedily mustered out, and there were many demonstrations 
 of the pleasure which this prospect afforded, although the 
 excitement was less intense than that manifested at the news 
 of Gen. Lee's surrender.
 
 472 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 Colonel Champion visited the Regiment, but did not re- 
 main permanently in camp. His health was somewhat 
 improved, but he was far less robust than when he entered the 
 service. Deciding to remain South arid settle at Knoxville, 
 Tenn., he tendered his resignation, which was accepted to 
 date June 7, but subsequently, that he might have the benefit 
 of a special law giving a month's extra pay to commanders of 
 companies and regiments serving until the muster-out of their 
 commands, to cover light losses of ordnance or of camp equip- 
 age, the date was changed to June 10. He left Nashville in 
 advance of the command and settled at once in Knoxville. 
 Colonel Smith, who had been in Nashville for several 
 months, at first healing wounds, and subsequently on duty as 
 President of a Military Commission, his health being too seri- 
 ously impaired to permit him to take the field, came out to 
 camp and resumed command of the Regiment. Mrs. Smith 
 and the children accompanied him, remaining in camp until 
 the final muster-out. 
 
 During the month of May there were several changes and 
 promotions among the officers. Companies A and K having 
 been recruited to the requisite number during the winter and 
 spring, k 'irst Sergeants F. A. Weir and G. W. Luke were pro- 
 moted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. Captain W. W. 
 Hastings, of Company D, having resigned, First Lieutenant 
 Theodore F. Clarkson was promoted to Captain, and First 
 Sergeant J. H. Linklater to First Lieutenant. Five Com- 
 panies were without Second Lieutenants, being below the min- 
 imum number. Just before the final muster-out of the 
 command commissions as Second Lieutenants were issued as 
 follows : First Sergeant George Wait, in Company B ; Ser- 
 geant Major C. A. Partridge, in Company C ; Sergeant 
 Michael Devlin, in Company D ; First Sergeant E. P. Todd, 
 in Company E ; First Sergeant John W. Swanbrough, in 
 Company G. 
 
 Colonel Thomas E. Champion, although long since 
 recommended for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, 
 could not be appointed, as the list was full, but was made a 
 Brigadier General by Brevet. Lieutenant Colonel John C.
 
 1865] CAMP BARKER. 473 
 
 Smith was made a Colonel by Brevet, and Major George Hicks 
 was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel, all of the above to date 
 February 20, 1865. Subsequently Colonel Smith was raised 
 to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General, Major Hicks was 
 brevetted Colonel, the Adjutant and several of the Captains 
 were brevetted Major, and a number of the First Lieutenants 
 were raised to the brevet rank of Captain. Lieutenant Yates, 
 of Company H, who had been a prisoner of war for many 
 months, having been captured at Chickamauga, returned to 
 the command and was heartily welcomed. 
 
 While the health of the old members of the Regiment was 
 generally excellent many of the recruits were sick and several 
 deaths occurred. In Company A, Isaac M. Wilcox died at 
 Russelville, Tenn., April 16, Thomas Bray April 26, Nich- 
 olas Tippit May 3, James Richards May 9, Thomas Metcalf 
 May 16, the four last named at Nashville. John W. Stewart, 
 of Company K, died at Huntsville May 10, and Nicholas Hefty, 
 of the same Company, at Nashville, May 28. 
 
 The rules of Camp Harker were easily obeyed. Drilling 
 was not attempted, roll calls were infrequent, and the guard 
 duty light. Dress parade was held daily in pleasant weather. 
 The grounds were thoroughly policed, and the utmost clean- 
 liness required, not so much by the order of the officers as 
 by the demands of the men, who took the law into their own 
 hands if any of their number became slovenly in habits or 
 appearance. Crowds bathed daily in the river, and a few 
 soldiers from other commands were drowned. 
 
 Tuesday, May 9, there was a grand review of the Corps, 
 General George H. Thomas and a brilliant galaxy of dis- 
 tinguished army officers riding the lines, each regiment stand- 
 ing at "present arms" as they passed. The Corps having 
 been inspected, the reviewing officers took position on the 
 stand, past which the troops marched. It was a splendid 
 sight as the long line of gallant men marched down the slope 
 and passed the reviewing stand at a swinging gait, each regi- 
 ment in column by divisions, and at close distance, and 
 then on over another hill to the ground designated for dis- 
 missal. They were the heroes of all the battles fought in
 
 474 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia, and represented, not 
 scores, but hundreds of engagements. They had come out ta 
 honor their beloved commander, General George H. Thomas, 
 and endured the fatigue of the long march of ten or twelve 
 miles necessary to carry out the programme with entire 
 cheerfulness, feeling that it was, in all probability, their last 
 review. The post band of Nashville furnished the music 
 for the Iron Brigade. 
 
 Tuesday evening, May 17, the First Division organized a 
 grand torch-light procession, and marched to Corps Head- 
 quarters. The affair was planned and managed almost ex- 
 clusively by enlisted men, and five thousand were in line. 
 Gen. Stanley, Gen. Kimball and others made speeches, and 
 a brass band provided music. A very natural portrait of 
 Gen. Stanley, made by the Adjutant of the 21st Illinois, 
 with no other material than boot blacking and a piece of a 
 shelter-tent, was carried in the procession. Underneath the 
 portrait was inscribed, "The Hero of Franklin." A trans- 
 parency carried in the First Brigade was a very correct repre- 
 sentation of the taking of Bald Knob, near Kenesaw Moun- 
 tain, by that command, June 21, 1864, and was inscribed with 
 Gen. Stanley's order to the brigade commander, "Take 
 that hill, Kirby. " A representation of Jeff Davis in woman's 
 clothes ; a wagon, covered with canvas, bearing the inscrip 
 tion, "The War is over, now for home," and scores of 
 others, were in the line. All were improvised in a few hours 
 from old muster-rolls or pieces of tent, with ink, charcoal or 
 blacking, and nearly all showed artistic merit. The night 
 was still and candles were used for torches. The procession 
 broke up about midnight, after an extended parade and a 
 most jolly time. 
 
 There is no doubt that while the chief motive in organiz- 
 ing the parade was to testify the good-will of the enlisted 
 men toward their commanders, there was back of it the hope 
 and intention of securing some expression that might be 
 deemed official as to the plans and prospects for the future. 
 Gen. Stanley surmised as much, at all events, and assured 
 the men that he knew absolutely nothing as to whether
 
 1865] CAMP HARKER. 476- 
 
 they were to be speedily mustered out, or required to remain 
 until their terms of service had expired. Each of the speak- 
 ers expressed great pleasure at the demonstration, and were 
 exceedingly complimentary in their allusions to the men com 
 prising the long procession. 
 
 Following this demonstration there were rumors in abun- 
 dance as to the purpose of the commanders regarding the 
 future movements of the Corps, new and full of romance, 
 every day, but it was not until June had been ushered in that 
 any reliable information was received. Then word came that 
 all troops whose terms of service expired before October 1 
 were to be mustered out. As the time of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 would expire September 5, there was great rejoicing, for all 
 dreaded being sent to New Orleans or Texas at that season 
 of the year. To a majority of the recruits the intelligence 
 was by no means pleasant, as their terms generally ran past 
 that date, and it was certain that they would be sent among 
 strangers. When the order finally came for the muster out 
 of the command, these recruits, to the number of about one 
 hundred and fifty, were transferred to the 21st Illinois, 
 Gen. Grant's first regiment, in accordance with the follow- 
 ing order : 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, FOURTH ARMY CORPS, 
 
 CAMP HABKER, TENN., June 9, 1865. 
 Special Order No. 115: 
 
 The enlisted men of the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment Illinois Infantry 
 whose term of service does not expire prior to October 1st, 1865, are as- 
 signed to the 21st Regiment Illinois Infantry. 
 
 The Assistant Commissary of Musters of this Division will prepare 
 the necessary rolls for this purpose. 
 
 By command of Brevet Major General Kimball. 
 
 ED. D. MASON, 
 Brevet Lieut. Col. and A. A. Gen' I. 
 
 When it was finally announced that the Regiment was to- 
 be mustered out, General Nathan Kimball, commanding the 
 Division, issued the following
 
 476 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CONGRATULATORY ORDER. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, FOURTH ARMY CORPS, 
 
 CAMP HARKER, TENN., June 1, 1865. 
 
 Brevet Colonel J. C. Smith, commanding Ninety-Sixth Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry. 
 
 You, with the officers and men of the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois, after 
 three years gallant devotion to the cause of our common country, in this 
 war against rebellion, are now about to return to your homes, with honor 
 unstained, and with reputation bright with glory. Your deeds will live 
 forever. In nearly every battle of the southwest you have been engaged, 
 from Fort Donelson through Shiloh, Corinth, Perrysville, Stone River, 
 Chickamauga, Resaca, Rocky Face, Dallas, New Hope, Kenesaw, Jones- 
 boro, Lovejoy, Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville ; you have borne the flag 
 of the Union and the banner of your noble State to victory, over the foe 
 who would have destroyed the Government and Union made by our 
 fathers. God has given you the victory. Remember Him. And now 
 that the war is over, the rebellion at an end, remember those whom you 
 have conquered. Use victory as becomes true men and brave soldiers ; 
 return to your homes with enmity toward jone, and charity for all. 
 
 I know that you will be the best of citizens, because I know that you 
 have been the best of soldiers. While we, enjoying the honor and priv- 
 ileges which your valor has won and saved, let us ever cherish as the idols 
 of our heart the memory of our comrades who have given up their lives 
 for the salvation of our country; who fell by your sides, battling for the 
 right. Remember the widow and the orphan of our dead comrades. 
 Be true to them as our comrades were true to us and to our country. 
 
 My comrades, accept my gratitude for your devotion to me person- 
 ally: you have been true and noble soldiers, and brave men. May God 
 ever bless you and crown your lives with happiness, and each of you with 
 honor, peace and plenty. Be, as you have ever been, true to God, to 
 country, friends, and to yourselves. 
 
 Good bye, comrades; again, God bless you. 
 
 NATHAN KIMBALL, 
 
 Brevet Major General. 
 
 Several paymasters soon arrived in camp, and began the 
 work of paying off the veteran regiments which were to go 
 south. Most of these regiments received nine months' pay, 
 being up to the close of April. The regiments soon to go 
 home were told that they must wait for pay until they reached 
 their own states. The mustering officers were exceedingly 
 busy with their work, and as eight copies of the muster-out 
 roll of each company had to be made, and because of the 
 further fact that the officers to whom had been assigned the
 
 1865] GOOD-BYE TO DIXIE. 477 
 
 work of mustering out the troops at Nashville could not 
 agree as to the manner of making out the returns, each send- 
 ing orders conflicting with the instructions of the other, sev- 
 eral days were occupied in the work. The rolls were finally 
 completed on the 9th, and on Saturday, June 10, 1865, the 
 Regiment was declared to be mustered out. 
 
 The contrast between the muster-out and the muster-in 
 was very marked. At the former all were inspected by sur- 
 geons, and required to sign something like a half dozen 
 enlistment papers, and be sworn on each. Now they merely 
 had to await the completion of the rolls, with no inspection, 
 signing or swearing necessary, except that all had to affix 
 their signatures to the pay-roll. 
 
 Sunday, June 11, the Regiment formed in line, and with 
 hearty cheers for the Union and the flag, for their comrades 
 who had been transferred to the 21st Illinois, for the Brigade, 
 the Division and the Corps, for their commanders of every 
 grade and for themselves in fact with cheers for everybody 
 who was loyal and patriotic, they filed out of Camp Harker, 
 with wild enthusiasm, the band playing "Get out of the 
 Wilderness," and the men shouting and singing as they 
 marched toward Nashville and the train that was to bear them 
 to "God's country." Many of the recruits followed to the 
 train, and it was a matter of sincere regret to the veterans that 
 all could not be sent home. Some of these men had served 
 from October, 1862, and others from early in 1864, sharing in 
 many campaigns and battles, and ifr is not to be wondered at 
 that tears flowed down many a manly cheek as the final good 
 byes were said. 
 
 After a night ride in freight cars the command reached 
 Louisville. So many troops were going northward that trans- 
 portation became exceedingly scarce, and there was a prospect 
 of a delay of some hours and a ride to Chicago in a freight 
 train. A railroad official said to Colonel Smith that if the 
 men would march to New Albany they could be provided 
 with passenger cars and could leave for the North at once. 
 The matter was put to vote, and notwithstanding that the dis- 
 tance was four miles and the day excessively hot, it was unani-
 
 478 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 
 
 mously agreed to make the march. The trip was fatiguing, 
 but the men were in high spirits and none complained. 
 
 Arrived at New Albany it was found that no passenger 
 train was ready, and that only a train of cars from which ice 
 and cattle had just been unloaded, and which still contained 
 the offal of the cattle or the wet sawdust in which the frigid 
 commodity had been packed were available. The Colonel 
 demanded of the officials that the promise made at Louisville 
 should be kept, but in vain. It was at last agreed that if the 
 men would ride in the freight cars to Bloomington, Indiana, 
 where a return train would be met, passenger cars would be 
 provided. This being arranged the offal and the dripping 
 sawdust was shoveled out, and late in the afternoon the men 
 crowded into the damp cars and the train pulled out. Bloom- 
 ington was reached about midnight, but the Colonel soon 
 became convinced that the promise of the railroad people was 
 not to be kept unless he compelled it, but that the intention 
 was to move the empty passenger cars, which had been met 
 as expected, out of reach. Stationing himself at a switch 
 which was blocked by the train on which the conimand had 
 come from New Albany, he demanded that the promise be 
 kept, and refused to allow the engineer to move the train. The 
 railroad men at first laughed at him, then blustered and threat- 
 ened, but he held the fort, and in the course of a few hours 
 compelled an unconditional surrender. The transfer to the 
 passenger cars being made, the train, bearing the command, 
 moved northward early next morning. 
 
 It was an outrage for the railroad officials to attempt to 
 ship men in the damp, seatless cars. The Colonel's action 
 was denounced by the railroad men as "high handed," and 
 he was threatened with arrest and prosecution ; but the men 
 of his command thought the more of him for standing up for 
 their rights, and the threats of the company were never car- 
 ried into effect. Among the General's relics are copies of sev- 
 eral exceedingly spicy telegrams that passed between himself 
 and the officials on that occasion. 
 
 The trains ran slowly in those days, but at about one 
 o'clock A. M., of Wednesday, June 14, 1865, Chicago was
 
 1865] ARRIVAL IN CHICAGO. 479 
 
 announced, and the command disembarked in the old Union 
 Depot, at the foot of Lake Street. 
 
 The trip had been safely made and the soldiers were 
 almost home. What strange memories came trooping up, as 
 they alighted from the train and gazed around them. How 
 eventful had been the years since they passed through that 
 great city en route for the front. How marked was the con- 
 trast between the surroundings then, when the sky seemed 
 lurid with impending peril, and now when the victory was 
 complete. But at what frightful cost had that change been 
 brought about ! The long line of almost one thousand men 
 now counted but little more than four hundred. One fourth 
 of all who went so proudly to the front were numbered with 
 the unreturning braves ; and more than one-fourth, disabled 
 by wounds and disease, had preceded them to the homes 
 from which they had gone forth. Then the banners were 
 bright and new ; now the smoke of scores of skirmishes and 
 battles hung in their tattered folds. Then the uniforms were 
 new and clean ; now they were travel-stained and battle- 
 grimed. Then the faces were mainly young and fair ; now 
 all were bronzed, and many prematurely old. Thoughts of 
 the toilsome march, of the long watchings on the distant 
 lines, of the slow tread to the music of the muffled drum, as 
 comrades were carried to their final resting place, of the 
 dreary lying in the hospital, of the benumbing cold of winter, 
 or the terrific heat of the almost torrid sun, were with them. 
 Fancy brought again the hunger and the thirst, the stockade 
 and the intrenchment, the camp and the bivouac, the review 
 and the parade. There came glimpses, in their imagination, 
 of the foul prison pen. Memory brought again the long 
 days that grew to weeks and months under the pitiless fire of 
 the now vanquished foe. They again felt the thrill that 
 stirred them when the battle raged ; they heard the Rebel 
 yell, the Union cheer, the glad shoutings when the victory 
 was won. They recalled the forms and faces that had dropped 
 out along the weary way. But hark! "Fall in, boys!" 
 u Stack arms!" " Rest at will !" commanded the Colonel. 
 The men stood almost bewildered for a moment ; then a few
 
 480 HISTORY OF THE 96rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 scattered to hotels near by ; but the major part, wearied with 
 the long ride, spread out their well-worn blankets and lay 
 down to sleep upon the depot platform.
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 H?j 
 
 W.M. McCLEI.LAN. 
 
 I. CHI. in. IN MADDEN. 
 
 HENKY C. PAYNE. 
 
 First Serg't SAMUEL B. PAYNK. 
 
 WATSON MAUKLEY. 
 
 Sen; 't JAMES MI - RKIE.

 
 1865] CHICAGO'S WELCOME. 481 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Chicago's Welcome What the Newspapers Said Reception at the Sani- 
 tary Fair George C. Bates' Address Colonel Hicks' Response 
 General Sherman Speaks What Hon. John Wentworth and Judge 
 Bradwell Said Cheers for the Soldiers Cheers for the Ladies 
 Cheers for Everybody. 
 
 THE dawn of Wednesday, June 14, found the men astir. 
 They were fatigued with the long trip, and might have slept 
 under a brisk skirmish fire, or amid the noises of the camp, 
 but the unaccustomed sounds of traffic, the unusual noises of 
 the great busy city, drove sleep from their eyes and sent them 
 out to reconnoitre. Every man was asking himself as to the 
 future, when the bugle or the drum beat should no longer tell 
 him when to get up and when to retire, or notify him when 
 to go to see the doctor and when to go to work ; when he 
 should no longer be able to get his clothing by means of a 
 requisition upon the Quarter-Master, and the Commissary 
 department should cease to provide his rations ; when the 
 Paymaster should discontinue his visits, albeit those visits 
 had been at long drawn intervals and the amounts bestowed 
 by him had been but meagre. They were to be thrown out 
 into the great busy world ; to grapple with its work, each in 
 his own way. Could they do it ? Could they meet the com- 
 petitions of active business life ? Could they enter the marts 
 of trade and win success ? Could they take up again the pro- 
 fessions dropped three years before? Could they re-enter the 
 schools and colleges from which they had gone out '( Could 
 they, after so long a period in the thronging camps, take up 
 with life upon the quiet farm'? These and a thousand other 
 queries came to them. They answered : " Yes, we can, and 
 will." The years bear witness that they answered well. 
 
 The Regiment's reception in Chicago was unexpectedly 
 cordial. The patriotic men and women of that great city 
 never lost heart or hope through all the years of the war, and 
 31
 
 482 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 now that it was over were giving glad welcome to the soldiers 
 as they came through the city to their homes. The great 
 Northwestern Sanitary Fair, which had for its primary object 
 the collecting and forwarding of needed supplies for the hos- 
 pitals, was still in progress, and lent its aid to the project for 
 feeding the returning soldiers. Breakfast was provided for 
 the NINETY-SIXTH at the Soldiers' Rest, as the immense cara- 
 vansary connected with the Fair was called. The day was a 
 prolonged ovation to the command, and its experiences can 
 best be told by a reproduction of the newspaper reports. The 
 Chicago Evening Journal, of June 14, published the following : 
 
 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION OP THE NINETY-SIXTH 
 REGIMENT. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS REGIMENT, Brevet-Colonel J. C. Smith 
 commanding, reached Chicago at one o'clock this morning, on the Mich- 
 igan Central Railroad, and was temporarily quartered at the Soldiers' 
 Rest. The Regiment left Nashville last Sunday evening, at which place 
 it was mustered out several days since, but will be paid and disbanded 
 here. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH is composed of six companies from Jo Daviess 
 county and four from Lake county. It was organized at Galena, in Sep- 
 tember, 1862, and went into camp at Rockford. It left that place for 
 Chicago on the 9th of October ; remained here but a few hours, and then 
 departed for the field. Its original commander was Colonel T. E. Cham- 
 pion, but that officer being subsequently brevetted Brigadier General, 
 Lieutenant Colonel Clarke assumed command. The latter did not long 
 lead the Regiment. He fell at Chickamauga, while gallantly doing his 
 duty in the thickest of the fight. Lieutenant Colonel J. C. Smith was 
 then brevetted Colonel, and has been in command of the Regiment ever 
 since. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH has always belonged to the Fourth Army Corps. 
 Its history has run parallel with that of the 88th (which was briefly 
 sketched in yesterday's Journal), except that the former did not enter 
 the service quite so soon as the latter. Side by side these two regiments 
 have followed the old flag through hardships and perils, and now they 
 return, with others, to receive the welcoming plaudits of a grateful 
 people. 
 
 The first and severest battle in which the NINETY-SIXTH participated 
 was at Chickamauga, where it bore an honorable part, losing no less 
 than two hundred of its members. At Lookout Mountain, Mission 
 Ridge, Franklin, and wherever the gallant Army of the Cumberland 
 went, there was the NINETY-SIXTH, doing faithful service for the coun- 
 try. Its losses by the casualties of war have been heavy. It left Chicago
 
 1865] CHICAGO'S WELCOME. 483 
 
 in the autumn of 1862, numbering nine hundred and eighty men, rank 
 and file; it comes back decimated to the number of four hundred. 
 
 Though not a Chicago regiment, yet the NINETY SIXTH was received 
 and treated to-day by our citizens in all respects as if its members were 
 our own sons and brothers. Under the management of Thomas B. 
 Bryan, Esq., and Colonel J. H. Bowen, arrangements were made this 
 morning for giving the war-worn "boys in blue" a formal reception. 
 
 AT THE PAIR. 
 
 Accordingly, at half past ten o'clock, the Regiment was paraded on 
 Michigan Avenue, and when the necessary preparations had been made 
 in Union Hall, marched in from Washington Street, to the tune, "When 
 Johnny Comes Marching Home." On entering, the Regiment was loudly 
 applauded by ladies as well as gentlemen, which compliment the 
 "soldier boys" acknowledged by hearty cheers. Making a detour of 
 the main hall, the command was formed in two solid columns, facing 
 the balcony, when Mr. Bryan announced George C. Bates, Esq. Mr. 
 Bates then delivered a short welcoming speech, replete with patriotic 
 thoughts and eloquent words, which elicited frequent applause. In the 
 name and on behalf of the Sanitary Fair, the citizens of Chicago, and the 
 people of the United States, the speaker welcomed the brave defenders 
 of our country's flag. His words of welcome were greeted with several 
 " rounds" of vocal thunder from the Regiment. 
 
 At the conclusion of Mr. Bates' remarks, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Hicks, of the NINETY-SIXTH, was introduced, and made an eloquent 
 reply to the welcoming speech of Mr. Bates. The Colonel said he would 
 attempt no sketch of the Regiment's deeds; they were already on record 
 and the country would not forget them. He desired simply to tender 
 the heartfelt thanks of the NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT to the managers of 
 the Fair, and to the citizens of Chicago, for their expressions of respect 
 and love to the men who were now coming home from the war. The 
 Colonel's speech was exceedingly well-timed, and loudly applauded. 
 When he had finished speaking he led off in six rousing cheers for Chi- 
 cago, and the officers and ladies of the Sanitary Fair, the entire Regi- 
 ment uniting as with one voice in this wild outburst of soldierly grati- 
 tude towards those whom they know to be their true friends. The brave 
 boys were then invited to spend an hour or more in examining the great 
 exhibition, with which they seemed delighted. At half past one o'clock 
 they were treated to an excellent dinner at the Soldiers' Rest. 
 
 The Chicago Tribune, of June 15, also published the ros- 
 ter of the officers of the Regiment, and a brief sketch of its 
 history. Its report of the reception was as follows : 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT OP ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS arrived at 
 2 o'clock yesterday morning, and awaits final payment. Yesterday morn- 
 ing the boys paraded through the streets, amid drenching rain, to Union 
 Hall, where they were received very enthusiastically. After a little hand-
 
 484 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I 
 
 shaking and a good deal of shouting, they were drawn up in front of the- 
 platform and briefly addressed by T. B. Bryan, Esq., President of the 
 Executive Committee of the Fair. Mr. Bryan introduced George C. 
 Bates, Esq , who spoke for about fifteen minutes, welcoming the boys 
 home again, complimenting them on their well-earned reputation, and 
 telling them how welcome they were to every heart in the great 
 Northwest. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Hicks, of the gallant regiment then present, was 
 introduced by Mr. Bryan, and was received with tremendous cheers. He 
 very feelingly thanked the people for their kindness in giving them so 
 cordial a reception ; it was a pleasure, but it did not surprise them ; no 
 one from any part of the great Northwest ever felt himself a stranger in 
 Chicago ; they were on their way home, but that greeting made them feel 
 at home already. The Regiment had been praised highly by the previous 
 speaker, but not more highly than it deserved. He remembered well 
 how, when the call was made for men three years ago, in a little more 
 than five days the Regiment (his Company ?) was raised in Galena and 
 marched to Rockford, there to be organized and marshalled against the 
 foe. The Regiment returns now with joy, though its flag is draped in 
 mourning for the many brave comrades who had been left in the valley 
 of the river of death. At Chickamauga, at Lookout Mountain, all 
 through Georgia, their bones lay buried, alas ! they knew not, in many 
 cases, where. The blessings achieved by this war were infinite, but the 
 sacrifice by which it was purchased was also infinite, and nothing but the 
 object in view would warrant such a sacrifice. None understood its 
 value more fully than the soldiers. Now that they have returned, they 
 would once more enter upon their civil duties. The people need not fear 
 them, for the good soldier must necessarily be a good citizen. He 
 returned hearty thanks to the ladies for their efforts in the struggle. 
 
 Three rousing cheers were then given for the noble soldiers of the 
 gallant NINETY-SIXTH, after which they were invited to walk into the 
 Horticultural Hall and enjoy themselves for awhile. They next visited 
 Bryan Hall, where Judge Bradwell addressed them in a brief, fitting 
 speech, that drew forth round after round of cheering. The boys were 
 then marched to the "Soldiers' Rest," where a bountiful collation was 
 spread for them, to which they did ample justice, and they were then 
 marched back to Camp Douglas. Their reception was not so agreeable 
 physically as it would have been had the weather been fine ; but the boys 
 could not have met with a more hearty reception, and they all expressed 
 themselves highly pleased with the way in which they were entertained. 
 
 The most extended report of the addresses was by the 
 Chicago Republican, of June 15, and is given herewith in full, 
 except that the sketch of its history and the roster of officers 
 is omitted :
 
 1865] CHICAGO'S WELCOME. 485 
 
 OUR RETURNING SOLDIERS. 
 
 ARRIVAL OP THE NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT. 
 
 THE RECEPTION SPEECHES OP GENERAL SHERMAN, HON. JOHN WENT- 
 WORTH, AND LIEUTENANT COLONEL HlCKS. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY arrived in the city, as already 
 announced in the Republican, at one o'clock yesterday morning, by the 
 Michigan Central Railroad, and took up quarters temporarily at the Sol- 
 diers' Rest. At an early hour in the morning it was determined that the 
 gallant NINETY-SIXTH, although not a Chicago regiment, should be 
 received and welcomed home to Illinois in a befitting manner, and under 
 the management of Thomas B. Bryan and James H. Bo wen, Esqs., the 
 arrangements for the occasion were speedily perfected. 
 
 RECEPTION AT THE FAIR. 
 
 At half-past ten o'clock in the forenoon the Regiment marched to 
 the Fair buildings, and entered Union Hall by the Washington Street 
 entrance, amid the deafening cheers of a large concourse of spectators 
 who, notwithstanding the short and insufficient notice given, had assem- 
 bled to participate in the ovation to the returning veterans. 
 
 Making a detour of the hall, the Regiment was formed in two columns, 
 facing the gallery, when Mr. Bryan spoke as follows : 
 
 Officers dnd Soldiers of the Ninety-Sixth Illinois Volunteers : I cor- 
 dially welcome you home and to this Fair. It is not my intention to 
 detain you with a speech. I have brought a Chicago citizen who has a 
 son in the army, and he has a heart and tongue ready to respond to the 
 emotions of your owu hearts. I will leave it to the Hon. George C. Bates 
 to address you. 
 
 Mr. Bates then delivered a short welcoming speech, replete with 
 patriotic thoughts and eloquent words, which elicited frequent applause. 
 In the name and on the behalf of the Sanitary Fair, the citizens of Chi- 
 cago, and the people of the United States, the speaker welcomed the 
 brave defenders of our country's flag. His words of welcome were 
 greeted with several "rounds" of vocal thunder from the Regiment 
 
 At the conclusion of Mr. Bates' remarks, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel 
 Hicks, of the NINETY-SIXTH, was introduced, and made an eloquent 
 reply to the welcoming speech of Mr. Bates. The Colonel said he would 
 attempt no sketch of the Regiment's deeds ; they were already on record, 
 and the country would not forget them. He desired simply to tender the 
 heartfelt thanks of the NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT to the managers of the 
 Fair, and to the citizens of Chicago, for their expressions of respect and 
 love to the men who were now coming home from the war. The Colonel's 
 speech was exceedingly well-timed and loudly applauded. When he had
 
 486 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 finished speaking he led off in six rousing cheers for Chicago and the 
 officers and ladies of the Sanitary Fair the entire Regiment uniting as 
 with one voice in this wild outburst of soldierly gratitude towards those 
 whom they knew to be their true friends. The brave boys were then 
 invited to spend an hour or more in examining the great exhibition, with 
 which they seemed highly delighted. 
 
 AT THE TREMONT HOUSE. 
 
 After leaving the Fair buildings the Regiment re-formed on Michigan 
 Avenue, and, marching up Lake Street, proceeded to the Tremont House 
 for the purpose of serenading Major General Sherman. The Regiment 
 was accordingly drawn up in line, facing the north balcony of the hotel, 
 and the band struck up a patriotic air. 
 
 GENERAL SHERMAN'S ADDRESS. 
 
 General Sherman appeared upon the balcony, amid the enthusiastic 
 cheers of the soldiers, and, as soon as quiet had been restored, addressed 
 the Regiment as follows : 
 
 Well, boys, I am very glad to see you in Chicago. I little thought, 
 when we parted at Gaylesville, we would meet in Chicago. However, it 
 is all the better. I knew we were going to meet somewhere ; I knew 
 that we were bound to come together again ; but I did not suppose it 
 would be so far north as this. But still I am more pleased to meet you 
 now, just as you are arriving at your homes, because we are certain now 
 that there are no more "rebs" to shoot and no more "rebs " to shoot us. 
 Now, there are some people who like to be shot at ; but I think we have 
 had our share, and for the rest of my life I am perfectly contented to live 
 in peace. If any of the people of Chicago wish to be shot at, let them 
 go and take a hand. (Cheers.) This Regiment has been now four years 
 at work nearly four years. Every one of you have been in some eight 
 or ten pitched battles, and in a hundred skirmishes. There is not one of 
 you but whose life is saved by a miracle. I have seen you for more than 
 a hundred days under continued firing, and there is not one of you but 
 ought, for the rest of your days, to be freed from every danger, except 
 what nature demands. (Cheers.) And I do not believe you will have to 
 be called upon to risk your lives, and your health, and bear, and forbear, 
 as much as you have done, again on this continent. And I believe there 
 will be no cause in any other part of the world in which to encounter the 
 dangers of the field. 
 
 I wish that every one of you may now go home to a farm, or the old 
 employment you had before the war, and live in peace and fraternity with 
 your neighbors. The people of Chicago have welcomed you. I was 
 informed that you were here, and I have simply come to see you here, to 
 add my voice to welcome you home to your old Illinois. There is room 
 for you all here. There is room for us all. 
 
 You are welcome in the hearts of every human being in the State of 
 Illinois. (Cheers.) I do not know what part of the state you are going 
 to, but it makes no difference where you go. You may go to any part of 
 the United States. You may go back to Tennessee again, and you will 
 meet a friend. You belong to the army which has rescued the country 
 from danger, and the peace can never be disturbed again. You are en- 
 titled to the thanks, you are entitled to the praise of all good Americans, 
 and good people all over the world. I am glad to see you, and I hope I 
 shall meet you wherever I go. 
 
 The General retired amid the most hearty applause.
 
 1865] CHICAGO'S WELCOME. 487 
 
 HON. JOHN WENTWORTH, 
 Hon. John Wentworth being called upon, spoke as follows: 
 
 Fellow citizens (for as such I address you), the war is over. You 
 have done your duty nobly. None have done any better. You have 
 proved that the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of 
 the land, and that the South have got to bow their heads to it as well as 
 the North. You have also done another thing. You have established 
 the fact from this time henceforth and forever that not a slave treads 
 American soil. (Great cheering.) Whoever God made is a free man 
 from this time forth. And this fact, which you have established by bay- 
 onets, you have got hereafter to support at the polls. And what is more, 
 you will do it. While the traitors of the South ask to come back, ask 
 yourselves this question: What shall be done with the loyal blacks? 
 The question now before the people, the war being over, is, whether a 
 loyal black is not better than an infamous traitor who assassinates our 
 President? My fellow citizens, if I should talk to you all day I could 
 not express to you the gratitude we owe you. God alone can reward 
 you. 
 
 The speaker concluded by moving three cheers for the NINETY- 
 SIXTH REGIMENT, which were given with great enthusiasm. The Regi- 
 ment then proceeded to Bryan Hall. 
 
 AT BRYAN HALL. 
 
 The visitors in the hall were suddenly startled by the sound of drum 
 and fife, and the NINETY-SIXTH marched into the Arms and Trophies 
 Department. They filled the room; they occupied the staging, and their 
 long drawn out numbers crowded the already well attended hall. Their 
 faces were tanned. If it had not been for the blue jackets, they looked 
 like tough and sinewy farmer boys at the end of harvest. They gazed 
 listlessly on the shot and shell, on the specimens of grape and canister; 
 all that they had seen long before. The flags dangled over their heads. 
 These, too, they had seen; they had a flag of their own; and this display 
 of flags for purposes of show, this holiday insignia of war had no charms 
 for the men who had "been there." They stood at rest, making sly 
 remarks to each other as some special matter caught the eye, and reply- 
 ing modestly and half strangely to the venturesome questions of some 
 sympathizing women. Suddenly the drums gave a rub-a-dub, animation 
 pervaded the ranks, and Judge Bradwell, who had ascended the plat- 
 form, called the attention of the Regiment. 
 
 THE WELCOME. 
 
 Hon. J. B. Bradwell said: "I am very happy to meet the returned 
 veterans of the NINETY-SIXTH. The welcoming of returned soldiers is to 
 me a very welcome duty always. I am glad to do it. As the Scotch- 
 man's heart is said to warm toward the tartan, so my blood stirs when I 
 see a regiment, bearing its bayonets, and proudly displaying its scarred 
 colors. I remember your regiment well. You went through our city as 
 volunteers, defenders of your country, to go down where the fight was, 
 the conflict and the battle. To-day you come back to us as victors. 
 The laurel hangs upon your brows, and your banner is decked in ama- 
 ranthine wreath. The foe that raised his hand against our Union is put 
 down, and your proud boast is that during that putting down Sherman 
 led you. Your clothes have the faded looks that tell of the campaign. 
 Your faces are bronzed with exposure, and, worn and weary, you are
 
 488 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 looking homeward for a rest after your toil. But remember this, that no 
 words of anyone can tell how much we owe to you and to those who 
 commanded you. That is a debt no words can set forth. I, and all of 
 us here, and the country everywhere, must ever remain in your debt. 
 
 Your Colonel we know as a man, as a noble fighter, as one who 
 always faces the music under any and all circumstances. But your 
 Lieutenant Colonel, who also has a reputation in the field, has this ad- 
 vantage over his superior, that he is a speaker, also. To those who 
 may not know him personally, I now introduce Lieutenant Colonel 
 Hicks, of the NINETY-SIXTH. (Applause.) 
 
 THE RESPONSE. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Hicks came forward amid the applause, and as 
 as soon as silence was restored, said: 
 
 This enthusiastic reception of our Regiment is to be taken simply as 
 the public feeling toward a victorious army, and of ourselves as part of 
 that army. The record of the army is glorious, and our happy fortune is 
 that we can in that record fairly claim a mention. 
 
 I wish to thank you, sir, and, through you, the citizens of Chicago, 
 for this munificent ovation. We were not of you, not sent forward by 
 you, not your personal friends, and yet we feel that in coming here we 
 are coming home, and that every loyal man is our brother. We carne 
 here on our return, thinking only of our own personal homes; thinking 
 that no one here knew us personally, that no one cared for us. The 
 events of to day prove io us that we were indeed fighting for the Union, 
 and that every loyal man in Chicago is a brother to us. 
 
 You tell us that we have done well. I wish to have no false pride about 
 this, but I can answer for the Regiment that I think they have not done ill. 
 I think that Chicago nor the State will ever have occasion to blush when 
 they behold that flag, and remember where it has been borne and how it 
 has been borne. (Applause.) There it is (pointing to the flag.) It has 
 some tears in it; it has some bullet holes in it; but, boys, that flag is un- 
 sullied. You remember when they thought they had Sherman (Thomas?) 
 at Nashville, we waited till the snow melted. The orders came to start, 
 and I think you may safely say that when the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment 
 is ordered to start it generally goes. It started for the cannon of the 
 enemy. That flag ahead of the Regiment, ahead of the Brigade, ahead 
 of everything, was planted right upon the enemy's battery, while the 
 cannon were yet hot with firing, hidden in curling smoke, and the balls 
 plunged thick and heavy right among us. That flag, believe me, has 
 never been a disgrace to the State of Illinois, and we are glad to say to 
 the State that we have sought to do our duty, and so far as we know 
 have done it. and can fairly be classed among the many regiments from 
 this glorious State, and from the country, who have done well and nobly 
 in this war. If we, and our companions of the 88th,* are deemed worthy 
 of such companionship, that is all we ask of our friends in Chicago, 
 all we ask of the world. 
 
 (The speaker here turned toward the catafalque in which Lincoln's 
 remains were deposited while in state in Chicago.) I would indulge in 
 the most exuberant language at the great victory that has been achieved; 
 at the peace that has been secured; at the glorious prospect that this is 
 to become the best country that God's sun ever shone upon; at the new 
 career before it, in the attempt to conceive which the mind staggers; I 
 should indulge in the most joyful accents and strike the most sounding 
 p*ans, were it not that these surround me. And as I read the name of 
 our great martyr, I think of our own comrades who have gone from us, 
 sacrificed to the country, and I feel more like weeping than rejoicing. 
 
 * The 88th Illinois had been given a reception the day before.
 
 1865] CHICAGO'S WELCOME. 489 
 
 We have had many heroes, Grant, and Sherman, and Thomas, and 
 Sheridan, and our own unnumbered heroes, but the greatest hero of 
 them all is he whose name is emblazoned there, and whose coffined body 
 rested on that pillow. Oh ! how that man loved us ! If he met a poor 
 soldier from the ranks passing him in the street, he felt in his heart as if 
 he would take off his hat and revere him. 
 
 So full was his love for the soldier that he could not make a speech, 
 could not give an address, could not hold a familiar conversation, without 
 adverting to the fact that to the soldier in the ranks the country was 
 indebted for its deliverance and preservation, and that to them the honor 
 was to be given. 
 
 Remembering his death, remembering that great sacrifice and the 
 sacrifice of our own comrades, let us, for all the future, hold more sacred 
 than ever the priceless blessings which are secured to us because they 
 have fallen. Let us remember, let it never escape any memory, that 
 their precious blood is the price paid for the blessings of peace we are 
 to enjoy. 
 
 Citizens of Chicago, and you, sir, please accept on behalf of the Regi- 
 ment, and on behalf of Colonel Smith, in whose name I speak, accept 
 our thanks. 
 
 The feeling which Lieutenant Colonel Hicks' speech called forth had 
 hardly subsided, when Judge Bradwell proposed that the audience give 
 three hearty cheers for the NINETY- SIXTH, leading off himself with a 
 " hip, hip." To the surprise of all, a few cheers only were heard faintly 
 coming up from separate corners ; each seemed to be expecting his 
 neighbor to cheer, while he himself listened and enjoyed. The ladies, 
 bless their souls, waved their handkerchiefs, and gave a faint-muttered 
 utterance ; but the fact remained that the cheers were a failure. Judge 
 Bradwell looked blank. The soldiers- laughed. Lieutenant Colonel 
 Hicks, with a sly twinkle in his eye, caught the attention of the Regi- 
 ment, and proposed three cheers for "the citizens of Chicago." The 
 soldiers, who had had nothing to say so far, revenged themselves by their 
 cheer. The roof rose two inches between each cheer, settling quietly 
 down in the intervals. The tiger followed, and the drums crackled away 
 like a croaking raven reduced of his wits. The cheering ceased, but the 
 sound kept echoing in the ceiling among the flags, which had been set in 
 flutter. Everybody felt in good humor. The " Ladies of Chicago, three 
 cheers for them," somebody halloed out, and the idea seemed to hit the 
 exact place. Those cheers were given. Said Judge Bradwell : " In this 
 hall, boys, are the trophies that have been gathered by you of the army, 
 and your dead. Your losses, your dangers, your sufferings, and the asso- 
 ciations connected with you in the field, are all that makes them valu- 
 able. Here is the lock of Libby Prison. (Three groans were given for 
 the man who opened and shut it by means of a key). There have been 
 some men," said the Judge, " whom this lock nor key kept in." (Cries 
 came up from the Regiment, "They are here. Two of them are here.") 
 
 Lieutenant Earle came forward, after repeated calls, and stated that 
 he saw among the collections some bricks taken by Colonel Streight from 
 the hole dug by him through the walls of that prison. He was one of 
 those who followed Colonel Streight through the hole made by the 
 removal of those brick. As he made this statement his face glowed with
 
 490 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 a modest triumph more genial than the vaults of the prison could have- 
 been gloomy and terrible. He rang the bell which used to toll for the 
 slaves on Jeff Davis' plantation. 
 
 A choral band of the members of the Regiment struck up and sang 
 amid much applause. 
 
 Their curiosity being satisfied, the boys seemed eager to smell the 
 fresh air, and upon a moment's notice arms were seized and the steady 
 tramp of men was heard ; a moment more and the NINETY-SIXTH had 
 gone, and the hall resumed its wonted occupation. This, which takes 
 but the minute in its telling, occupied nearly two hours. The occasion 
 was a success ; so, too, has been the past of the NINETY-SIXTH ; and 
 such, too, is the expectation of the public as to its members, as it now 
 meets it returning, and bids it all hail and farewell.
 
 1865] AT CAMP DOUGLAS. 491 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 At Camp Douglas Two Deaths When Almost Home Settling up 
 Paid Off and Disbanded The Last Good Byes The Receptions 
 At Waukegan At Warren At Galena. 
 
 THE formal and unexpectedly hearty reception over, the 
 NINETY-SIXTH made its way to the barracks at Camp Douglas, 
 where its headquarters were to be. So busy were the Pay- 
 masters with the regiments that had preceded the NINETY- 
 SIXTH that a fortnight elapsed before it could be paid off and 
 disbanded. During this period the Lake county boys very 
 generally visited their homes, but the majority of the mem- 
 bers of the Jo Daviess county Companies remained in the 
 historic camp, or, tired of army rations and the ennui of bar- 
 rack life, spent their time with friends or at the hotels. 
 
 Two sad events occurred in the command while at Camp 
 Douglas. Corporal Harrison Gage, of Company I, who had 
 been a model soldier through all the years, and rarely absent 
 from the command, was taken sick and died in the hospital. 
 Herrick Millett, of Company E, while crossing the railroad 
 track on his way to the lake, for the purpose of bathing, was 
 struck by a locomotive and killed. It seemed hard that two 
 good soldiers who had dared and suffered so much, should 
 come to their deaths when almost in sight of home ; but fate 
 so decreed it, and their comrades sadly escorted their remains 
 to the place of interment. 
 
 The officers were kept exceedingly busy with their ord- 
 nance reports, turning over their camp and garrison equipage, 
 and making settlement with the government. This was 
 about completed when the Paymaster announced his readiness 
 to pay off the men. On Wednesday, June 28, 1865, the 
 Regiment was paid and disbanded. The Lake county Com- 
 panies were paid first, in order that they might take a special 
 train, and reach Waukegan in time for a reception during the 
 afternoon. Colonel Hicks accompanied them, but returned to-
 
 492 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Chicago the same evening. The Jo Daviess county Companies 
 were paid off tbe same day, but did not leave for their homes 
 until Thursday morning. There was, perhaps, less formality 
 in the good-byes at the final disbandment than might have 
 been expected, but the careful observer must have detected 
 an undertone of tenderness in many of the farewells, and seen 
 an occasional lip quivering with emotion that could not be 
 entirely suppressed. There were tears in many eyes, and 
 others were kept dry only by most earnest efforts. But with 
 cheers for each other, with good-byes and God-bless-yous, 
 that meant something, the men from the two counties 
 parted. The following account of the reception of Companies 
 B, C, D and G, at Waukegan, is copied from the Waukegan 
 Gazette, of Saturday, July 1, 1865. 
 
 RECEPTION OF THE NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT. 
 
 SPEECHES, INCIDENTS, ETC. 
 
 WELCOME TO THE HEROES. 
 
 On Wednesday morning last, the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS REGIMENT, 
 which arrived in Chicago two weeks ago, were paid off, and received their 
 final discharge from the service. For several days previous, our citizens 
 had been on the alert to give the four Lake County companies of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH a fitting and formal reception, but the day and time for 
 their arrival here was not known until two or three hours before their 
 departure from Chicago. A telegram was sent to Captain Aziel Z. Blod- 
 gett, about nine A. M., Wednesday, stating that a special train had been 
 provided for the use of the boys, and that they would arrive here about 
 three P. M. The glad words sped from tongue to tongue, and in a few 
 moments the whole town was astir, preparing for the pleasing event. 
 
 The ladies having in hand the preparation of the repast for the sol- 
 diers were taken almost unawares, but at once went to work to make up 
 by industry what they lacked in time, and right worthily they redeemed 
 the hours. 
 
 A subsequent telegram announced that the soldiers would not arrive 
 until twenty minutes before four o'clock. Shortly before this time the 
 reception committee of fifty citizens formed in procession, under the 
 direction of the Marshal, and preceded by a band of martial music, and 
 followed by crowds of citizens, proceeded to the depot, while thousands 
 of citizens lined the brow of the bluff. Soon the locomotive whistle was
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT WAUKEGAN. 493 
 
 heard, and the cry arose, "Here they come!" and presently they were 
 with us, nay, not all of them; a fraction, rather. of the four proud 
 companies, numbering nearly four hundred, who went from us in Sep- 
 tember, 1862, reduced by battle, death and disease, to a little more than 
 six score. As the cars came to a halt, our one little gun gave forth its 
 notes of welcome; the bells rang out; the ladies waved their white hand- 
 kerchiefs, the emblems of truce and peace, the men doffed their hats 
 and broke forth in cheering long and loud. As the sturdy boys, browned 
 under Southern suns, leaped upon the platform, their valiant hands were 
 grasped with an earnestness that spoke louder than words the heartiness 
 of the welcome. 
 
 The procession was formed as follows: First, music; then the recep- 
 tion committee; then the soldiers; next, the citizens. In this order it 
 proceeded to the top of the bluff, where two long lines of fair young 
 ladies were formed in open ranks, through which the committee and sol- 
 diers passed; the young ladies showered boquets upon the veterans as 
 thick as the honors they had won, and then formed in, next to the sol- 
 diers, and remained in the ranks. The procession passed up Washington 
 Street to Utica Street, along Utica to Clayton, thence down Clayton to 
 Genesee, through Qenesee to Washington, and to and in front of Dickin- 
 son Hall, where a stand was improvised for speaking. C. W. Upton, 
 Esq., made the reception speech, formally welcoming the boys to their 
 homes, and to the enjoyments of peace which they had won by their 
 own prowess. The speech was excellent, and substantially in the follow- 
 ing words: 
 
 Soldiers of the glorious old NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOLUN- 
 TEERS, heroes of the Army of Liberty: 
 
 In behalf of your fellow citizens of this city, county, State and 
 Nation, I bid you welcome, welcome home; welcome, thrice welcome, 
 to the dear ones you left behind you; welcome to the state you have so 
 heroically defended; welcome to the people you have so nobly honored; 
 welcome, yes, from our hearts we bid you welcome home. 
 
 We forget not that you left us less than three years ago full 980 
 strong ; we forget not the terrible scenes of carnage and conflict through 
 which you have since passed, for we watched the record of your progress 
 with fluttering hearts and tearful eyes ; aye, we followed your every 
 footstep with our prayers, and to-day the joy of our meeting is saddened 
 by the painful fact that but 450 of your original number return to us, 
 530 gone 258 dead. Oh, what a fearful record ; how eloquently, ter- 
 ribly it speaks of dangers encountered, of toilsome march, of hunger 
 and thirst, of summer's heat in Southern clime, of winter's biting frosts, 
 of death in hospital and camp, and the terrific shock of battle. Yet 
 those martyred heroes still live, though their bones may rest in unknown 
 graves, nor monumental stone, nor marble slab may mark the place 
 where rests their uncofflned dust, their names and memory shall be cher- 
 ished, deep graven on a Nation's heart forever; and the startling glory of 
 their heroic achievements and brilliant deeds shall live embalmed in story 
 and in song while earth has a historic record, or tradition, or man a love 
 of liberty. But, dying that we might live, these martyr heroes have 
 bequeathed to us a priceless legacy. The widows, the fatherless babes, 
 oh, let it be ours to protect, support and comfort the one, educate, coun- 
 sel and sustain the other, and " with charity for all, with malice toward
 
 494: HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 none," doing always the right by these sorrowing, stricken ones, "as 
 God gives us to see the right," that they may know of a truth, "It is 
 sweet for one's country to die." 
 
 Soldiers of the Republic of Freedom, I need not recount your strug- 
 gles with the foe, or make mention of the fields made immortal by your 
 deeds of heroic valor ; they once were yours ; now, written in letters of 
 blood on the tablet of the past, one and all, they belong to history, and 
 there let them remain, a priceless legacy of bravery unsurpassed, of 
 heroism unequalled, the crowning glory of the nineteenth century yes, 
 of recorded time. 
 
 Soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH no more, citizens of the land you have 
 helped to save, welcome, welcome home. And, as in the fiery charge on 
 the field of battle, amid the dying and the dead, or baring your breasts 
 to the storm of death, as you held some key-point to victory, though 
 earth rocked with the thunders of battle, and the heavens were lurid 
 with its glare, the men of the NINETY-SIXTH never, no, never, once 
 turned their backs to the foe. So now in civil life; God and humanity 
 call upon you to face the enemies of your country over again, and never 
 turn your back upon your foe until it is established forever, that the 
 bayonet and the ballot are alike the hand-maids of freedom and Chris- 
 tian civilization, and that he who is called to carry the one shall not be 
 denied the other. Let your pass-word and countersign ever be, equal 
 and exact justice to all men, black as well as white ; that in coming time, 
 when age shall have bleached your locks to snowy whiteness, as the 
 anthem of praise shall be chanted again and again for that freedom of 
 all men, black as well as white, which you so nobly have helped secure 
 for our own land, and as you shall behold the glorious banner of the 
 stars, symbolizing and emblematic of a Christian civilization, and equal- 
 ity of all men, actual and existent here, floating in every breeze, hon- 
 ored, beloved and revered, jusst beneath the Cross of Christ ; then, oh, 
 then, next to the consolations of His glorious Gospel, shall break in 
 mild radiance on your departing souls that sum of human glory I, too, 
 was a soldier of that Republic. 
 
 ^ On behalf of the Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Hicks made a most 
 fitting and eloquent response, recounting the many dangers through 
 which the Regiment had passed, the many valiant acts which it had per- 
 formed, and thanking the citizens of Lake County for the honors which 
 they were doing their brave boys. 
 
 He said that these men went out at a time when it was known what 
 war was. The horrors of war had become a national experience. They 
 took the field knowing what was before them to fill up shattered ranks, 
 to sustain the brave boys who had gone before. 
 
 He spoke of his personal knowledge of what these boys had done 
 and suffered for their country ; he had been an eye witness of their con- 
 flicts and triumphs. 
 
 He told the citizens of Lake county that they could make no ade- 
 quate return for the brave deeds and noble sacrifices they had endured, 
 and congratulated them upon the return of such men to the peaceful 
 pursuits of citizens men who knew the value of their country and her 
 free institutions. 
 
 He then bade farewell to the boys with whom he had fought so long, 
 once soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH, now citizens of Illinois ; he spoke 
 touchingly of the dead they had left behind them, and said that in the 
 glory of these martyred heroes they, the living, had a share.
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT WAUKEGAN. 495 
 
 At the conclusion of Colonel Hicks' remarks, the soldiers were filed 
 into the hall and placed at the table, which actually groaned beneath the 
 weight of the choicest viands, prepared on a notice which, though short 
 indeed, yet in variety, excellence and profusion, has scarcely ever been 
 equalled by the ladies of Waukegan, who are so noted for their superior 
 taste and judgment in the preparing of public collations. 
 
 After the feast, cigars were provided, and while the boys were regal- 
 ing themselves therewith, H. W. Blodgett, Esq., addressed the assembly, 
 giving a concise history of the NINETY-SIXTH and its glorious record 
 since it entered the service, and once more welcoming them home. In 
 the course of his remarks Mr. Blodgett alluded to the ladies, who, from 
 the going forth to the coming home of the soldiers, have worked so 
 incessantly for their welfare. This brought out Colonel Hicks again, 
 who paid the ladies all sorts of pretty and appropriate compliments. 
 The soldiers here gave three rousing cheers. Three cheers were then 
 given by the citizens for the private soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH (the 
 officers had been previously complimented), which were given with a 
 will, and the boys were allowed to break ranks. 
 
 As quite a number of the returning soldiers failed to come up on the 
 special train, the committee and young ladies, with the music, were at 
 the depot when the six o'clock train arrived, which brought about twenty 
 more of the heroes. They were escorted to the hall and regaled as the 
 others had been, and welcomed in appropriate and elegant addresses by 
 Col. E. B. Payne and Hon. E. M. Haines. 
 
 With a tear for those who will ne'er be returned to us, but will ever 
 be held in memory dear, and a heartfelt welcome home to those who 
 have returned, we say, God bless all of the boys of the gallant NINETY- 
 SIXTH. 
 
 Companies A, E, F, H, I and K left Chicago on Thurs- 
 day, June 29, by special train. Many of the men left the 
 train at Warren, Apple River, and other points, but a major- 
 ity went through to Galena. At Warren there was a formal 
 reception, but, unfortunately, the local paper made no report 
 of what was said or done on the occasion. 
 
 At Galena, the soldiers were greeted and banqueted by 
 the citizens. The report which follows is from the Galena 
 Gazette, of Tuesday, July 4 :
 
 496 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 GLORIOUS RECEPTION OF THE NINETY-SIXTH REGI- 
 MENT ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 SPLENDID BANQUET AT THE DESOTO HOUSE. 
 
 SPEECHES, SENTIMENTS, ETC. 
 
 That portion of the gallant old NINETY-SIXTH which went from 
 our city, and this section of the county, in accordance with the public 
 expectation, arrived on the half past five train from Chicago, Thursday 
 afternoon. The twelve-pounder, "General Grant," made our hills to 
 echo with the announcement that our conquering heroes were coming. 
 An immense crowd assembled at the depot on the arrival of the train, 
 and cheer after cheer went up as the brave boys came out of the cars. A 
 procession was immediately formed, under the direction of Col. Rowley, 
 and accompanied by the Council Hill Band and the Dubuque Band, the 
 Regiment was escorted by the Citizens' Committee to the DeSoto House. 
 It then formed on Green Street. The house was beautifully decorated 
 with evergreens, and the following mottoes were hung out: 
 
 "WELCOME TO OUR BRAVES." 
 "You HAVE SAVED THE COUNTRY." 
 
 On the balcony a most attractive sight was presented, thirty-six 
 beautiful young ladies, dressed in white, waved a welcome to the war- 
 worn veterans, each one bearing the American flag. 
 
 After a patriotic song by Richard Seal, Esq., and others of our best 
 singers, the Regiment was then welcomed by Mr. Washburne. 
 
 ADDRESS BY HON. E. B. WASHBURNB. 
 
 Officers and Soldiers of the Ninety-Sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers: 
 The loyal and patriotic citizens of Galena have devolved on me the 
 pleasant duty of extending to you, in their behalf, a heartfelt and cordial 
 welcome. Brave, noble and patriotic men; three years ago you found 
 your beloved country assailed by perfidious and black-hearted traitors, 
 not only in the states then in open rebellion against our God-given gov 
 eminent, but by traitors in our own midst. Responding to the call of 
 duty and patriotism, you left your homes and hearthstones, and rallied 
 around the insulted flag of your country. The loyal men of Galena, and 
 of the county, have watched the brilliant career of your Regiment with 
 a pride that has never been subdued, and a faith that has never faltered. 
 We have gloried over the victories you have contributed so much to win, 
 and mourned over the many brave and noble men who went out with 
 you and who fell in the service. I am proud to be able, in this presence, 
 to bear testimony to the good standing which the NINETY- SIXTH has 
 always had. not only in the field of active service, but in Washington. 
 In recognition of its fighting qualities and of its soldierly deportment on 
 every field, the Secretary of War, kindly responding to my suggestion, 
 honored four of its officers by brevetting them from General to Major, 
 and never were honors more gallantly and justly won, or more worthily
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 First Sergeant LEWIS H. BRYANT. 
 JOSEPH SAVAGE. 
 
 Sergeant MARTIN EFINGER. 
 Corporal HENRY H. CUTLER. 
 
 LEONARD S. DOOLITTLE. 
 HIRAM CLARK.
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT GALENA. 497 
 
 bestowed. Going out from a city and county that have given to the 
 country that unrivaled and heroic soldier and incorruptible citizen, 
 Lieutenant General Grant, whose marvelous combinations and splendid 
 military triumphs made to succumb the gigantic and hideous rebellion, 
 and gave us peace and a restored union, it is a proud consolation to know 
 that in your hands his laurels have never been withered. During your 
 long and devoted service to your country, in which you have passed 
 through more battles and skirmishes than many of you can count 
 years, you have borne in triumph and glory the proud banner you now 
 bring back to us stained by no act unworthy of a soldier of the Re- 
 public, torn by shell, riddled by bullets, blackened by the smoke of a 
 hundred battles, you can proudly point to it as the most glorious evi 
 dence of the courage and heroism of the noble men who have carried it 
 in sunshine and in the storm-cloud of battle alike, through long years of 
 desperate and bloody conflict. Alas! how much precious blood has been 
 poured out beneath its ample folds; but never was blood shed in a more 
 holy cause, for it has watered the tree of liberty so it will grow and 
 flourish forever. You have wept over the fresh green graves of many 
 of your companions slain in battle; over the dead body of your brave 
 Lieutenant Colonel Clarke, and of others, falling bravely fighting on so 
 many bloody fields. 
 
 " When a soldier weeps o'er a brother's bier, 
 
 You may know that the brave is dead, 
 For never yet was a soldier's tear 
 Shed over a craven's head." 
 
 Returning, as you do, after all your perils, through battles and 
 marches and sieges, protected by the hand. of Providence, and spared to 
 come again among us, we embrace and congratulate you all, while we 
 weep for the unreturning brave, lostjto vta'and to the country, giving up 
 their lives that the nation might be.sgO'^aC'-/" tX/CTO 
 
 " Nor wife, nor children more shall they behold, 
 Nor friends nor sacred home." 
 
 How many of them have lingered and died in hospitals ! How many 
 of them languished and starved in rebel prisons ! How many of them, 
 maimed and wounded, will have to drag out a painful existence, and 
 alas ! how many of them now till bloody and undistinguished graves, 
 hastily buried upon the battle field by their companions, in the very spot 
 where they fell, and amid the roar of cannon and the clash of resound- 
 ing arms ! 
 
 " Slowly and sadly they laid them down, 
 
 On the field of their fame, fresh and gory, 
 They carved not a line, they raised not a stone, 
 But they left them alone in their glory." 
 
 With our rejoicings over your return, and over a country saved, we 
 mingle our tears for the noble dead of your Regiment who have fallen in 
 the Nation's defence. We will cherish their memory in our hearts. 
 Their deeds shall survive and be honored so long as liberty has a votary 
 among us. 
 
 Soldiers, again I bid you welcome to your homes. You come back 
 to us covered with immortal renown and bringing the untold blessings of 
 peace, conquered by your brave hearts and strong arms. Coming out of 
 the wilderness of civil war, you bring to us a restored Union and a 
 country " redeemed, regenerated and disenthralled by the genius of uni- 
 versal emancipation." Achieved at such frightful cost of blood, of treas- 
 ure, and of tears, these priceless results will be cherished forever in the 
 Nation's heart. 
 
 Men of the heroic NINETY-SIXTH, welcome ! welcome ! 
 
 32
 
 4:98 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Colonel Smith, briefly thanking the loyal people of Galena for the 
 magnificent ovation, called upon Lieutenant Colonel Hicks for a more 
 full expression of the sentiments of the Regiment. 
 
 ADDRESS OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL HICKS. 
 
 Citizens of Galena : 
 
 I am requested by Colonel Smith to express to you the thanks of the 
 Regiment for the generous, hearty welcome you have extended to us. 
 We are pleased to be with you, and to receive your congratulations that 
 our mission of warfare is ended. We rejoice with you that the long, 
 fierce, terrible conflict is over. 
 
 Three years ago we went out from among you, cheered by your 
 words of encouragement and kindly sympathy. Although the blood of 
 patriot heroes had, at that time, been profusely shed in the war, although 
 their graves were scattered by hundreds along the Tennessee, and were 
 crowded together by thousands in the swamps of the Chickahominy, yet 
 treason presented a bolder front than ever, and had developed itself into 
 the most thoroughly organized rebellion of which history makes men- 
 tion. In that crisis of her fate our country summoned these soldiers to 
 reinforce her decimated armies, to "fill the vacant ranks of their broth- 
 ers gone before," and to breast the tide of treason which was surging 
 northward and already approaching the Ohio River. You remember 
 how prompt was the response to that summons. These men, and their 
 compatriots, rushed to arms as if in literal response to the call of the old 
 Scottish chieftain, for they came 
 
 " as the winds come 
 When forests are rended," 
 came 
 
 " as the waves come 
 When navies are stranded." 
 
 They came, not in the flush of victory, but in the hour of gloom. 
 They came, after we had learned what a terrible scourge civil strife is, 
 after the sword had cut away the mask of martial glory from the face 
 of "grim-visaged war," and he presented himself in his most hideous 
 aspect. In that hour of need these soldiers enlisted, resolved to dare all, 
 to venture all, upon the field of battle, that their country might live. 
 With that high purpose they left you, cheered by your words of encourage- 
 ment and sympathy. 
 
 Now, after three years of varied experience as soldiers, on the 
 march, in skirmish and battle, in bivouac and camp, in hospital, and, 
 some of them, in prison, they have returned to receive your congratula- 
 tions that their work is done and well done. The rebellion is completely 
 conquered, and they may justly feel, what has been so eloquently ex- 
 pressed, that they have done their full share and suffered their full pro- 
 portion in effecting that result. Few regiments will claim to have borne 
 a distinguished part in three battles, more conspicuous in the annals of 
 the war, or more important in their bearing upon its issue, than the bat- 
 tles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Nashville. And hardly 
 any campaign, considering the number of battles fought, the leagues 
 marched, the miles of fortifications built, and the months of unremitting 
 skirmishing, day and night, will be replete with greater interest than 
 that campaign against Atlanta, in whose opening these soldiers partici- 
 pated in their skirmish at Rocky Faced Ridge, in whose progress they 
 were constantly engaged with the enemy; and whose closing was marked 
 by their capture of the enemy's rifle pits at Lovejoy's Station. When 
 the historian tells the story of Chickamauga; how disaster and ruin 
 seemed inevitable to the Army of the Cumberland; how Thomas was 
 barely holding the foe in check, fearing every moment the lines
 
 18C5J , RECEPTION AT GALENA. 499 
 
 would give way; how the reserve corps, at that critical moment was 
 rushed to the front, as a forlorn hope, and successfully stayed the further 
 progress of the enemy, and in the words of Thomas, "saved the army ": 
 when he tells that story, he may truthfully add that the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 more than any other one regiment of the reserves, contributed to that 
 result. You, our old friends, will permit me to repeat here what General 
 Steedman, our commander in this battle, has frequently said, that he 
 owes his double stars to the bearing of this Regiment at that time, and 
 that he never saw men fight as these soldiers fought at Chickamauga. 
 But then, he had never seen the 45th, nor any other regiment from this 
 region, in action, and did not know what sort of material you were ac- 
 customed to send to our armies. And when the poet sings the song of 
 the "battle above the clouds," where the contest was waged on the 
 heights of Lookout, while the great opposing armies on the plains below 
 watched it with wondering gaze, he should not overlook the fact that 
 the NINETY-SIXTH, climbing up to the base of the precipitous cliff, and 
 working their way along the side of the mountain, where a foothold 
 could scarcely be found, by a successful flank movement, drove the 
 enemy from his strongest position, and made the evacuation of the entire 
 mountain certain. And the orator, when he would, in future times, 
 incite his fellow citizens to emulate the heroism displayed in this war, 
 can hardly choose a nobler incident than the part borne by these soldiers 
 in the battle of Nashville, where an entire Rebel army was annihilated. 
 The capture of the enemy's works by this Regiment, together with a 
 battery and hundreds of prisoners, while our flag was borne most gal- 
 lantly ahead of us, is an incident of which any battalion might be proud. 
 
 For their bravery in these battles, and throughout their campaigns, 
 you, sir, have poured into their ears words of unqualified praise. I 
 shall disclaim not one word of that praise, which has been spoken 
 of the men in the ranks, and their officers of the line, many of whom 
 rose from the ranks. They deserve it all, and more. You can never 
 know, you can never express, the worth of such services as theirs. 
 When you have in every possible way shown forth your high regard, 
 your admiration, your gratitude, your love for these returning soldiers, 
 who have fought your battles, you will have fallen far short of the full 
 measure of their worth. I know whereof I speak, for I have witnessed 
 these men, your sons, brothers, neighbors, friends, day after day, ex- 
 hibit a gallantry, a valor, a noble, self-sacrificing devotion, equaled only 
 by the most illustrious examples of heroism in the annals of mankind. 
 
 It is exceedingly joyous to know that their valor need be no further 
 tested. It is indeed a pleasure that, new at home once more, they can 
 rejoice with you over the victory won, the country saved, the nation 
 redeemed, and freedom disenthralled. 
 
 We are reminded, in the midst of our joy, that many who received 
 with us your parting benisons, as we went to the wars, have not returned, 
 and will never return, to share with us in your welcoming plaudits. Oh, 
 if the country could have been saved by the expenditure of money and 
 material only, how gladly would we have doubled, have quadrupled our 
 immense national debt. But, since the world was, there has been no 
 salvation but by the shedding of blood; and, since governments were 
 instituted, the tree of Liberty (as has been said by him who welcomed 
 us), has taken deep root only in soil enriched by the blood of martyrs! 
 How largely has the NINETY-SIXTH added to the list of those martyrs! 
 How extensive is the field fertilized by their blood! Our fallen brothers 
 are lost to us, but, sir, you said truly, their names shall not be forgotten. 
 Their memories, forever blessed, shall be forever cherished, and their 
 graves held sacred as the shrines of Freedom. Their graves? Ah, in the 
 Valley of the Chickamauga, that "River of Death," th6 bodies of 
 many of them moulder to the dust, and " no man knoweth of their sep- 
 ulchre unto this day." They lie there, somewhere on that ensanguined
 
 500 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I* 
 
 field, in an unmarked tomb. It may not be for us to plant the laurel 
 with the cypress upon their grave; our tears may not fall upon it, nor 
 our requiem be chanted over it. Yet shall that unknown grave be cared 
 for. The creeping grass shall search it out and bedeck it with loveliest 
 verdure; the blessed dews of Heaven shall discover it and bathe it with 
 nature's tear-drops; the gentle winds, songhing through the pines, shall 
 surely find it, and wail an oft-repeated requiem over their tomb, while 
 the pleasant sunlight shall shine upon it, and shed an eternal halo of 
 glory around it. Their sepulchre is unknown, and the stranger may pass 
 thoughtlessly over it, and rude sounds of toil and mirth break in upon 
 the sacred quiet of the place. They will heed it not; they will sleep in 
 peace. Aye, my fallen brothers, hero martyrs, you may sleep on in peace; 
 for the crack of the slave-driver's lash, and the clank of human fetters 
 shall never be heard to disturb your repose, nor shall the footsteps of a 
 slave ever echo above your heads! Their place of sepulchre is hidden, 
 yet not so hidden but it shall be found when the archangel's trump shall 
 summon their bodies to rise in triumph and be clothed upon with glory. 
 We will not regret that their last resting place is somewhere on that his- 
 toric field; for few routes from Earth to Heaven are more direct than 
 those which have for their terrestrial termini the battlefields of Freedom. 
 
 We mourn for our brothers fallen in battle and not for them only. 
 We remember, as you,*sir, did not forget, the more pitiable fate of those 
 who have been wasted by disease and wounds, and lingered in hospitals 
 until their sufferings ended in the quiet of the grave. They were not 
 only deprived of the tender care of loved ones at home, but were also 
 debarred from the companionship of their comrades in the field. The 
 excitement of battle was not present to nerve them to greater endurance, 
 nor were their hearts animated by the cheers of their fellow-soldiers. 
 Alone among strangers, with patient fortitude they suffered and died in 
 the service of their country. They were as truly martyrs to their country 
 as if they had been slain on the field of battle by an open rebel foe, or 
 in some secluded chamber by a secret rebel assassin. 
 
 Most pitiable of all was the fate of those who, prostrated by sick- 
 ness, were compelled to endure the " tender mercies " of a foe who had 
 reduced cruelty to a system. Disease, at best, is misery ; how supremely 
 miserable, then, must have been the lot of our hapless comrades who 
 suffered from disease in the prisons of the South. Far away from all 
 friends, beyond the' reach of succor, supplied with neither needful care 
 nor nutriment, the little delicacies sent for their use under the sacred 
 white flag cruelly withheld from them, even the blessed sunlight and the 
 pure breath of heaven doled out to them in stinted measure how utterly 
 desolate was their fate. Their prayer every morn must have been, " Oh. 
 that the even were come," and at eventide, "Oh, that the morn were come!" 
 To them Death came, not as the King of Terrors, but rather as a friend 
 to remove them from such hells as Andersonville and Florence. We can 
 not, we will not, hold the arch traitor of all guiltless of the horrid 
 cruelties practiced in his prisons, where our comrades were deliberately 
 murdered with cold torture. His friends are urging that mercy be 
 extended to him. Mercy ? 
 
 " Mercy to him that shows it, is the rule ; 
 And he that shows none, being ripe in years, 
 And conscious of the outrages he doth commit, 
 Shall seek it, and not find it, in his turn." 
 
 When we sum up all the sacrifices of this Regiment during the war, 
 the aggregate is frightful. Death has been our constant companion. 
 He joined us as we left our first camp at Rockford, and when we reached 
 our last rendezvous at Chicago, even there he would not leave us nor 
 forego his demands. Ours is but one Regiment, and when we remember 
 that the history of its sacrifices is but one of a thousand similar his-
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT GALENA. 501 
 
 tpries, we can form some estimate of the infinite price paid for the salva- 
 tion and redemption of our country. 
 
 Thank God the sacrifice has not been in vain ! Thank God that, 
 even at such a cost, our country has been saved and purified. In four 
 years of war the work of centuries of peace has been accomplished for 
 us. The blessings in store for our land are beyond computation, nor can 
 we conceive how far-reaching will be their beneficent influences. You 
 do well, fellow citizens, to remember that, under God, you owe these 
 blessings to the soldiers. Because you have thus remembered these sol- 
 diers to-day, I again return you their thanks. And they would thank 
 3 p ou, not for this reception only, but for the kind interest you have always 
 manifested in the career of the Regiment. And we do not forget that 
 you have had work to do at home, to maintain peace here, while the sol- 
 diers were battling for peace in the field. To you, the loyal men of 
 Galena, we feel deeply grateful ; but for those who have had no word of 
 encouragement for the soldier, who have not lifted so much as a finger to 
 cheer and assist those who were fighting the battles of their country, 
 who would have thwarted every effort to save the nation, the returning 
 soldiers can feel only an indignant contempt. 
 
 Let me tax your patience a little longer, while I say a few words of 
 farewell to my fellow soldiers. 
 
 My friends and comrades, the three years of our companionship are 
 ended. For us no more the reveille shall sound, nor awakening drum 
 call us to drill and parade, nor bugles blow the onset to the charge. The 
 musket is to be exchanged for the maul and the mallet ; the sword is to 
 be hung up to rust, while sickles are brightened with renewed use. 
 
 It seems a long time that we have been associated .together. It is a 
 long time ; for 
 
 " We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; 
 In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
 We should count time by heart-throbs." 
 
 Counting time by "heart-throbs," how have the years of our sol- 
 dierly experience been lengthened out ! I trust those years are to you, 
 as to me, full of pleasant memories, and free from bitter recollections. 
 The great contest, which blended our different pathways of life into one, 
 is ended, and those paths again diverge, and we go our separate ways 
 into the world. But we will not forget one another. Our remembrances 
 of each other cannot cease with our parting. The ties which bind 
 together the mystic brotherhood are fragile compared with those which 
 unite in fellowship soldiers who, side by side, have breasted the storm of 
 battle, 
 
 " 'Mid death shots falling thick and fast." 
 
 No longer soldiers, you are now, as citizens, to mingle with your 
 fellow citizens, and join with them in pursuing the arts of peace, and 
 maintaining the blessings of our land. Those blessings are theirs and 
 yours in common; theirs by inheritance, but yours by purchase, and, 
 knowing the dear price of that purchase, you will not fail to maintain 
 them inviolate. I need not urge you to the fulfillment of every duty 
 which pertains to the citizen. I know you will cherish your reputations 
 as soldiers so highly that you will be especially careful to do nothing 
 which will in the least tarnish or efface it. 
 
 I congratulate you upon your return "home again " to those loved 
 ones whose hearts, "whose sympathies, whose prayers have been with you 
 always, and who, with you, will enjoy the blessings of reestablished 
 peace. Few will appreciate, few have reason to appreciate, those 
 blessings more highly than the mothers and wives of those who have 
 fought the battles of their country. My comrades, we know but little of 
 the sacrifices of woman in this war. The anxious care that slowly wears 
 the life away, the sorrow for which there is no balm; the anguish that
 
 502 HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 breaks the heart-strings, have fallen mainly to her lot. Believe me, the 
 sufferings you have endured have not been so acutely felt by yourselves 
 as by those whose lives were bound up in yours. But the supreme joy 
 of this moment of your safe return more than compensates for all the 
 weary hours of sorrow occasioned by your absence. They have long 
 watched and prayed and waited for your coming; and now that you have 
 come, victorious, their joy is perfect. There are those who may watch 
 and pray and wait never so long, yet will never be gladdened by the 
 sight of loved ones returning from the war. When mothers ask me for 
 their sons, whom I took with me to the battle field, but did not bring 
 back, what can I answer ? I can only say that when our roll was called 
 and their names were spoken, the response was not such as the com- 
 rades of the first grenadier of France were wont to give, " Dead on the 
 field of honor f" not that, but this : LIVING IN THE REALMS OP GLORY ! 
 Not here, but yonder shall be the triumphant meeting of mothers with 
 their martyred sons. Do they feel that their light of life, their joy, their 
 strength, their comfort is gone, and that they must bear their burdens of 
 sorrow to the grave, unsupported, desolate, and alone ? Let me assure 
 them that while soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH live, the bereaved mothers 
 of our fallen comrades shall not lack for sons. 
 
 My comrades, when you were about to enlist in the service of your 
 country, you were told that you would be rewarded for your services. 
 You will be. Not with wealth. Had wealth been your object, you 
 would never have been known as soldiers. Wealth could not reward 
 you. Not all the riches of Croesus could tempt a sane, reasonable man, 
 knowingly, to pass through the scenes in which you have borne a part ; 
 to stand where you have stood, facing the foe ; to fight as you have- 
 fought. 
 
 Nor will you be rewarded by Fame. Fame blew herself hoarse in 
 the first few months of the war, and has since utterly despaired of trum- 
 peting forth the merits of an one-hundredth part of the heroes of our 
 land. What can fame do, when every fourth man you meet is a hero ? 
 
 Nor will your highest reward come from the people. However much 
 they may admire you ; whatever they may seek to do for you (and such 
 a welcome as you have received proves that what they can they will do 
 for you) ; the people can never adequately reward you. Indeed, to a 
 considerable extent, you are, yourselves, the people. 
 
 Yet you will be rewarded. As the stream of time flows along, bear- 
 ing you on its course, and the events of to-day recede somewhat into the 
 distance, giving you a larger and broader view of them, enabling you to 
 perceive how transcendently great they are, the consciousness that you 
 bore no insignificant part in those events will be your reward. As you 
 behold the old flag, not a star lost, many a star added, every star shining 
 brightly in the constellation ; as you see in its stripes only the pure 
 " streakings of the morning's light," and no more the emblems of the 
 degradation of millions in our land ; when you see that flag waving in 
 triumph, the knowledge that it does wave in triumph, because you and 
 soldiers like you have borne it bravely over many a hotly contested field, 
 will be your reward. When you watch the renewed growth of our land, as it 
 becomes the strongest, freest, happiest, best land God ever blessed, you 
 will have your reward. As you learn how, throughout the wide world, 
 
 " Humanity, with all its fears, 
 And all its hopes of future years," 
 
 was "[hanging, breathless" on the issue of our contest ; as you witness 
 the influence of our free institutions pervading the earth, weakening the 
 power of tyranny, strengthening the hands of the free, giving hope to 
 the down-trodden, and making liberty possible in the old world, the 
 remembrance that you did not fail your country and humanity in their 
 hour of peril, will be your reward. When you think how thoroughly
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT GALENA. 503 
 
 you would have despised yourselves had our land passed through its 
 great trial unassisted by you, the fact that you acted the part of true 
 men will be your reward. Yes, the consciousness of duty performed, of 
 sacrifices unselfishly made for the sake of right, will be your all sufficient 
 reward. Every day you will be the happier for it ; every night your 
 sleep will be the sweeter for it, and your dreams more blessed. You will 
 ever feel that your manhood has been vindicated, strengthened, ennobled. 
 You would not barter away that consciousness for all the gifts that the 
 great and powerful of earth can bestow. You surely have your reward. 
 
 Nor shall I fail of reward for aught I may have done, if my hopes 
 are realized that you will retain for me, as your fellow citizen, that kind 
 regard which you have uniformly manifested toward me as your officer. 
 
 My comrades, I bid you farewell. May Heaven's richest blessings 
 ever be upon you ; may the added years of your life be years of happi- 
 ness ; and while you live, wherever your lot may be, GOD BE WITH YOU 
 GOD BLESS YOU ! 
 
 AT THE SUPPER TABLE. 
 
 After the conclusion of the speech of Lieutenant Colonel Hicks, the 
 Regiment then formed and proceeded to the splendid dining hall of the 
 DeSoto, where Mr. Baldwin, the excellent landlord, had prepared a mag- 
 nificent repast. The hall was decorated with innumerable flags and ban- 
 ners, arranged with exquisite taste. At the end of the hall was hung 
 the portrait of Lieutenant General Grant. But what added most to the 
 interest of the occasion, was one of the most touching and graceful com- 
 pliments of the kind ever paid to a returning soldier. The tables were 
 waited on by the wives and daughters of our citizens, distinguished for 
 their beauty, grace and patriotism, vicing with each other to do ready 
 honor to the bravery of the noble soldiers, who had done so much, not 
 only to put down the rebels of the South, but the rebels at home. 
 
 At the table Mr. Washburne presided, having on his right Colonel 
 Smith, and on his left Lieutenant Colonel Hicks. The Rev. Mr. Blinn 
 invoked a blessing. After the supper was over, many sentiments were 
 given. To the sentiment : "To the returned braves of the gallant 
 NINETY-SIXTH. They have the thanks and gratitude of all loyal hearts. 
 Health, happiness, prosperity, and length of days be with them," all the 
 citizens present arose and responded with nine hearty cheers. 
 
 To the sentiment offered by Colonel Smith : "The thanks of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH to the patriotic citizens of Galena (and particularly the 
 ladies), for their cordial and heartfelt welcome," the brave boys gave 
 such a " three times three and a tiger " as soldiers only can give. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Hicks proposed the following, which was received 
 with applause and enthusiasm : 
 
 The Hon. E. B. Washburne, our Representative in Congress, every- 
 where and at all times the faithful friend of the citizen soldier. 
 
 Mr Washburne proposed the following sentiment : 
 
 Our distinguished fellow citizen, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. 
 Grant, the unrivaled soldier, the incorruptible public servant, the honest 
 man. A nation's gratitude will bestow on him the highest honors of the 
 Republic. 
 
 This sentiment was received with the most unbounded enthusiasm. 
 The entire company arose and responded with nine hearty cheers, the
 
 504 HISTOKY OF THE 96xH B,EGiMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 ladies waving their handkerchiefs and the band striking up " Hail to the 
 Chief," etc. 
 
 The following is the beautiful poem welcoming home the Regiment, 
 by Rev. J. F. Yates. 
 
 COME HOME. 
 
 Come home ! old glorious NINETY-SIXTH, 
 
 The three years' work is done ; 
 Your proud war-record is complete, 
 
 Our country's cause is won ! 
 
 Come home ! for spirits such as yours, 
 
 No idle camp life suits 
 We want you to enjoy your fame, 
 
 And reap its precious fruits. 
 
 Come back ! you need not fear that word, 
 
 Which all the last three years, 
 Both rebels North, and rebels South, 
 
 Have shouted in your ears. 
 
 Come back ! come back ! the shameless hounds 
 
 Who howled upon your track, 
 Until you crushed foul treason out, 
 
 Now dread your coming back. 
 
 But in our welcome proud unite, 
 
 With mother, child and wife, 
 With sister or the dearer one, 
 
 The nation saved to life. 
 
 Aye, come, and bring the tattered flags, 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Hicks ; 
 You led our boys in deadly days, 
 
 How fares the NINETY-SIX ? 
 
 We know full well how went the day, 
 
 When you led on the strife 
 And paid for priceless victory, 
 
 With many a priceless life. 
 
 Nine hundred strong you proudly marched 
 
 In Eighteen Sixty-two, 
 How War's hot furnace melts brave men, 
 
 These ranks are witness true ! 
 
 But God be praised, ye still survive, 
 
 We feared you'd never come, 
 Brave remnant of old NINETY-SIX 
 
 Three times thrice welcome home ! 
 
 Welcome from Chickamauga's field, 
 Where first you fleshed your swords, 
 
 And though repulsed and sadly rent, 
 Held back the rebel hordes 
 
 And kept a heart as true as steel, 
 
 A heart no fear destroys, 
 Tho' on that plain the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 
 Left twice a hundred boys !
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT GALENA. 505 
 
 Come home from Moccasin Bend, sad spot, 
 
 Where horrors girt you round, 
 Where famine, foe and fell disease 
 
 Made camp a burial ground. 
 
 Come back from Buzzard's Boost, the place 
 
 If rumor truly saith 
 Where Charles and Harry Menzemer, 
 
 Met capture worse than death. 
 
 Come back from Lookout Mountain, too, 
 
 Where, wrapped in ether shrouds, 
 You won the wondrous heights and placed 
 
 Our flag above the clouds ; 
 
 Above the clouds that wreathed the mount, 
 
 Above the cloudy fears, 
 That had o'erhung our trembling hearts 
 For two long, doubtful years. 
 
 Come home from Rocky Face's Ridge, 
 
 Where, tithing blood again, 
 You paid for God and Liberty, 
 
 Near half a hundred men ! 
 
 Come home from famed Resaca, 
 
 Come from the Mount of Pines, 
 From Kenesaw's dread field of death, 
 
 March home the shattered lines. 
 
 Come back from proud Atlanta, 
 
 From Lovejoy's Station come, 
 From Franklin late, from Nashville last, 
 
 Old NINETY-SIX come home ! 
 
 Come home from Libby Prison house, 
 
 From Anderson's foul grave, 
 Come from the bloodhounds' cruel chase 
 
 Our Menzemer the brave. 
 
 We hail each war-worn private, 
 
 Ye all are chiefs to-day, 
 Our laurel wreaths are one for each, 
 
 We crown you chiefs for aye. 
 
 All hail the gallant Colonel Smith ! 
 
 Wounded one cruel night, 
 Chafing like lion in his cage 
 
 To be kept back from fight. 
 
 High record his, and nobly writ 
 
 In type the bullet set ; 
 Unniail his breast that ghastly scar % 
 
 Shows how he earned "brevet." 
 
 Welcome brave Rowan, ne'er before 
 
 Did shoulder wear the sign 
 Of noble rank, more nobly won, 
 
 Than that brave breast of thine ! 
 
 Our children know how in the fight 
 You scorned the rebel hail,
 
 506 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 And, when imprisoned, undermined 
 Libby's infernal jail. 
 
 And Captains and Lieutenants all, 
 Who won the glittering bars, 
 
 Proud symbols these but prouder far, 
 The soldier's glory-scars. 
 
 With you we welcome o'er again 
 Our late come honored wards, 
 
 Survivors of the Ninetieth, 
 The loyal Ryan Guards. 
 
 And here and there amid this throng 
 
 Of glorious war-worn boys, 
 We hail the shattered fragments 
 
 Of the Nineteenth Illinois. 
 
 Our hearts are calling other sons 
 
 From patriot banishment, 
 Why wait they so ? What ho ! the guard T 
 
 Surround the General's tent. 
 
 Arrest the chiefs take John E. Smith, 
 And bring the prisoner forth 
 
 Stop Maltby going to new command, 
 And turn him toward the North. 
 
 Bring Rawlins back, bring Chetlain back, 
 
 And let us see our men, 
 The high in rank, with rank and file 
 
 All level once again. 
 
 And O, come home, thou wondrous man,. 
 
 Who .never said I can't 
 We wait, we look, we long for you, 
 
 Come back Ulysses Grant ! 
 
 Call out the roll of NINETY- Sue, 
 What means this sileace dread ? 
 
 O God ! the scores who answer not 
 Are f urloughed to the dead ! 
 
 And come they not for calling them ? 
 
 Are they not with us too ? 
 In heart and thought they are, and more,. 
 
 I'll call them so shall you. 
 
 Come back, ye fallen brothers, come, 
 We mourn you long in vain, 
 
 You fought with brothers here, and fell, 
 Come, sit with us again ! 
 
 Hist ! Hist ! I hear a shadowy tread, 
 Like souls of soldiers slain, 
 
 'Tis them ! I feel the living dead 
 Are coming back again. 
 
 They're filing past us through this hall r 
 
 They beat no muffled drum, 
 In arms of Victory they died, 
 
 And victor-like they come !
 
 1865] RECEPTION AT GALENA. 507 
 
 Hark ! they are speaking, and the words 
 
 That to my soul are borne 
 Are these " One boon we ask of you 
 
 Who honor, love and mourn 
 
 ' ' Hold dear the trust we bought with life, 
 
 Dearer than your life-breath 
 Give mercy to the blinded crew, 
 But give their leaders DBA TH!" 
 
 The company then voted their thanks to the Council Hill Band, for 
 their patriotic conduct in coming to the reception, and discoursing their 
 eloquent music on the occasion. 
 
 The "Battle Cry of Freedom" and "John Brown" were sung with 
 great spirit, and amid thunders of applause. Cheer upon cheer went up 
 for Grant, Logan, Sherman, and other brave Generals, and all our heroic 
 private soldiers. At nine o'clock the company separated with nine 
 cheers for the " Union, now and forever," all seeming happy and delighted 
 with the satisfactory and joyful manner with which everything had 
 gone off. 
 
 The gallant soldiers of the NINETY-SIXTH must have been satisfied, 
 that while Galena is notorious for traitors, that nowhere do more loyal, 
 generous and patriotic hearts beat than in our own rock-bound city. 
 
 A ball was given in the evening to the boys of the Regiment at the 
 DeSoto, which was one of the largest, the most brilliant and successful 
 we have ever attended in this city. Everything went off happily and 
 gloriously till the wee small hours of morning. 
 
 Too much credit cannot be bestowed on Mr. Baldwin, for the very 
 handsome and creditable manner in which he got up the supper, and 
 made all the arrangements connected therewith. 
 
 Editorially the Galena Gazette said : 
 
 THE RECEPTION. 
 
 The reception given to the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment on Thursday, 
 was far from being a mere flourish of words or display of flags and ban- 
 ners. The cordial shaking of hands, the cheerful smile upon every 
 countenance in the room, nnd the tears of gladness which rolled down 
 the cheeks of the father and mother as they grasped the hand of the 
 brave son, were far more expressive than any outward display. These 
 warm greetings welled up from the hearts of our citizens and reached 
 the hearts of our noble boys. We never before attended so happy a 
 meeting. It was an occasion which no participant is likely ever to forget.
 
 08 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 
 
 BY LIEUTENANT CHARLES W. EARLE, CHICAGO. 
 
 Prisoners of War Two Men Captured at Franklin Two Captured from 
 Hospital Captain Rowan Attempts to Escape Capture of the 
 Wounded at Chickamauga Companies C and H Surrender on Mission 
 Ridge Fate of the Prisoners Personal Narratives of Survivors. 
 
 As I commence the chapters assigned to me by the Editor 
 of our Regimental History, I realize fully that it is not of bril- 
 liant campaigns and glorious assaults that I am to write. 
 
 In the daily life of the soldier, while with his own com- 
 mand, there is much to create enthusiasm, and the privations 
 which are incident to every one in any war are largely as- 
 suaged and relieved by the rapid changes and the varied 
 scenes and experiences of a soldier's life. 
 
 With the prisoner, however, it is different. Separated 
 from his command, exposed to the vicissitudes of weather, 
 deprived of proper food, and insulted by tyrannical guards, 
 his sufferings are indescribable, and, in large part, must remain 
 hidden in his own breast. 
 
 But few now live, however, to tell the story of the mire 
 and sand, the scorching sun and pitiless rains, the bodily pain 
 and mental anguish. Death came to many a happy relief 
 from such terrible sufferings, and the experiences of the vast 
 majority of those who suffered in rebel pens and prisons will, 
 forever, remain part of the unwritten history of those terrible 
 days. 
 
 Our Regiment, with the exception of the losses at and 
 immediately following the battle of Chickamauga, was remark- 
 ably fortunate in the number of men it had captured ; and, 
 while exposed almost daily either on picket duty, or on forage 
 excursions, or upon the field of battle, it was the rarest occur-
 
 CAPTURED AT FRANKLIN. 509" 
 
 rence for us to lose a man by having him fall into the hands 
 of the enemy. 
 
 The list, however, is long enough, and as our Regimental 
 Historian has been surprised, as his work progressed, to find 
 our casualties greater than he anticipated, so am I surprised 
 to find that the number captured is greater, and that in the 
 aggregate so many were obliged to submit to the cruel treat- 
 ment of those having Southern prisoners in charge. In the 
 following pages I shall try to follow out the history of every 
 man from the time of his capture till his release, either by 
 death, exchange, or escape, or by the close of the war. 
 
 Many of those captured died during their prison life from 
 disease and exposure, and but little of their history is known. 
 Concerning a few, all that I can say will be to give the place 
 and date of death, while of others I can only give a short ab- 
 stract of their privations, and a few representative facts toward 
 a complete history of prison life in one prison. I shall, so far 
 as possible, present these facts in the words of the sufferers. 
 As a matter of convenience, it seems best to present the expe- 
 riences of our captured men in the order of their capture. 
 
 The first men ever captured from the NINETY-SIXTH were 
 James Pimley and Patrick Conway, both members of Com- 
 pany F, who were taken prisoners near Franklin, Tenn., 
 March 7, 1863. The Regiment had moved to that point two 
 days before, and everything was new and curious to its mem- 
 bers. Not the least attractive feature in the near vicinity 
 was Roper's Knob, and thither went many of the command, 
 armed only with the passes of the commander of the Regiment. 
 This lofty and attractive peak was a mile or a little more from 
 camp, and partially in its rear, so that the trip was not sup- 
 posed to be attended with any risk. It was outside the picket 
 lines, however, and proved to be a dangerous resort. On the 
 day named, these soldiers, with others, were given passes, and 
 made their way to its top. After viewing the beauties of the 
 landscape for a time, one of them proposed a visit to a house 
 at the east of the hill. Objection was made by a companion, 
 William S. Nash, who was a brother-in-law of Pimley, not so 
 much because of any supposed danger as for the reason that
 
 510 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 he thought they would be going beyond the limits prescribed 
 by their passes. But inclination was strong, and the two 
 started off, promising their less venturesome companion that 
 if he would return to camp and get supper, they would bring 
 some butter when they came back. Going to the house, they 
 were readily promised some provisions by the family, but 
 before they were ready to take their departure a number of 
 Confederate cavalrymen stepped out from a room adjoining 
 the one in which they had been sitting, and ordered them to 
 throw up their hands. There was no alternative, for they 
 were unarmed and outnumbered, and, quietly submitting, 
 they were hurried off to Spring Hill, where they remained a 
 few days. When the Federal troops advanced, on the Duck 
 River expedition, they were moved southward, though not so 
 rapidly but that they once had a good view of the advance of 
 the Union forces, and were in plain sound of the skirmishing. 
 The thought of escape was ever uppermost in their minds, 
 but no favorable opportunity offered, and they were put 
 aboard the cars and sent to Richmond, where they were con- 
 fined for some months. Although prison life had not then 
 reached the refinement of cruelty subsequently attained, yet 
 their experiences were such as to be very unpleasantly remem- 
 bered. They were paroled and sent inside the Union lines 
 during the summer, being finally exchanged at St. Louis. 
 After a brief visit to their homes in Jo Daviess County, they 
 returned to the Regiment, reaching it in September, 1863. 
 They literally fulfilled their promise to Comrade Nash, and 
 brought him some nice fresh butter, but it was from Pleasant 
 Valley, Illinois, and not from Roper's Knob, Tennessee. 
 Their account of their adventure was eagerly listened to, and 
 many resolved on hearing them tell of the short rations, 
 cruelty and indignities to which they were subjected, even 
 the women spitting in their faces, that they would take des- 
 perate chances rather than be captured. Nash chided them 
 for being caught by " Butternuts " while after butter. Hardly 
 had their experiences been recounted when the great battle of 
 Chickamauga came. On the way to the right, on that fateful 
 Sunday, Pimley had a premonition that his end .was near and
 
 CAPTAIN ROWAN A PRISONER. 5 1 1 
 
 told a comrade his belief. He did not shrink from any duty, 
 however, but went bravely forward until his prediction came 
 true, for in the midst of the battle he fell to rise no more, 
 struck by a bullet. Conway was severely wounded in the 
 same engagement, but survived, and at the time of the writ- 
 ing of this sketch resides in Iowa. 
 
 The next members of the Regiment to be captured, so far 
 as is known, were Joseph Rogers and Edward Kearnaghan, 
 also of Company F, who were made prisoners at Danville, 
 Ky., by the Rebel General Pegram's forces, March 14, 1863. 
 Kearnaghan escaped in a short time, but Rogers was held for 
 several days and then paroled. Both had been sick in hos- 
 pital, but were convalescent at the time, and heartily thank- 
 ful to escape being carried off into a long captivity. 
 
 Captain Charles E. Rowan, of Company F, was captured 
 on Saturday afternoon, September 19, 1863, during the bat- 
 tle of Chickamauga. He was at the time on the staff of 
 Gen. Whittaker, commander of the Brigade, and had ridden 
 to the front near the right of the line, with orders, when he 
 unexpectedly found himself, at the turn of a wooded road, in 
 the midst of a large force of the enemy. His first impulse 
 was to ride through the line, and this he undertook to do, 
 when a bullet or two was sent through his clothing, and his 
 horse, being caught by a soldier, came to a halt. The Cap- 
 tain had passed over that very ground a half hour before, and 
 did not know that the right of the Brigade had been retired, 
 while he was upon another part of the field, in order to pro- 
 tect its flank. 
 
 Surrender was imperative, and, gracefully as possible, he 
 dismounted and submitted to being deprived of his imple- 
 ments of warfare. That night he was kept at a camp fire 
 near the cavalry reserve, with a single guard over him, but 
 with many armed men about him. He watched for an oppor- 
 tunity to escape, and once during the night, discovering that 
 his guard was apparently napping, crawled partially from 
 under his blanket, intending to spring upon a horse standing 
 near by and ride into the Union lines, taking his chances of 
 being shot by the pickets on both sides. But the guard was
 
 512 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 only feigning sleep, and remarking, " See here, Yank, haven't 
 you gone about far enough ?" drew up his rifle, and the Cap- 
 tain, thinking the range too close, concluded to wait. Next 
 day he was marched to Ringgold, with others, where he 
 boarded the cars for Richmond. While near Vining's Sta- 
 tion, Ga., he and a Sergeant with whom he had become some- 
 what acquainted, jumped from the moving train, in the night, 
 unobserved by the guards, and started northward. During 
 the trip they had met trains bearing Rebel reinforcements 
 toward Chattanooga, and had learned the name or number of 
 one or more regiments. They traveled safely for several 
 nights. One of the formidable obstacles in their way was 
 the Etowah River, above Allatoona. Knowing little as to the 
 bridges or wagon roads in that vicinity, they determined to 
 follow the railroad. Near the river they could see the camp 
 of the enemy, but as the hour was late they passed unmo- 
 lested. At the bridge a sentry was discovered, but in the 
 darkness the Rebel did not detect the color of their uniforms, 
 and as they came from the rear, permitted them to come 
 close up before calling to them to halt. To this sentry they 
 stated that they were members of a Confederate regiment 
 naming one that they knew had passed that way and that 
 they had gone to a house at a way station for something to 
 eat, when the train pulled out and left them. They had 
 waited, they said, expecting to take the next train, but learn- 
 ing that most of the trains did not stop there, had concluded 
 to walk to Cartersville, where they were certain to be taken 
 on. The story was so plausible, and they plead so hard with 
 him, as an old soldier, not to arrest them, that, he allowed 
 them to pass. The guard at the north end of the bridge, 
 supposing that they must be all right because of having been 
 permitted to pass the first sentry, was easily put off without 
 much explanation, and they were soon out of all immediate 
 danger. 
 
 Pushing northward for the two or three succeeding nights, 
 they had completed almost a hundred miles, when the Ser- 
 geant gave out in utter exhaustion. They had no rations when 
 they started, and had found but little food along the road.
 
 CHAS. WARRINGTON EARLE. 
 
 FIRST LIEUTENANT COMPANY C.
 
 CAPTURED AT CHICKAMAUGA. 513 
 
 The Captain reluctantly parted with his helpless companion, 
 and kept on for another day. But the demands of hunger 
 could not be refused, and he at last determined to go to a 
 house and get something to eat. Having previously obtained 
 a grey coat and hat from a negro, he attempted to pass him- 
 self oft for a Confederate. His request was complied with, 
 and he was about to partake of his first full meal for a week, 
 when he heard the sound of horses' feet and the clanking of 
 sabres. Turning, he saw some Rebel cavalry approaching 
 the house. Instantly he fled, knowing that he could not carry 
 his deception farther. Leaving by a rear door he ran to the 
 timber and endeavored to escape, but the family pointed out 
 his course and in his weak condition the Confederates were 
 able to quickly ride him down and again make him a prisoner. 
 He told a straight story, and after being provided with food 
 was again placed upon a train, this time being so closely 
 watched that escape was impossible. He was within twenty- 
 five miles of Chattanooga when re-taken. Arriving at Rich- 
 mond, October 10, he was incarcerated in Libby Prison, his 
 experiences there and his final escape being shared by the 
 writer of this chapter, and detailed, further on. 
 
 The captures during Sunday, September 20, the closing 
 day of the terrific battle of Chickamauga, were very numer- 
 ous, many of the severely wounded being left upon the field. 
 There was no organized force of stretcher-bearers in the 
 Reserve Corps, and only such of the wounded as could walk, 
 or a few who were assisted by their comrades, were able to 
 reach Rossville that night. Then, too, the nature of the bat- 
 tle on the right was such as to make it exceedingly difficult 
 to render any assistance to the wounded. Almost the entire 
 afternoon was occupied with charges and counter-charges, the 
 Regiment alternately advancing and falling back, driving the 
 enemy only to be driven in turn. Some who were carried 
 quite a distance, or who, having walked for a mile or two 
 toward the rear, became too weak or fatigued to continue on, 
 fell into the enemy's hands next morning. Nearly all of 
 those who survived the trying experiences of the ten days 
 immediately following the battle, where few had either med- 
 33
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ical or surgical attendance, and where none had food either 
 adequate to their needs or suitable for wounded men, were 
 paroled and sent within the Union lines at Chattanooga. 
 
 Those who fell into the enemy's hands on Sunday, or early 
 on Monday, and were paroled as mentioned above, were 
 Sergeant-Major Francis P. Quinn, John W. Connor, of Com- 
 pany A ; Color-Corporal Hamilton C. Whitney, of Company 
 B ; Sergeant Edward Murray, Corporal George C. Dodge, 
 Leonard S. Doolittle and Orrin Howe, of Company C ; Ed- 
 mund S. Stevens, of Company D ; Stephen F. Blackstone, 
 Thomas B. Martin, Henry Mack, Dennis O'Leary, John A. 
 Bush and^Sergeant William H. Bobbins, of Company E ; 
 J!kLwsrd^f'rearae, A ojr Company F ; Daniel Benson, Thomas 
 Davis, Joseph Darby, and William H. Wheeler, of Company 
 G ; Corporal Thomas Morris, James J. Curry, Thomas K. 
 Johnson and Norman P. Ward, of Company H ; Hiram H. 
 Hamilton and Henry Schultz, of Company K. 
 
 Of the twenty-five men thus paroled, all were severely 
 wounded, nine dying within a short time, and but four of the 
 entire number ever again joining the command. Of others 
 left on the battle field, Squire In man, of Company C, and Ser- 
 geant Isaac Quigley, of Company D, died before their ex- 
 change was effected. Several others who were alive when 
 last seen by their comrades, on Sunday, and some whom it 
 was at least faintly hoped might be brought in, were never 
 afterward heard from, and doubtless died upon the field 
 within a few hours. Of these there may be mentioned 
 Corporal David Isbell, of Company A ; Emery Dart, of 
 Company B ; William Bonner and John H. Ehlers, of Com- 
 pany C ; Elias Hosley and James Rich, of Company D ; 
 Daniel Harrington, of Company E ; John Bowman and Henry 
 Bonitell, of Company I ; Anson Brinkerhoff, Joseph S. Bow- 
 ken and Darius W. Kenney, of Company K. 
 
 Many of those who were paroled had most trying experi- 
 ences, especially during that terrible Sunday afternoon. Some 
 lay between the lines, exposed to the fire of both armies 
 through the long hours, suffering terribly from thirst and the 
 added fear of being again wounded, a fear that proved a
 
 CAPTURED. AT CHICKAMAUWA. 515 
 
 reality in some cases. Orrin Howe, of Company C, says that 
 while lying between the lines a shell exploded within a few 
 feet of him, terribly mangling the body of a color guard. 
 Howe, with others, was carried some distance next morning 
 and left in the woods. Two days later he was taken to a 
 house, and afterward to some sheds. He was paroled Sep- 
 tember 30, and subsequently discharged for disability result- 
 ing from his wound. 
 
 The experiences of all of those who survived were simi- 
 lar, and are well told by several of the comrades in the para- 
 graphs which follow. 
 
 Sergeant Edward Murray, of Company C, was one of the 
 many who were severely wounded in the advanced position 
 taken by the Regiment in the afternoon. He was struck in 
 the shoulder by a bullet which completely paralyzed his lower 
 limbs, and rendered him entirely helpless. There was no 
 opportunity to assist him to the rear, and when the line fell 
 back he was left in the enemy's hands, and during a consid- 
 erable part of the afternoon was between the two lines, 
 exposed to the fire of both friend and foe. While in this 
 position he was wounded a second and third time, but the 
 effect of the first bullet was such that he suffered very little 
 pain. One of the bullets passed through his arm, lodging in the 
 sleeve of his blouse, and is still retained as a relic. Another 
 wounded him in the hip, and a fourth hit his tin cup. He 
 asserts that the Union lines did not again reach the posi- 
 tion where he was wounded after the first charge. At night 
 the Rebels bivouacked at the foot of the hill, a short distance 
 from where he lay, so near him that he could hear the noises 
 of the camp quite distinctly. They were very jubilant over 
 some prisoners that they had in charge, and some stands of 
 colors which they had captured. After a time some of them 
 came, in response to the calls of a wounded man, to whom 
 they gave water and carried to a camp fire. He managed to 
 make himself heard and they soon came to his assistance, 
 carried him to the fire and provided him with a butternut 
 blanket, one of them saying that it was too cold a night for a 
 wounded man to be allowed to remain uncovered. There
 
 516 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 was little sleep that night, for many were wounded all about r 
 and some of them were calling for water. Portions of the 
 Rebel army were arriving from Ringgold a considerable part 
 of the night. Early in the morning the officers called some 
 stretcher-bearers, and Murray with others was taken from the 
 field. He was near a house where a large number of the 
 wounded of both armies had been taken. A lady at the house 
 gave the wounded every attention her limited means would 
 allow. She sold her chickens, but reserved the right to cook 
 them and retain the broth, which she distributed, giving a 
 half pint daily to each of those who needed it most, of whom 
 Murray was one. The fourth day after the battle some Union 
 surgeons gave him a little attention, but left him with the 
 remark that u there was another poor fellow who could not live 
 long." They cut off a portion of his clothing in making an 
 examination of his wounds, and as this was not replaced, he 
 suffered severely from cold, being nearly frozen every night. 
 A Rebel gave him a piece of blanket, through which he cut two 
 armholes and wrapped it around his body, putting his blouse 
 over it and thus partially protecting himself. There were 
 several deaths among the wounded every night. The bodies 
 of those who died were carried to a fence a short distance 
 away and thrown in a pile, and the stench soon became 
 unbearable. On Sunday, September 27, just one week after 
 the battle, he, with others of the wounded, was loaded in a 
 wagon and taken to some tobacco sheds, going in the direc- 
 tion which took them directly across a portion of the field 
 where the fighting had been severe. The route was strewn 
 with dead men and horses ; and gun carriages and caissons, 
 splintered to pieces, covered portions of the field. The 
 wounded were so numerous that only a small part of them 
 found shelter in the buildings where he was left. Many died 
 at this point, among them Squire Inman, of Company C. 
 Before his death he gave to Sergeant Murray a number of 
 articles which he had kept in his pocket, requesting him to 
 send them to his friends in Lake county, which request was 
 faithfully complied with. On the Tuesday following, the 
 wounded were paroled, and Sergeant Murray was so fortunate
 
 CAPTURED AT CHICKAMAUGA. 517 
 
 .as to be placed in one of the first ambulances and taken to 
 Chattanooga. Every one was given a "whisky sling" to 
 strengthen him for the journey. Arrived at Chattanooga, 
 Murray was provided with clean clothing and given needed 
 surgical attention. He again heard the surgeons remark, 
 " here is another poor fellow," but he was determined to dis- 
 appoint them, and in the course of a few weeks was able to 
 be sent North, and finally arrived at home. His recovery 
 was by no means complete, and although he still lives, he is 
 a mere wreck of the strong man who entered the service 
 in 1862. 
 
 Daniel Benson, of Company G, was wounded in the first 
 charge, but escaped immediate capture, and was helped back 
 quite a distance on the Road to Rossville and left at an old 
 house. The army retiring beyond this point, he, with about 
 twenty others, including Sergeant Major F. P. Quinn, was 
 captured next morning. After being moved from place to 
 place on the Chickamauga battle field during the ten days 
 following, he was paroled, but was not able to join the Regi- 
 ment for more than a year. 
 
 Corporal George C. Dodge, of Company C, was among 
 those to fall into the enemy's hands at Chickamauga. When 
 the Regiment was at one of the most advanced and one of 
 the most exposed positions occupied during that fateful after- 
 noon, he was severely wounded above the right ankle, just 
 after the retreat had commenced. The wound made it impos- 
 sible for him to fall back with the command. Lying down 
 beside a log upon the side toward his friends, he was com- 
 paratively safe for a time, but as the Rebel line advanced and 
 the Union forces gave ground, he soon perceived that he was 
 in the most danger from Yankee bullets, and shifted his posi- 
 tion to the south side of the log. In a few moments the 
 enemy's line was abreast of him. A Rebel picked up his gun, 
 examined it, and threw it aside, as earlier in the engagement 
 a ball had carried away part of the stock. Presently a wounded 
 Rebel demanded that he accompany him to the rear. 
 Somewhat reluctantly he joined the man in grey and made 
 .his Way back, walking with great difficulty. Finding that his
 
 518 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 wound was bleeding profusely, he had, before this, corded 
 the limb above the wound with a canteen string, which caused 
 the foot to swell greatly and made it necessary to cut off shoe- 
 and stocking ; on doing which he found the ball, which had 
 passed through the leg and stopped in the stocking. The 
 Rebel was but slightly wounded and kindly gave him much 
 assistance, so that he was able to reach a log house, where he- 
 remained that night and for several succeeding days. On the 
 way to the rear he was astounded to see large numbers of 
 apparently fresh troops, and to learn that they had not been 
 in action at all, but had just arrived upon the field. Know- 
 ing the condition of the Union forces, how every available 
 man seemed to be in line and all exhausted and nearly out 
 of ammunition, it was a time of anxiety with him, but he 
 was not prepared to believe the statement of a Rebel officer 
 who told him that the Union army was routed and would be 
 driven into the Tennessee River or capture'd before sundown. 
 Making himself as comfortable as possible, he settled down 
 for the night, and took what pleasure he could from the fact 
 that there was still sufficient firing in the near front to indi- 
 cate that his comrades were keeping up the unequal contest, 
 and that the Rebel forces were not yet as victorious as the 
 over-confident officer had claimed. The Provost Marshal 
 gave him a Yankee blanket, and his captors, while not wast- 
 ing much sympathy or attention upon him, treated him kindly, 
 and did not at any time take from him any articles of value. 
 Finding a Rebel who seemed to have in his make up a quality 
 usually supposed to belong wholly to the Yankee, namely, 
 a disposition to " swap," Dodge traded his empty tin can- 
 teen, which had been deprived of its string, for a full, wooden 
 canteen. There were a goodly number of chickens and duck& 
 about the house, and the wounded prisoners clubbed together 
 and bought the lot of the family living there. The men 
 dressed and cooked them, and thus helped out the meagre 
 rations very materially. Dodge lay outside with Squire 
 Inman, as the house was full of Rebel wounded. During the 
 ten days that he was inside the Confederate lines he received 
 no medical treatment, but about the third day some Federal
 
 CAPTURED AT CHICKAMAUGA. 519 
 
 surgeons gave him sorae bandages. By their advice he did 
 not remove the cord from about his limb, fearing a hem- 
 orrhage that might prove serious, if not fatal. For some 
 days the wound was not very painful, but toward the last of 
 his captivity it became very troublesome, and would doubt- 
 less have resulted in the loss of .the limb had surgical atten- 
 tion been much longer delayed. Finding an old saw about 
 the house, he made a pair of crutches, the material used 
 being a light cedar telegraph pole.. With this he was able to 
 get about and attend to the duties necessary to health and 
 comfort. Having a good watch, he was . able to sell it and 
 thus have money with which to buy the articles of food occa- 
 sionally offered. The price received for the watch was twenty- 
 eight dollars, one-half of the amount being in greenbacks and 
 the remainder in Confederate money. Soon he found a man 
 whose faith in the Southern cause was such that he was will- 
 ing to trade greenbacks for the Confederate promises to pay, 
 and an exchange was made. 
 
 During all this time the only ration issued by the authori- 
 ties in charge of this improvised hospital waa a half-pint of 
 thin mush twice a day, cooked without salt. Fortunately 
 Corporal Dodge, while hobbling around on his crutches one 
 day, saw a Rebel soldier lay some salt upon a board near 
 him. Accosting the soldier he obtained permission to gather 
 up the precious material, and thus was able to season his food 
 for a while. 
 
 After a few days all of the wounded gathered about the 
 house were placed in wagons and taken to some extensive 
 tobacco sheds, where were a very large number of Federal 
 wounded. At the house there had been but two or three of 
 the NINETY-SIXTH, but at the sheds there was quite a squad. 
 He is unable to give a complete list of them, but it is prob- 
 able that all who were left upon the field and had survived 
 up to that time were at these sheds. He distinctly remem- 
 bers that Sergeant Murray, Leonard Doolittle, Squire Inman, 
 of Company C ; Edmund Stevens, of Company D, and Joseph 
 Darby, of Company G, were among the number. Squire 
 Inman seemed to be less seriously wounded than many of the
 
 520 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 others, but it soon became evident that he was losing ground, 
 and in a few days, to the surprise of most of those who knew 
 him, he died. 
 
 From the first, those who were not so seriously wounded 
 as to lose their appetites, were almost constantly hungry, the 
 small allowance of mush twice a day not being sufficient to 
 satisfy those strong, hearty men. It was therefore with great 
 pleasure that the prisoners learned of the arrival of some 
 hard-bread, sent inside the lines, under a flag of truce, by 
 the Quartermaster at Chattanooga about a week after the 
 battle. Never before had hard-tack tasted half so good to 
 them as when they ate it under those old tobacco sheds in 
 Northern Georgia, after a week in which unseasoned corn- 
 meal mush had formed the almost exclusive diet. During 
 the ten days following the battle many of the slightly wounded 
 were sent to the prisons far in the South. There were daily 
 rumors of an exchange, but it was not until September 30 
 that the rumors proved well founded. Then, to the great 
 delight of the weary, wounded men, the Federal ambulances 
 came to the sheds and the work of paroling the prisoners 
 began. Corporal Dodge was so fortunate as to be taken with 
 the first lot, and reached the hospital in Chattanooga in safety. 
 From there he was transferred northward, and finally dis- 
 charged from the Marine hospital at Chicago, August 18, 
 1864. His wound is still troublesome, rendering him quite 
 lame at times. Life was cheered even while a prisoner by a 
 good many humorous incidents and in other ways, which, did 
 space permit, he would gladly relate. 
 
 Corporal Hamilton C. Whitney, of Company B, was 
 wounded just before the battle closed and after it had begun 
 to be dusk, being the last one of the color guard. At that 
 instant the Union forces fell back, and he soon found himself 
 helpless and alone. In fact those who saw him fall and 
 hastily examined his wound, pronounced him dead. It is 
 probable that he was temporarily unconscious. The Rebel 
 line soon passed over him, taking his haversack, canteen and 
 gun. He was carried to another part of the field, but got no 
 rations for five days, and then only about a gill of corn-meal
 
 CAPTURED AT CHICKAMAUGA. 521 
 
 gruel. Exposed to the scorching rays of the sun by day and 
 the chilling dews and frosts by night, he suffered greatly. At 
 his request a Rebel cut off his shirt, which was stiffened with 
 blood, leaving him but poorly clad, as his blouse gave little 
 protection at night. The unburied dead lay all about, and the 
 stench grew to be almost unendurable. Whitney was taken 
 inside the Union lines about October 1, and after ten months 
 confinement in various hospitals was discharged. 
 
 Edmund S. Stevens, of Company D, was severely wounded 
 by a bullet which, passing through his left lower rib, lodged 
 against his spine and left him unconscious for some hours. 
 Captain Blodgett took his effects and reported him dead. 
 Great was the surprise and joy of his comrades to learn, ten 
 days later, that he was alive and had been paroled and sent 
 within the Union lines. He regained consciousness at dark 
 and was carried to a house where, on the Tuesday following, 
 the bullet was removed by a Rebel surgeon. From Tuesday 
 to Thursday he was without food. He reports that Sergeant 
 Quigley, of Company D, died some days after the battle. 
 Sunday, September 27, he was placed in an army wagon and 
 taken to the tobacco sheds. There the wounded were placed 
 in long rows, with very few attendants, and the cries for water 
 were constant and agonizing. Eleven days after the battle he 
 was taken to Chattanooga, and thence northward, being 
 assigned to various hospitals and finally to Camp Chase, Ohio, 
 for exchange. He was subsequently detailed in a Govern- 
 ment printing office at Nashville, from which he received his 
 final discharge in May, 1865. 
 
 But not all of those captured on that memorable Sunday 
 were so fortunate as to be paroled at the end of a ten or 
 twelve days' confinement. Josephus Metcalf, of Company A, 
 was rendered unconscious by a bullet which scalped him 
 slightly, but regaining consciousness a little later, found 
 himself a prisoner. His comrades supposed him dead, and 
 so reported, but learned of their mistake a few months later. 
 Metcalf was confined at Richmond two months, and then 
 taken to Danville, Va., where he shared the horrors of the
 
 522 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 bitter cold winter of 1863-4. He was exchanged in the early 
 summer of 1864, and joined the Regiment soon afterward. 
 
 First Sergeant Ambrose A. Bangs, of Company B, became 
 detached from the Regiment near the close of the battle on 
 Sunday evening, and found himself in the ranks of the 22d 
 Michigan, just before they made the final charge when they 
 were taken prisoners. He was taken with 800 others and 
 marched to Dalton, Ga., and then sent by cars to Richmond, 
 Ya., remaining there until November 20, 1863. From Rich- 
 mond he was taken to Danville, Va., and with others was 
 quartered in a tobacco factory until May 10. From Danville 
 he went to Andersonville and made his camp under one of 
 the three pines near the southeast corner of the stockade. 
 He was soon taken sick, and about June" 1 was sent to the 
 hospital, where he remained until October 18. He then went 
 back to the stockade, remaining until November 10 ; thence 
 to Millen, remaining there until November 18, when he was 
 sent to Savannah, and released November 20, 1864. He was 
 provided with passage from Savannah to Annapolis, Md., on 
 the steamer Blackstone, being landed about December 1, and 
 shortly afterward furloughed to his home in Lake county, 
 where he was permitted to remain for some months, until 
 partially recovered from his long confinement. He rejoined 
 the Regiment at Shields' Mills, Tenn., in April, 1865, being 
 immediately promoted to First Lieutenant. He at present 
 resides at Odebolt, Iowa, and still suffers from the effects of 
 his long captivity. 
 
 Eli Thayer, of Company D, was struck on the head by a 
 bullet and rendered unconscious for a time. Recovering, he 
 found himself a prisoner of war. He shared the experiences 
 in the prisons at Richmond, Danville. Andersonville and 
 Florence, and died at the latter place of " camp fever " in the 
 early spring of 1865. 
 
 George W. Dimick, of Company E, was twice wounded,, 
 and became a prisoner, although at the time his comradea 
 believed him to have been killed. A bullet striking under 
 his left eye, ranged downward, and was subsequently taken 
 out back of the left ear. Being able to walk, he was sent ta
 
 CAPTURED AT CHICKAMAUGA. 523 
 
 the prisons at Richmond, Danville and Andersonville. His 
 eye was so injured that he lost the sight of it, and the other 
 became very weak. It is understood that he received a 
 wound in the body and that a bullet was removed from his 
 person at Atlanta, while .en route to Richmond. Although 
 having small-pox while at Danville, he kept up wonderfully, 
 and was of great assistance to many of his comrades for a 
 year or more. At last his strength gave way, and it is sup- 
 posed that he died from the prevailing prison fever, almost in 
 sight of the old flag, at Wilmington, N. C., although definite 
 information is lacking. 
 
 Charles F. Hayth, of Company E, was slightly wounded 
 in the ankle, and might have made his way back to Rossville. 
 Being naturally kind-hearted, he yielded to the earnest solici- 
 tations of some comrades who were severely wounded, and 
 stopped at a house to give them needed attention, running the 
 risk of capture that he might minister to their wants. In a 
 few hours he was a prisoner, but was not at once sent off, 
 being permitted to nurse his comrades for a few days. The 
 Rebels took from him all personal effects, but their better 
 natures prompted them to return his mother's picture, which 
 was thus left as his only solace. He reported another kind 
 act on the part of his captors, in permitting him to catch and 
 kill a hog in order that the Union wounded might be better 
 fed. He subsequently made the rounds of the several pris- 
 ons, being in captivity seventeen months, when he was ex- 
 changed and sent home, so badly broken in health that he 
 died at his home in Shullsburg, Wis., October 18, 1865. 
 
 Bennett Holtcamp, of Company F, was captured during 
 the engagement. Reports are conflicting as to whether he 
 was wounded or not. He was a prisoner for nearly fourteen 
 months, and died at Andersonville, Ga., November 16, 1864. 
 
 Charles D. Bunce, of Company H, was captured during 
 the battle, having been, it is understood, slightly wounded. 
 He was a prisoner until November, 1864, and was then ex- 
 changed ; rejoined the Regiment in the spring of 1S65. 
 
 James F. Champlin, of Company K, was captured during 
 the engagement and endured a long experience in the various.
 
 .524 HISTORY OF THE 96xn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 prisons, being finally exchanged and returning to the Regi- 
 ment near the close of the war. His health was badly broken 
 ~by his long confinement, and he died ten years after his dis- 
 charge. 
 
 Thomas C. Graves, of Company K, received a wound in 
 the foot that prevented his getting off' the field, and, as a con- 
 sequence, he became a prisoner. Being able to march, he 
 was hurried off to Dalton, and by cars to Richmond. He 
 shared in the hardships and privations of a majority of the 
 prisoners in the Southeast, being a boarder with the Confed- 
 eracy for seventeen months, returning home too badly debili- 
 tated to ever rejoin the command. He is now residing at 
 Ashley, ill. 
 
 Captain A. Z. Blodgett, of Company D, was practically a 
 prisoner for a few moments, being thrown to the ground by 
 the fall of a heavy tree-top which, striking his head and back, 
 rendered him unconscious. This was during one of the retro- 
 grade movements, and in a moment the Rebels were swarm- 
 ing all about him. It was not long, however, until the Union 
 lines advanced and he was released from his perilous position. 
 
 Corporal Henry P. Barnum, of Company C, was so badly 
 wounded through the face as to cause faintness, and was un- 
 able to fall back with the lines. The Rebels soon passed him, 
 one of them stopping, at his earnest request, to. give him 
 water. Weak and faint, he lay down, and was soon grati- 
 fied at seeing the enemy fall back and the Union forces 
 .advancing. He was a prisoner but a few moments, but fully 
 as long as he cared to be. His wound healed quickly, and 
 he was with the command in a few weeks, only to be wounded 
 still more seriously at Kenesaw Mountain. 
 
 When the battle of Chickamauga closed, the remnant of 
 the NINETY-SIXTH that had survived the terrible struggle 
 retired to Rossville with the main part of the army, and dur- 
 ing the next day was given a position on the summit of Mis- 
 sion Ridge, at the left of the Rossville road, facing south, 
 and near the extreme left of the army. During the evening 
 of Monday, September 21, Companies C and H were placed 
 on the skirmish line, to protect the front and cover the retreat
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. 525 
 
 of the army to Chattanooga. The circumstances attending 
 their assignment to that duty and the experiences of that 
 night and the following morning will be given more in detail 
 in a succeeding chapter. In this connection it is sufficient 
 to say that these two Companies of brave men were never 
 relieved or ordered to the rear, and that on the morning of 
 Tuesday, September 22, 1863, finding themselves surrounded, 
 they laid down their arms and became prisoners of war. 
 
 Those captured at this time numbered two officers and 
 thirty-three enlisted men. They were : Company C, Sec- 
 ond Lieutenant Charles W. Earle, Sergeant Harrison Hunt- 
 ington, John Bensinger, Henry H. Cutler, Henry C. Green, 
 James Kearney, William McCreadie, William McClellan, 
 Laughlin Madden, Henry C. Payne, Hugo Rodenberger,, 
 Joseph Schwerie, Charles Sturm, Joseph Savage, Christian 
 Weistoff. Company H, Second Lieutenant Charles H. 
 Yates, Sergeant Michael Hileman, Corporal John A. Boothby, 
 Corporal Patrick Flannery, Corporal Alphonzo Marshall, 
 George W. Andrews, Richard C. Cullen, Daniel W. Dowd, 
 John H. Foster, Peter Hawks, William Ingersoll, Andrew 
 Johnson, John Kurby, Nathaniel Me Wain, George H. Stanch- 
 field, James M. Sallee, Adam Yroman, Edmund Vandyke, 
 John Y. Wilkerson, Alberto Wheelock. 
 
 These men were doomed to undergo all the horrors of all 
 the most infamous prison-pens in the alleged Confederacy. 
 More than one-half of them never again saw the stars and 
 stripes, under which they had fought so gallantly, but laid 
 down their lives while prisoners of war. Of the others but 
 nine ever again marched with the Regiment, for prison life 
 had so broken them down as to totally unfit them for further 
 service in the field. An attempt is now made, for the first 
 time, to set forth briefly though it must necessarily be in 
 most cases the experience of each. 
 
 COMPANY c. 
 
 The personal experiences of the Lieutenant commanding 
 this Company will be more fully narrated in another chapter. 
 All of the others were with him until the arrival at Rich-
 
 526 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 mond, when the officers were separated from the enlisted 
 men. Hence the details of the long trip are omitted from the 
 brief narratives which follow. 
 
 Sergeant Harrison Huntington was at Richmond for a 
 short time, when, with many others, he was taken to Danville, 
 Va., where he endured the horrors of that cold winter until 
 smitten with small-pox, from which he died February 27, 
 1864. During his illness he was removed to a private house 
 by Masonic friends, and it is a comfort to know that, although 
 away from home and deprived of the watchful care of rela- 
 tives, he still had such attention as his brethren of the mystic 
 tie could give him. The prison records show the date of his 
 death, but do not show the number of his grave. 
 
 John Bensinger was reported to have died at Danville, 
 Va., February 8, 1864, but the Roll of Honor is authority 
 for the statement that he died of scorbutus at Richmond, Va., 
 and is buried in the National Cemetery at that place, the num- 
 ber of his grave being 214. 
 
 Henry H. Cutler was taken sick not long after arriving in 
 Richmond and removed to a hospital, from which he was sent 
 North and exchanged. He returned to his home; where he 
 recuperated with great rapidity, and as soon as possible re- 
 joined the Regiment. He participated in numerous engage- 
 ments, and received a mortal wound at the battle of Nash- 
 ville. The writer of this chapter was serving on Brigade 
 staff at that time, and in company with Captain Temple 
 crossed the Rebel works a little to the right of where the 
 NINETY- SIXTH captured a battery. Riding down the works, I 
 saw his familiar face among the wounded, lying where he had 
 fallen. Dismounting and examining the wound, it was evi- 
 dent that he could not long survive, and after a brief inter- 
 view we parted, his last words to me being, "God bless 
 father and mother, and save the country." 
 
 Henry C. Green was in poor health when captured, hav- 
 ing been sick from measles, which left his system greatly 
 weakened. As a consequence he did not long survive the 
 privations of the prison, but died at Danville, Va., January 
 20, 1864, and is buried in grave No. 425.
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. 527 
 
 James Kearney shared the experiences of the prisons 
 of Richmond, Danville, Andersonville and other points, re- 
 ceiving occasional favors at the hands of the Masonic frater- 
 nity, and was finally exchanged in December, 1864. His 
 health was broken and he was unable to rejoin the command. 
 He died in Osage, Iowa, August 3, 1881. 
 
 William McCreadie was at Richmond, Danville and An- 
 dersonville, dying at the last named prison June 4, 1864. 
 'The number of his grave is 1,617. 
 
 William McClellan experienced all the horrors and priva- 
 tions of the prisons at Richmond and Danville, and becoming 
 greatly emaciated and dangerously sick from insufficiency of 
 food and exposure, was exchanged. Just after reaching the 
 Union lines, May 6, 1864, he died at Annapolis, Md., and 
 was buried in grave No. 938. 
 
 Laughlin Madden was at Richmond, Danville and Ander- 
 sonville. For a time he kept up, but at last became disheart- 
 ened and homesick, longed for his friends, and fell a victim to 
 scurvy and camp fever, dying at Andersonville, August 12, 
 1864. Number of grave 5,390. 
 
 Henry C. Payne journeyed with his comrades to Rich- 
 mond and Danville, and died, from small-pox, January 6, 
 1864. Number of grave, 552. 
 
 Hugo Rodenberger survived the terrible winter at Rich- 
 mond and Danville, but. died from scurvy at Andersonville, 
 June 28, 1864, and is buried in grave No. 2,596. 
 
 Joseph Schweri was in the Royster House, at Richmond, 
 for two months, then in what was known as the " Scotch 
 Building " for one and a half months, then in Pemberton's 
 Building ; finally was taken to Andersonville, where he re- 
 mained fourteen months, making in all a captivity of nine- 
 teen months. He will be remembered as the "Little Dutch 
 Whistler," who used to amuse us so many times while on the 
 march or in camp. It is understood that he obtained many a 
 square meal and many favors from the Rebel officers while 
 he was in prison, paying for the same by his peculiar whist- 
 ling. As a part of history it perhaps should be stated that he 
 has lost his front tooth, and also his whistle, and that the
 
 52S HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V.I. 
 
 means by which his prison life was somewhat softened and 
 ameliorated are gone. He resides at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Charles Sturm was at Richmond, Danville and Anderson- 
 ville, but pined to the very last for his old mother, and finally 
 died in the last named prison November 8, 1864. His re- 
 mains rest in grave No. 12,190. 
 
 Joseph Savage made a firm resolution never to be taken 
 prisoner, and when the other members of the Company sur- 
 rendered, ran back down the side of the ridge, but could not 
 escape, as the Rebel army completely encircled him. He 
 secreted himself for a time, but was soon discovered and 
 taken to the valley, where the others were temporarily quar- 
 tered. His experience was not unlike that of others who 
 survived. As in camp, so in prison, each man usually had a 
 mate with whom he slept, and Savage saw no less than nine 
 companions with whom he had mated carried out dead. 
 While in Richmond he was at the Royster House and Castle 
 Thunder, the latter a huge building so poorly lighted that 
 the men could hardiy. distinguish their acquaintances. At 
 Danville and Anderson ville he was three times vaccinated, 
 twice biting his arm and sucking out the impure virus as soon 
 as the surgeon turned his back, and thus escaping the fate 
 that befell so many. The third time he vaccinated himself, 
 using healthy virus, taken from a newly-arrived prisoner, 
 with good result. He always tried to keep busy, making 
 rings, pipes and ornaments from laurel root, gutta percha, or 
 pieces of bone. In this way he not only kept his mind occu- 
 pied, but often succeeded in buying extra rations from the 
 guards. Once he had the camp fever so prevalent at Ander- 
 sonville. 
 
 From Andersonville he was taken to Charleston. On the 
 trip himself and a comrade jumped from the train, but were 
 immediately fired upon, his companion being killed and bul- 
 lets passing through his own clothing. He was too weak to 
 run, and as soon as the train could be stopped was recaptured. 
 From October, 1864, to February, ]865, he was at Florence; 
 then was taken to Wilmington, then to Goldsboro, and then 
 returned almost to Wilmington, where the Rebels unloaded
 
 CHARLES A. PARTRIDGE, 
 
 SERGEANT MAJOR. 
 
 (from a recent photograph.)
 
 CHARLES A. PARTRIDGE, 
 
 SERGEANT MAJOR. 
 
 (From an old photograph.)
 
 GXH
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. 529 
 
 the prisoners from the cars and turned them loose in the 
 swamps and forests. Savage lay in the swamp one night and 
 the next day, and being too weak to walk, was taken to the 
 river on a stretcher and then in an ambulance about nine 
 miles to Wilmington. The Union troops were in possession 
 of the city, but were not provided with sufficient hospital 
 stores to enable them to care for all. For eleven days Sav- 
 age lay sick upon the floor of a house, but at the end of that 
 time was removed to a boat and taken to Annapolis, where he 
 had excellent care. He was soon able to travel and was sent 
 to St. Louis, and thence home, badly broken in health. He 
 was finally paid off and discharged August 30, 1865, and is 
 now residing in Antioch, Lake county, 111. 
 
 Christian Weistoff was in prison at Richmond, Danville, 
 Anderson ville and Florence, sharing the terrible experiences 
 of his comrades at each of these places. For a time Charles 
 Sturm was his companion. The two had been intimate before 
 their enlistment, had bunked toget.her up to the time of their 
 capture, and were constant, associates during all of their early 
 prison experiences. Sturm soon fell a victim to scurvy, his 
 teeth even falling out and his limbs becoming terribly dis- 
 eased. Death came to his relief before the order came to 
 make the trip to Florence. Weistoff declares that his experi- 
 ences at Andersonville are remembered but vaguely, the sum- 
 mer and autumn having been passed as in a terrible dream. 
 It was a constant yearning for something to eat. Always 
 hungry, he wandered around and was only restrained from 
 crossing the "dead line" by his prison companions; not 
 that he wished to die, but he was so weak in mind and body 
 that he could hardly give direction to either. In December, 
 1864, after almost fifteen months imprisonment, he, with 
 many others, was taken to Charleston, S. C., for exchange, 
 being sent by boat to Annapolis, Md. Arrived there, he was 
 bathed, fed and given a suit of clothing, and after a brief rest 
 started westward, having been granted a furlough home. He 
 remembers that several of those who accompanied him to 
 Annapolis ate so ravenously as to create sickness, and, in a 
 few instances at least, he thinks the men died as the result of 
 34
 
 530 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 their first meal. On his way to Illinois he became overtaxed 
 with constant traveling, and was in such a condition from 
 sheer weakness that he has never had more than a vague idea 
 as to how he passed through Chicago. The change of cars 
 was made in some way, and he reached Palatine, 111., New 
 Year's Day, 1865, being assisted from the cars by the train 
 men and passengers. There he was taken in charge by a 
 neighbor who chanced to recognize him, and placed in a sleigh, 
 first being carefully wrapped in blankets tendered by patriotic 
 citizens. The neighbor drove as rapidly as possible, hoping 
 to reach the home of Weistoff, at Long Grove, Lake county. 
 The condition of his charge soon became alarming, and he 
 stopped at the house of a stranger, a Mr. Arnold, where 
 Weistoff was placed in bed and restoratives applied. A 
 physician and his mother were sent for, and under their care 
 the exhausted soldier was soon improving, although it was 
 some weeks before he was able to be taken home. He was 
 hardly more than a skeleton when he was exchanged, and has 
 ever since suffered more or less from the effects of the scurvy, 
 his limbs being terribly scarred. In April, 1865, he rejoined 
 the Regiment, then in East Tennessee, but was still weak and 
 really unfit for field duty. Fortunately, from that time for- 
 ward the services required of the command were not arduous, 
 and he was able to keep his place in the Company. In recog- 
 nition of his marked bravery at Chickamauga, where he 
 was conspicuous for his courageous actions, and of his long 
 term in prison, he was promoted to Corporal at the first 
 vacancy. At the time of writing this sketch Mr. Weistoff 
 resides at Springfield, 111. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Lieutenant Charles H. Yates had a long and trying experi- 
 ence. He was separated from his men in the streets of Rich- 
 mond, and taken to Libby Prison, occupying what was known 
 as the Chickamauga Room. At the time of escape by tunnel 
 he was in the prison hospital, and could not make the attempt 
 to leave the Confederate Capital, which so many of his fellow- 
 officers succeeded in accomplishing. Subsequently he was re- 
 moved to Macon, Ga., where he was again severely ill. When
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. 531 
 
 the Rebels undertook to stop the shelling of the city of 
 Charleston, S. C., by placing Union officers under the fire 
 of their friends, he was one of those selected and sent to that 
 " cradle of secession. " The Lieutenant made several attempts 
 to escape, at one time being captured by some North Carolina 
 Indians and taken to Salisbury, "N". C., where he was 
 turned over to the Confederate authorities. A little later he 
 made his final escape. A few officers had been permitted to 
 go outside the prison for chips for fuel, which they usually 
 carried back in their blankets. Taking advantage of the care- 
 lessness of the guards, Yates and another officer escaped, and 
 after a long period of wandering made their way to the Union 
 lines in East Tennessee. Some of their experiences were most 
 thrilling, and it is greatly regretted that the Lieutenant is a 
 wanderer, and, although a most diligent search has been made, 
 he cannot be found to tell the full story. The brief fragments 
 here given are all that can be furnished by the writer. 
 
 SERGEANT MICHAEL HILEMAN's NARRATIVE. 
 
 in a letter to Captain Pierce, dated at Gann Valley, Buf- 
 falo county, Dakota, this comrade gives the following account 
 of his prison experience. After expressing his great desire 
 to have the history of the old Regiment published, and also 
 his belief that the organization has never received full credit 
 for all the gallant service which it performed, he goes on 
 to say that he has suffered greatly from sickness, and that it 
 is impossible for him to collect his thoughts and write as he 
 formerly could. He also says that some things which he had 
 written years ago, when his memory was better, and when he 
 was in possession of more data than at present, have been lost. 
 
 He says he was captured September 22, 1863, at Mis- 
 sionary Ridge, after the great battle of Chickamauga, with 
 one hundred and twenty-eight others ; these were mainly 
 from Companies H and C of the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois Regi- 
 ment, several from Company H, 40th Ohio Regiment, and 
 another company belonging to an Illinois regiment, the n am- 
 ber of which he has now forgotten. He says: " We were 
 marched to Dalton, and from there taken to Atlanta on the
 
 532 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 cars, and were four days without a morsel of food except 
 occasionally a bite which was purchased along the way. At 
 Atlanta, September 26, we received one day's ration and pro- 
 ceeded on our way to Richmond, where we arrived on the 
 night of October 1, and were placed in the Royster House, 
 formerly used as a tobacco warehouse. This was a building 
 three stories high, and in the room to which I was assigned 
 there was such a large number of us that we were obliged to 
 lie in two rows the whole length of the house, and the other 
 floors were equally well filled. The filth and stench which 
 everywhere pervaded this building commenced to tell upon 
 the boys of Company H, and several died. Corporal Patrick 
 Flannery died from hunger December 8, being sick only 
 three days. Adam Vroman died a few days after in this 
 prison. The rooms by this time were so crowded that there 
 was scarcely a place to lie down on the bare floors, and most of 
 our spare moments were occupied in watching the holes and 
 crevices in the walls to capture a stray mouse or rat which 
 might make its appearance ; these were eaten with a keen 
 relish, as was also a dog belonging to the Rebel authorities. 
 As a punishment for killing this dog we got nothing to eat 
 for thirty-six hours after. December 13, 1863, about six hun- 
 dred of our prisoners, including myself, were moved to Dan- 
 ville ; here we suffered even worse than we did at Richmond, 
 for the protection from the weather was not as good ; it was 
 very cold, and we had no wood with which to build fires, 
 and very little to eat. We suffered greatly for water, as we 
 were allowed to procure it but once a day, and then but 
 little at a time. The weather here became so cold that the 
 river was frozen over, and the ice so thick that people could 
 walk upon it. The cold was so intense that to keep ourselves 
 warm we would form in a line, one after another, and double 
 quick around the room, and then lie down and try to sleep. 
 Corporal John Boothby died here from cold and exposure on 
 Christmas day. 
 
 About this time the Rebel authorities began to vaccinate 
 us, and the suffering from the impure virus was very great. 
 As many as thirty of the prisoners, to my personal knowl-
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. 533 
 
 dge, were almost helpless from the effects of these vaccina- 
 tions. Some of us suffered for months from swollen arms, 
 which became almost gangrenous, and ulcers remained on my 
 arm for nearly six months, the result of the impure matter. 
 A few had their arms amputated, and others lost their lives. 
 William Ingersoll died from the effect of this vaccination, 
 and one other whose name I cannot now recall. We were 
 moved from this terrible place to Anderson ville, April 21, 
 1864. We were transported in cattle cars, in some of which 
 as many as sixty or seventy of our men were stowed away. 
 We were not allowed to leave the cars for days, not even to 
 get a drink of water. We were crowded in, more like beasts 
 than men, sick and well together, and the condition to which 
 we were reduced can be very readily understood by the reader. 
 
 "From September, 1864, 1 was at Charleston, S. C., 
 until November 30, when I was taken to Florence, and 
 paroled in December of the same year. Was subsequently 
 exchanged, and after a visit home rejoined the Regiment in 
 East Tennessee, in April, 1865. Residence, Eldorado, Buf- 
 falo county, Dakota." 
 
 Following his return to the Regiment, and while in East 
 Tennessee, Sergeant Hileman, in response to the request of 
 his comrades, gave an address to a very large audience of his 
 friends, detailing his experiences, and giving many particu- 
 lars as to the fate of the men captured with him. The 
 address was well received, and it is a matter of regret that it 
 cannot be reproduced in this connection. 
 
 Corporal John A. Boothby survived the cold and expos- 
 ure but a short time, dying on Christmas Day, 1864, at Dan- 
 ville, Va. His grave is No. 97. 
 
 Corporal Patrick Flannery was accidentally scalded and 
 taken to hospital in November, and died, according to the rec- 
 ords, in Richmond, Ya., December 8, 1863, of typhoid fever. 
 
 Corporal Alphonzo Marshall survived the hardships of the 
 Richmond and Danville prisons, but died at Anderson ville, 
 July 2, 1864. 
 
 George W. Andrews, although receiving a wound in the 
 foot that would have sent a less resolute man to the rear,
 
 534 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 remained on duty and was captured with his comrades. He- 
 was at Richmond, Danville and Andersonville, dying at the- 
 latter place in June, 1864. 
 
 Richard C. Cullen gives the following statement : 
 
 CULLEN'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I was captured with the other members of Companies C 
 and H, on that memorable 22d of September, 1863, and that 
 day drew my first prisoner's rations of a pint of corn meal, to 
 last two days, and to be cooked in any way that Yankee 
 ingenuity could devise. Mounted guards attended us from 
 Rossville to Dalton, Ga., riding on either side, and hurrying 
 us along the road. The first and last square meal I got while 
 a prisoner was at the end of that march. From Dalton we 
 went by rail to Atlanta, Ga., where a night was spent in the 
 "bull pen,' 1 where we were deprived of our pocket knives, 
 and other personal effects. Next day we started for Rich- 
 mond, Ya., where we arrived October 1, and were sent to the 
 Pemberton prison. Next morning a stylish officer came into 
 the prison with a table, on which he insisted that we place 
 our watches, money, and such other valuables as we had 
 saved from the Atlanta inspection, at the same time taking: 
 the name, company and regiment of each, and promising that 
 the articles should be returned when the owners were paroled. 
 A few submitted to this polite plan of robbery, but as we had 
 been without pay for a long time, our contributions were not 
 large. Staying here until November, Corporal Flannery wa& 
 sent to hospital, having been accidentally scalded, and was 
 never afterward seen by his comrades. While we were in 
 the Pemberton prison the officer who counted off the prisoners 
 for the purpose of drawing rations, allowed his fine, plump 
 coach dog to follow him. The animal and the master soon 
 became separated, and the most rigid search of the officer 
 failed to reveal hide or hair of the dog, so closely was he 
 secreted. No one has ever been found who would admit that 
 he had eaten any dog meat, but next day the boys had soup, 
 lamb and fresh pork. 
 
 From this building we were moved to the Royster prison,.
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. 5 55 
 
 which, like the Pemberton building, was a large tobacco 
 warehouse. About this time orders came that all prisoners 
 must be vaccinated. Reports having reached the North that 
 the prisoners were not sufficiently clothed or fed, the United 
 States government sent clothing and food, under a flag of 
 truce. Half rations were issued for a time, and the writer 
 received a pair of pants. While the hard-tack lasted, the 
 boys browned their corn meal, which had been ground cob 
 and all, and was issued in half-pound daily rations, and 
 made coffee. This, with the James River water, had a bad 
 effect on the men, prostrating them with diarrhoea. Small- 
 pox made its appearance in the prison, and I soon fell a vic- 
 tim to it, and was taken to a hospital near the outskirts of 
 the city, December 13, 1863. Lying on the bare floor with- 
 out a bed of any kind, caused a large tumor like a carbuncle, 
 on my hip-joint, which was extremely painful. Recovering 
 from the small-pox, I was prostrated with pneumonia, and then 
 erysipelas attacked my hip. I was soon reduced to a mere 
 skeleton. Meanwhile, being too weak to write myself, I had 
 induced the steward to write to my friends in Gratoit, Wis., 
 and was soon gratified by the receipt of a box containing 
 articles of food and clothing. Some silver coin and two bot- 
 tles of Hostetter's Bitters were appropriated by the prison 
 authorities as being contraband of war, but the other articles 
 reached me safely. Recovering in part from my troubles, I 
 was taken to Belle Isle about the middle of February. The 
 weather was extremely cold, and being without any shelter, I 
 was again prostrated with pneumonia, becoming so reduced 
 that I despaired of ever seeing home again. But March 22, 
 1864, I was paroled and sent by boat to City Point, and 
 thence to Annapolis, Md. Good care and good food brought 
 me up, and a week after my arrival at Annapolis I was sent 
 to ward seven, Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., where I re- 
 mained until July. I was then sent to Chattanooga, but was 
 not permitted to rejoin the Regiment until March, 1865. At 
 the time of being paroled I weighed eighty pounds ; I now 
 weigh 170 pounds. Post-office address, Warren, Jo Daviess 
 county, Ills.
 
 536 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Daniel W. Doud was at the Pemberton building and 
 Belle Isle, Richmond ; also at Danville, Andersonville and 
 Florence. From the latter place he was taken to Charleston, 
 S. C., and exchanged in November, 1864, but was too badly 
 broken in health to return to the command ; was discharged 
 at Springfield, 111., in June, 1865. Resides at Tecumseh, 
 Johnson county, Nebraska. 
 
 John H. Foster, like many others, was captured with an 
 empty haversack. Arriving at Dalton he traded a pocket 
 knife to a colored man, getting in exchange a few crackers. 
 At Atlanta he received two crackers, a very small ration 
 for an extremely hungry man. At Charlottesville, N. C., 
 where the prisoners again changed cars, he was given a simi- 
 lar ration. At Richmond he was sent, with others, in the 
 evening to a large tobacco warehouse, and the following 
 afternoon received a small ration of bread. From that time 
 forward the rations continued so meagre that the men grew 
 almost desperate, at one time killing, cooking and eating a 
 dog that followed an officer or guard into the prison. Foster 
 was not sent to Danville, but remained in Richmond until 
 March, 1864, when he was sent to Andersonville, being one 
 of the first to enter that now historic enclosure as a prisoner. 
 The stockade was not then completed, and he had an oppor- 
 tunity to procure some poles and bashes and make a covering 
 to protect him from the cold and storms, and, later, from the 
 heat. Here he remained until August, when he was sent to 
 Savannah. Two months later he was sent to Millen, thence to 
 Goldsboro, N. C., and afterward to Wilmington. At the 
 two latter places he, with many others, was merely corralled 
 in the woods, without any stockade. Things were growing 
 desperate in the Confederacy by that time, as Gen. Sherman's 
 forces were close at hand, and the prisoners were shipped 
 back to Goldsboro, and then returned to Wilmington, where 
 their captors abandoned them. Foster shared in all the 
 severe experiences of two winters and a summer in prison, 
 and was considerably broken in health. He now resides in 
 Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Peter Hawkes was so fortunate as to be exchanged in a
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDGE. f>37 
 
 few months, and returned home to recuperate his broken 
 health, afterward rejoining the Regiment. He now resides 
 at Chapin, Iowa. 
 
 William Ingersoll was at Richmond and Danville, and 
 having been vaccinated with impure virus, died from its 
 effect, January 17, 1864. His grave is No. 371, Danville, Va. 
 
 Andrew Johnson was at Richmond, Danville, Anderson- 
 ville, Charleston, Florence and Savannah, being exchanged 
 at the latter place December 9, 1864. He subsequently re- 
 turned to the Regiment, and remained until the final muster 
 out. He now resides at Browutown, Green county, Wis. 
 
 John Kurby went the rounds of the prisons until Ander- 
 son ville was reached, where he died August 14, 1864. His 
 grave is No. 5,701. 
 
 Nathaniel McWain was slightly wounded at Chickamauga, 
 but remained with the Company, and was captured and made 
 the rounds of the prisons, being at Richmond, Danville, 
 Andersonville, Charleston and Florence. He was a prisoner 
 over seventeen months, being released near the close of the 
 war. He is now farming at Dorset, Vermont. 
 
 George H. Stanchfield is buried in grave No. 184, at 
 Andersonville, where he died June 26, 1864, the cold and 
 sickness at Richmond and Danville having so broken his 
 health that he survived the experiences of that Georgia hell- 
 hole but a few weeks. 
 
 James M. Sallee endured an imprisonment of seventeen 
 months, being at one time or another in nearly all of the 
 prisons and stockades of Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas. 
 He is now Clerk of the District Court of Phillipsburg, Kansas. 
 
 Adam Vroman sleeps in an unknown grave, probably at 
 Andersonville, it being understood that he died soon after 
 his removal to that place. 
 
 Edwin Van Dyke was a prisoner for seventeen months, 
 going the long round with the others who survived, and being 
 released near the close of the war. He was discharged from 
 hospital at Springfield, 111., in the spring of 1865. His 
 health was permanently broken, and he died from chronic 
 rheumatism, at Kansas City, Mo., February 6, 1885.
 
 538 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 John Y. Wilkerson, of Company H, who was among 
 those captured on Missionary Ridge, has written quite a full 
 and graphic account of his experiences, a portion of which 
 must be omitted, as it would be a repetition of what has been 
 previously written by others. On his arrival at Richmond, 
 Ya., he, with 3,000 others, was confined in a cold room in 
 what was known as Scott's tobacco house, remaining there 
 from October, 18C3, until March or April, 186i. Many of 
 the men had the small-pox, and deaths were very frequent. 
 The food of the sick and well consisted of about one half pound 
 of corn bread per day, with occasionally a couple of ounces of 
 meat, until January 1, 1864, when the Sanitary Commission: 
 of the North sent rations which were issued by the Rebels. 
 This made their condition much more tolerable, so far as food 
 was concerned, but there was still great suffering from cold. 
 In the spring, all able to travel were sent to Andersonville v 
 Wilkerson, with the rest, being among the first to arrive in 
 that prison pen. There he endured all the suffering that 
 came from starvation, nakedness, heat, cold, and body lice, 
 but was fortunate enough to survive. A half pint of dry 
 corn meal, without salt or means to cook it much of the time, 
 and the horrors of the place, almost made demons of the men 
 it did not kill. He assisted in the work of ferreting out and 
 hanging the "raiders," and was engaged in one or two unsuc- 
 cessful tunneling enterprises. Before the war was through he 
 suffered greatly from scurvy, which made him nearly blind. 
 On one occasion the notorious Captain Wirz came into the 
 stockade to make an inspection, his dog following him. That 
 dog was soon missing, and made a dainty meal for a large num- 
 ber of the boys. A piece of the fore-leg fell to Wilkerson, 
 which he declared was the sweetest bit of meat he ever ate, 
 although he did not even have salt with which to season it, 
 A fellow-prisoner by the name of Barnes, who had a $20 bill 
 for a copy, managed to get some paper and manufactured 
 quite an amount of counterfeit money, which he palmed off 
 on the unsuspecting Rebels, thus securing the means whereby 
 to obtain some addition to the scanty rations afforded by 
 the prison authorities. Wilkerson, and many others, shared
 
 CAPTURED ON MISSION RIDQE. 539 
 
 the food thus obtained. All of the genius possessed by the 
 Yankees was brought into use, and many small articles were 
 manufactured and traded to the Rebels for anything which 
 they had to offer that it was possible for a Yankee stomach to 
 digest. Late in the autumn of 1864, Wilkerson was removed 
 to Florence, where he remained three months. He was then 
 sent to Goldsboro, N. C., where the Rebels found their com- 
 munications cut, and paroled their prisoners. Gen. Terry with 
 the Union forces was near at hand, and came to their rescue. 
 The men were almost at starvation point, and to prevent 
 death from over-eating, each one was allowed but two 
 crackers, a pint and a half of coffee, a small piece of meat, and 
 an allowance of whisky. Notwithstanding this precaution,, 
 the allowance was too much for many, and a large number 
 died from over-eating. Alphonzo Marshall of Company H, 
 who had been Wilkerson's companion during the eighteen 
 months of imprisonment, was one of the many who died soon, 
 after coming under the protection of the Union flag. Each 
 soldier was given a bath and clean clothing and sent on a 
 steamer to the exchange camp, and thence to St. Louis, 
 where all were furloughed home for thirty days. Wilkerson 
 was discharged at Springfield, 111., and soon went west. He 
 now resides in Indian Valley, Washington county, Idaho. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen that the number cap- 
 tured from the NINETY -SIXTH during the battle of Chickamauga, 
 exclusive of Capt. Blodgett, Henry Barnum, Sergt. Cowan and 
 perhaps some others, who were retaken within a few moments, 
 was thirty-five. Two of this number, Sergeant Quigley and 
 Squire Inman, died within a few days. Twenty-five, whose 
 names appear on page 514 of this work, were paroled within* 
 ten days. Of these, Blackstone, Martin, Mack and O'Leary, 
 of Company E ; Davis and Wheeler, of Company G ; and 
 Morris, Curry and Johnson, of Company H, died shortly 
 afterward. Sergeant Major Quinn was accidentally drowned 
 while on furlough, and Whitney, Murray, Dodge, Doolittle 
 Howe, Stevens, Robbins, Wearne, Darby and Ward were
 
 -540 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 .permanently disabled, never again joining the Regiment. 
 Connor, Benson, Hamilton and Schultz so far recovered from 
 their wounds as to again take their places in the line. Of 
 eight others captured during the action, Thayer, Dimick and 
 Bunce died while prisoners of war ; Rowan, Bangs, Bush and 
 Metcalf returned after some months in prison, and Graves 
 and Hayth were released near the close of the war, but were 
 not again with the command. Hayth died in October, 1865, 
 as the result of the hardships endured in prison. 
 
 Of the thirty-five captured on Mission Ridge, Septem- 
 ber 22, 1864, eighteen died while prisoners of war, or within 
 a very few days after being taken within the Union lines at 
 Wilmington or Annapolis. They were : Huntington, Ben- 
 singer, Green, Madden, McClellan, McCreadie, Payne, Rod- 
 enberger and Sturm, of Company C ; Boothby, Flannery, 
 Marshall, Andrews, Ingersoll, Kerby, Stanchfield, Yroman 
 and Wheelock, of Company H. Of the Company C boys 
 who survived their prison experiences, Cutler was soon 
 exchanged, returned to the Regiment, and was killed in bat- 
 tle ; Kearney and Savage were never again with the com- 
 mand ; and Earle, Schwerie and Weistoff alone rejoined the 
 Regiment. Of the Company H boys who survived their 
 prison experiences, Doud, Foster, McWain, Sallee, Van Dyke 
 and Wilkerson were discharged without ever joining the com- 
 mand, and Yates. Hileman, Cullen, Hawkes and Johnson 
 :rejoined the Regiment, most of them near the close of the 
 war.
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 541 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 
 
 BY LIEUTENANT CHARLES W. EARLE, CHICAGO. 
 
 Captured at Buzzard RoostNarrative of Harrison Menzemer The- 
 Captures at Resaca Narratives of Myron J. Brown, Corporal Wm. 
 B. Lewin, First Sergeant Thomas J. Smith, Richard Spencer, Lewis 
 Miller Captured at Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta Albert Bar- 
 ney's Narrative Captured at Franklin. 
 
 FOLLOWING Chickamauga and that fatal 22d of September, 
 when Companies C and H were so nearly blotted out, five 
 months elapsed without further losses by capture. Then 
 came the Dalton reconnoissance and the Buzzard Roost affair, 
 in which Charles and Harrison Menzemer, of Company A, 
 were made prisoners. These two men were cousins and tent- 
 mates. When the Regiment moved back from its advanced 
 position, during the night of February 25, 1864, they were 
 sleeping so soundly a little way apart from the command 
 that the noise made by their comrades did not awaken them- 
 Their absence was not noticed for some time, and even then, 
 it was supposed that they, like many others, had become tired 
 out with the hard marching experienced during that week or 
 active campaigning, and had merely fallen to the rear. 
 When they finally awoke, it was to find themselves confronted, 
 by the Rebel skirmish line, with a demand that they sur- 
 render. Taken thus at an entire disadvantage, they sub- 
 mitted. Their experience can, perhaps, be best told in. 
 Harry's own words : 
 
 HARRISON MENZEMER'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 The men who captured Charley and myself treated ufr 
 well, and soon started us for Dalton, two and one-half miles 
 distant, under a single guard. I resolved to capture that 
 guard, if possible, and two or three times fell back with the 
 intention of overpowering him. He was a resolute, wide-
 
 542 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 awake fellow, however, and detecting my purpose, assured 
 me that he was no recruit, and that while he did not wish to 
 shoot me, he should do so, unless I kept straight ahead of 
 him. Seeing that he was not a man to be trifled with, I 
 marched along, and we were soon placed in the second story 
 of a building in Dalton, with other prisoners, and a little 
 before night were started for Atlanta by rail. Arriving at 
 that place, we were but lightly guarded, and I got through 
 the line, and might have escaped had I been willing to go 
 alone, but I wanted Charley with me, and so went back for 
 him ; but by the time I found him the guard had been 
 increased, and the opportunity was lost. We remained in 
 Atlanta a month. Immediately upon our arrival we began 
 work on a tunnel, and in a short time had it so far completed 
 that in one more night we should have used it, and, at least, 
 have attempted an escape, when a sneak betrayed us. For- 
 tunately for this man, the authorities removed him from the 
 prison, else I believe the boys would have killed him. About 
 April 1, 1864, we were taken to Andersonville. On the way 
 I was constantly on the alert to escape, but no opportunity 
 offered. Small-pox soon broke out in the prison, and the 
 officials directed that all of the prisoners be vaccinated. 
 I and one other of the ten in our squad refused to allow 
 the surgeon to touch us, declaring that we would never be 
 vaccinated alive. I urged Charles to also refuse, but he 
 thought no harm would come from it, and submitted. Next 
 day I managed to procure some caustic, and burned out many 
 of the arms of those who had allowed the surgeon to operate 
 upon them, but Charles would not allow me to touch him. 
 In a short time he was suffering terribly from the gangrenous 
 virus, his arm swelling and sloughing off until he was com- 
 pelled to go to hospital. I could get no trace of him after- 
 ward, but learn since the war that he died June 16, 1864, and 
 is buried in grave No. 5,049. I may mention here that it 
 was almost certain death to go to the hospital at Anderson- 
 ville, very few ever returning to the camp. 
 
 A party with whom I was associated, dug a well twenty- 
 five feet deep, with no other implements than a case-knife
 
 CAPTURED AT BUZZARD ROOST AND DALTON. 543 
 
 and the half of a canteen. The well was but a blind, how- 
 ever, for every night we were at work on a tunnel, through 
 which we hoped to escape. We had completed our work to 
 the stockade, where it was necessary to crib the passage, a 
 most difficult matter, owing to the scarcity of material suitable 
 for the purpose. The work was so imperfectly done that the 
 tunnel caved in. The air was foul, and after three men had 
 died in attempting to overcome these obstacles, we reluc- 
 tantly abandoned the enterprise. 
 
 I had kept remarkably well until this time, although I had 
 seen several of my chosen mess-mates one after another die or 
 go to hospital. One of them, Joe Shaw, a cavalryman and a 
 splendid fellow, gave me his jacket before he died, a gar- 
 ment I greatly needed. I then chose two strangers as part- 
 ners. Cutting the buttons from my jacket, I tendered them 
 to a guard as a consideration for taking us out on a detail to 
 bring in some wood. The offer was accepted, and we were 
 sent out in charge of a long-legged Georgian. Pursuant to 
 an agreement made before leaving the stockade, I watched 
 my opportunity, and when near the creek attempted to disarm 
 the guard. My partners did not come to my assistance at 
 -once, and I had a terrible struggle. At last one of them 
 seized the gun and tore it from the grasp of the guard, who 
 fled to the stockade as soon as I released my hold upon his 
 throat. Another guard was near by, in charge of three other 
 prisoners, but did not tire. Throwing the gun into the 
 swamp, we ran through the woods. It was about four o'clock 
 when we started, and by one o'clock next morning we had 
 made twenty miles. Notwithstanding all of our efforts to 
 throw them from our trail, the dogs were after us, and 
 evidently very near. The two other men got on a log in a 
 mill-pond that we had reached, and 1 pushed them across. 
 The dogs followed through the stream, but did not reach us 
 until we had scattered and climbed up separate trees. The 
 hounds having clustered about the tree occupied by one of my 
 companions, I dropped to the ground, and running back to the 
 stream, attempted to wade to a cluster of willows, but the 
 -bottom was so soft that I had a narrow escape from drowning.
 
 544 HISTORY OF THE 96ra KEGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Going back to the shore unobserved, I ran for a mile or mor& 
 when I heard the dogs close behind me. Running to the 
 swamp, I pulled the tangled vines apart and tried to secrete 
 myself, but without avail. I was soon surrounded by seven 
 blood-hounds and a bull-dog. I had dropped a club in pull- 
 ing apart the vines, and had no weapons except my hands 
 and feet. Exhausted though I was, I fought with an energy 
 born of desperation and despair. How long I kept them at 
 bay I never knew, but certainly for some time. At last they 
 overcame and threw me to the ground, and their teeth were 
 crunching and tearing my flesh, when the men who had fol- 
 lowed them came up and rescued me. One of them showed 
 some pity, but another acted the part of a brute. I was at 
 once returned to the prison, and taken before Captain Wirz, 
 who asked why I did not take my negro brothers with me 
 when I tried to escape. I replied that I had no negro- 
 brothers. "Yes, you have," said he; "the negroes are in 
 your army, and therefore must be your brothers." I was in, 
 a towering passion, and caring little whether I lived or died, 
 I shouted back, " You are a dirty dog ; at least you have dogs 
 in your army, and must be a brother to them." Instantly I 
 found myself looking squarely down the barrel of a big 
 revolver. Gen. Winder, who was standing by, laughing 
 heartily at our interview, promptly interfered, and pre- 
 vented my being shot, although he directed that I be made to 
 wear a ball and chain. A sixty-four pound ball, with a twelve- 
 inch chain was riveted to my right ankle, and I was turned 
 into the stockade. By constant work I sawed off the manacle 
 next day. Four days afterward I crawled into a tunnel, again 
 hoping to escape, but failed, after being almost smothered. 
 Then some one, with the hope of getting an extra ration for 
 himself, told the authorities that I had taken the ball off. 
 When they came to examine me I had replaced it, but could 
 not conceal the opening, They then placed a sixty -four pound 
 ball on either leg, one of which I wore five weeks, and the 
 other six weeks. My limbs swelled so as to almost conceal 
 the shackles, and I suffered greatly. When they finally con- 
 sented to remove them, they cut the rivets with two old axes-
 
 HENRY H. GAGE, 
 
 CORPORAL, COMPANY G.
 
 CAPTURED AT BUZZARD ROOST. 545 
 
 on a black oak stump. It seemed as if every blow would 
 break my leg, but I managed to live through it. 
 
 While I was wearing the shackles Capt. Wirz offered me 
 five dollars a day and rations if I would leave the prison and 
 go to work for him. I was indignant, and not only refused, 
 but gave him a very forcible rejoinder, to which he replied 
 in his own peculiar way. 
 
 For four months I could not walk, but crawled around on 
 my hands and knees. To the bites of the dogs and the lacer- 
 ation of the manacles, was added the effects of scurvy. And 
 now, Doctor, let me give you the recipe which brought me 
 relief. Procuring some mullein leaves, I wilted them, tearing 
 up the only shirt I had to make bandages with which to bind 
 them on the sore and swollen limbs. That remedy proved 
 effectual and saved my life, although my recovery was slow. 
 
 After I had been in Andersonville nearly six months I 
 was taken, with about 1,500 others, first to Charleston and 
 then to Florence, under guard of old soldiers, who used us 
 well. At Florence we were corralled in aJ^eld, and permitted 
 to put up shelter to protect us from the" sun,' bushes being the 
 material used. We again dug a well, and planned for a tun- 
 nel. For three days they gave us nothing to eat. My part- 
 ner at that time was a Tennesseean named Anderson, a man 
 of resolute character and a natural leader. We resolved to 
 attempt to raise 1,000 men, each to be sworn to fight until he 
 died, hoping to overcome our guards and escape. Ten of us 
 set quietly at work. I was successful in getting a list of 100, 
 but some of the others failed, and only 550 were secured. 
 We held a quiet meeting, and while I have always believed 
 that we could have accomplished our purpose with the men 
 secured, and others who would have come to our assistance, 
 yet a majority thought otherwise, and the plan was aban- 
 doned. There were several regiments of the guards, and it 
 would have been a desperate undertaking at best, but we 
 were in a desperate condition, and should have made a reso- 
 lute fight. The plan having failed, I went as near head- 
 quarters as the guards would permit, and cursed the Colonel 
 35
 
 54P> HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 in command, openly and boldly, until some of my comrades 
 crowded around me and insisted that I stop. 
 
 William Clink, of the 4th Regulars, with Anderson, whom 
 I have mentioned, then proposed that we run the lines. We 
 were in an old field, with a furrow plowed around for a dead- 
 line, and guards every fifteen yards just beyond this furrow. 
 We three started together, walking side by side. It was 
 about three o'clock in the afternoon, so that every movement 
 could be seen. Our feelings can be better imagined than 
 described, for we expected every minute to be shot. To our 
 great surprise, we reached the timber in safety, and turning 
 about, could see at least one hundred men who had followed 
 us, while the entire camp seemed to be rushing toward us. 
 The guards began firing with their muskets, and also with two 
 cannon, killing about forty of the five hundred men who 
 crossed the line. We snatched a few ears of corn from a 
 field through which we ran. A man from the 4th Michigan 
 Cavalry, known as " Scrub Oak," joined us, and our party of 
 four, after traveling four days and nights, reached the Pedee 
 River. Here three of us built a raft, leaving " Scrub Oak" 
 on guard. Overcome by the terrible strain, our guard fell 
 asleep, and before we were aware of it, a party of seventeen 
 armed men were upon us, and again we were prisoners. A 
 brute named Wetherby demanded that we bring back the 
 rails used in making the raft, and repair the fence from which 
 they had been taken ; but the Doctor, to whom the fence 
 belonged, told Wetherby that the prisoners needed something 
 to eat more than something to do, and ordered his negroes to 
 put up the fence. We were then marched to the station, and 
 given some corn-bread and soup, which the Doctor sent from 
 his house, a most acceptable meal, as we had lived on raw 
 corn since our escape. We were then taken to Cheraw, S. C., 
 where a home guard abused us until a Rebel soldier, with one 
 arm in a sling interfered. From Cheraw we were returned to 
 Florence. There were so many who had escaped that no 
 attempt was made to punish us. Anderson and myself crawled 
 between the inside line of guards one evening and spent the 
 entire night in trying to make our way between the outside
 
 HARRISON MENZEMER'S NARRATIVE. 547 
 
 guards. I verily believe we crawled three miles on our hands 
 and knees, but all to no purpose, and at last we returned to 
 the stockade. A large number, in sheer despair, took the 
 oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, for the sake of getting 
 outside the prison, and others betrayed those who sought to 
 escape. Many became fairly wolfish in their hunger, and 
 thought only of themselves and how they might secure food. 
 
 For a time there was little further effort to escape. Win- 
 ter was upon us, and with great labor we made an excavation, 
 or dug-out, where we could escape the cold winds. No sooner 
 was this completed, than the authorities decided to make a 
 hospital of our corner, and we were driven to another part of 
 the prison. Securing a mill-pick, we set at work to make 
 another dug-out, and from it a tunnel ; but using the mill- 
 pick so hard that it was heard by other prisoners, we were 
 betrayed, and one of our party was threatened until he told 
 "where the implement had been secreted. This was my last 
 attempt to get away. 
 
 About December 20, 1864, I was selected, with the first 
 thousand, to be paroled. Giving all of my clothing, except- 
 ing a thin shirt and some ragged drawers to my companions 
 who were left behind, I took my place in the line arid was 
 marched outside of the hated stockade. We were first taken 
 to the woods, where we built fires, and tried to make our- 
 selves comfortable. Soon we were ordered into an open field 
 for the night. That was a night of horror, for all were thinly 
 <jlad, and without shelter or fires, and a cold rain-storm lasted 
 throughout those dreadful hours, turning into sleet and cov- 
 ering everything with ice. Probably not less than three hun- 
 dred of the one thousand were left lying upon the field next 
 morning, and the others were more dead than alive. Next 
 day the sun came out, and those who were able to walk were 
 placed on a train and taken to Charleston, and thence to ves- 
 sels that had been sent to convey us to Annapolis. 
 
 From Annapolis I was sent to my home at Galena, 111., 
 but the trip is remembered only as a dream, for I was deliri- 
 ous with fever during the five days spent upon the road, and 
 did not leave my bed for three weeks after reaching home.
 
 54:8 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 When captured I weighed nearly two hundred pounds, and 
 after my return home but ninety pounds. 
 
 I could write much more concerning the hanging of the 
 " raiders," of the fate of comrades, of how the stockade was 
 washed out during a heavy storm, of the terrible wetting 
 from the continuous rains of that terribly rainy June, of 
 individual suffering, and the constant dying, dying, dying, 
 of those about us, but I remember that my narrative is already 
 a long one, and that others will tell of these and other 
 incidents. 
 
 THE CAPTURES AT RESACA. 
 
 During the first day of the battle of Resaca, Ga., eight 
 men were captured, as described in Chapter XVI. Of these, 
 three were wounded. They were, First Sergeant Thomas J. 
 Smith, of Company I ; Richard Spencer, of Company F ; and 
 Lewis Miller, of Company G. All of these wounded men 
 were recaptured May 16, when the enemy retreated. Smith 
 and Miller did not long survive, but Spencer recovered, al- 
 though never again able for duty. 
 
 The five who were not wounded were, Corporal William 
 B. Lewin and Orange M. Ayers, of Company C ; First Ser- 
 geant Joseph B. Leekley, of Company F ; and Corporal Deloss 
 Rose and Myron J. Brown, of Company G. Of these, Ayers, 
 Leekley and Rose died in prison, and Lewin and Brown suf- 
 fered a long imprisonment. It was supposed that Edward 
 Darby, of Company G, was also a prisoner, but as none of 
 those taken at the time saw anything of him, and no trace 
 was ever received from any source, there is little doubt that 
 he was killed, his body falling into Ihe hands of the enemy 
 when the lines were forced to retreat. 
 
 Orange M. Ayers bore up bravely for many months, while 
 at Andersonville and Florence, although badly broken in 
 health. He escaped from the latter prison, as narrated by 
 Corporal Lewin, and for many years his fate was shrouded in 
 mystery. In collecting facts for this work, however, it was 
 learned that he is recorded as having died at Salisbury, N. C., 
 January 15, 1865, and is buried in grave No. 2,712. The 
 supposition is that he traveled northward until exhausted or
 
 CAPTURED AT RESACA. 549 
 
 forced to seek food at some house, when he was again cap- 
 tured and taken to the prison, where he died. There is a 
 rumor that some Vermont soldier, who had known him in 
 early life, was with him in his last hours, but no definite facts 
 have been ascertained that tend to verify the report. 
 
 First Sergeant Joseph B. Leekley was doubtless captured 
 in about the manner described by Corporal Lewin. He en- 
 dured all the privations of that terrible summer in Anderson- 
 ville, dying in the prison October 1, 1864. Shortly after the 
 war, friends visited the cemetery and disinterred the remains, 
 which were fully identified and taken to Council Hill, Jo 
 Daviess County, Illinois, for final burial. 
 
 Corporal Deloss Rose was taken while on the skirmish 
 line, as described by Myron J. Brown. But little is known 
 of his experiences, except what is told by the latter. He is 
 reported as having died at Florence, S. C., January 28, 1865, 
 his grave being given as No. 216. He is also reported as 
 having died on the same date at Salisbury, N. C., his grave 
 being given as No. 2,712. Correspondence with the Quarter- 
 master-General fails to develop the fact as to which statement 
 is correct. That official writes, under date of December 8, 
 1886: "The lists of burials at Florence and Salisbury were 
 made up mainly from such records of the Confederate prisons 
 at those places as were obtainable at the time the R-oll of 
 Honor was prepared. These records were both incomplete 
 .and imperfect, and in some cases conflicting ; but as there 
 were then, and are now, no means of correcting the manifest 
 errors, the Department had but one course to pursue, and 
 that was to publish the record as it was." 
 
 MYRON J. BROWN'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I was captured just before sunset, May 14, 1864, at Resaca, 
 Ga. Company G had been deployed as skirmishers in front 
 of the Regiment, and ordered to advance to the edge of an 
 open field in front. That was the last order I heard. The 
 trees and underbrush made it difficult to see where the skir- 
 mish line was, and to keep in proper position. I did the best 
 I could, but was soon alone. I thought I had been too slow,
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 so I hurried forward to an open place to see if I was with the- 
 line. As I stood listening, and peering through the woods and 
 brush, trying to see my comrades, the firing on the left 
 increasing and bullets zipping in fearfully close proximity to 
 my ears, my own Regiment delivered a volley. That was a 
 great surprise to me, and I could not at once think what to 
 do. Thoughts of Andersonville, and of being shot in the 
 back, flashed through my mind, but the instinct of self-preser- 
 vation led me to instantly shelter myself with a tree at my 
 back and a large log in front, which was barely accomplished 
 when a second volley came from the rear. The bullets struck 
 the tree that sheltered me, and fragments of bark flew in my 
 face. I remained in my shelter but a few seconds, just long 
 enough to ascertain that the Regiment was not going to con- 
 tinue firing, and then arose to go to the rear. As I arose, I 
 faced the Rebel line-of-battle not more than twenty feet from 
 me. Instantly the muskets for about a rod of the line were 
 leveled at me, and I was ordered to surrender. Then I 
 thought again of Andersonville, and laid my gun against a 
 log. One of the soldiers left the line and started toward the 
 rear with me, when the Adjutant of the regiment came to us 
 and ordered the soldier back and took charge of me himself. 
 He carried a revolver in his hand, and conducted me to the 
 division commander. 
 
 As we went this Adjutant regaled me with denunciations 
 of the " Yanks " and boastings of what they were going to do 
 with us. He spent his vocabulary in a bombastic tirade, 
 which was followed by the insane boast that they were going 
 to sweep us into the Gulf of Mexico. I replied that they 
 were moving in the right direction, but were on the wrong 
 side of the broom. That ended the war of words, and he 
 soon found the division commander, who detailed a mounted 
 orderly to escort me to the commanding General, Joseph E. 
 Johnston, who in person questioned me about the Union 
 army there, asking how many, wagons were in the supply 
 train, and how many army corps we had. I thought that to- 
 be unsoldierly and unusual, and answered vaguely. He, 
 after a time asked the direct question: "How many men
 
 MYRON J. BROWN'S NARRATIVE. 551 
 
 does Sherman have in his command ? " I answered : " You 
 are in better condition to know than I am, but I think he 
 has at least one hundred and eighty thousand." That was 
 the last question, and the General turned away with the air 
 of a man who had become disgusted. 
 
 My escort was ordered to go with me to the railroad station 
 house. While we were going there my gallant (?) guard, as 
 he rode beside me, took my nearly new hat off' and dropped 
 his crownless rim over my head. He also told me to give 
 him the coffee and sugar 1 had in my haversack, which I did 
 not do, and he did not attempt to take them or anything more 
 from me. I had my rubber blanket and half-tent, besides my 
 rations. It is without doubt to the shelter of my tent and 
 blanket that I owe my survival of Anderson ville, Ga., and 
 Florence, S. C. I was, with about sixty other luckless Union 
 soldiers, among whom were Deloss Rose, of the same Com- 
 pany as myself, and William B. Lewin, of Company C, put 
 in the loft of the station house, through the roof of which 
 some Union bullets passed during the fore part of the night. 
 The next morning we were sent across the river, where we 
 were held most of the day and then were sent in box cars to 
 Atlanta, Ga., and placed in an inclosed camp. The next day 
 we were sent to Macon, where we passed a night in jail cells, 
 eighteen in a cell twelve feet square. We were kindly sup- 
 plied with food and coffee by some Christian women. The 
 following day we traveled in box cars south to Anderson ville, 
 where we were delivered to the tender mercies (?) of Wirz, 
 the fiend. 
 
 The horrors of Andersonville have been so often and 
 graphically described that any details of my general experience 
 there would be superfluous. Rose and myself each had a 
 half-tent, and we joined with two others, who were strangers 
 to me. Our tent was close by the edge of the swamp, on the 
 north side, and about the fourth from the "dead-line," along 
 the east side. We were ushered into the pen at the time 
 when the camp "raiders" were in full operation, and I lost 
 everything I did not wear, the first night. My haversack, 
 with its contents, was taken, and I regretted that I had not
 
 552 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 given my sugar and coffee to the poor fellow who had asked 
 for them a few days before. My quart-can coftee boiler con- 
 tained my first Anderson ville day's ration, viz., a pint of 
 cow-pea-bug soup, and somebody's ration must have been 
 short in bugs, for in mine the bugs were more numerous than 
 the peas. I had set the can beside the tent to await the time 
 when I might have an appetite, but the raiders took the can 
 and soup. 
 
 We had been in the stockade but a few days, when, hear- 
 ing an unusual noise, Deloss and I stepped outside our tent 
 and witnessed a most shocking outrage, committed by a member 
 of the Georgia chivalry, from whicli our guards were drawn. 
 A man was killing a snake nearly in front of his tent, which 
 stood alongside the dead-line. This dead-line was distant 
 about twenty feet from the stockade. In the excitement of 
 killing the snake, the man went about a yard on the wrong 
 side of the dead-line. The guard, without previous warning, 
 fired, but missed the man who was killing the snake, and hit 
 his tent-mate, who was lying ill in the tent. He was wounded 
 with buckshot through the face and one thigh. All know that 
 the Rebels' cartridges were numerously made up with a bullet 
 and three buckshot over the powder. I was standing within 
 fifteen yards of the parties. 
 
 I remember meeting several members of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH in prison, some Jo Daviess men, and some members 
 of Company C. One Jo Daviess man, Harrison Menzerner, 
 of Company A, we found with ball and chain to his ankle, 
 and receiving no rations. He had to live by the charity of 
 his comrades. That was his punishment for an attempt to 
 escape. He had succeeded in getting away from his guard 
 on one occasion when he was outside the stockade to get wood 
 for fuel, but was recaptured by a pack of hounds. He was 
 covered with scars, which he said the dogs made. I remem- 
 ber James Kearney, of Company C, who was one of Lewin's 
 tent-mates at Andersonville. Kearney was permitted to go out- 
 side on parole to perform some service for the prisoners, and I 
 changed quarters and became Lewin's tent-mate, but I met 
 Deloss Rose daily afterward. Rose was despondent and gave
 
 MYRON J. BROWN'S NARRATIVE. 553 
 
 way to melancholy forebodings. I made many acquaintances 
 whose names I cannot recall. About June 5, 1864, Sergeant 
 Devlin and Albert Barney, of Company D, were turned in 
 amongst us. They found us, and we did the best we could by 
 them. There were now quite a number of us old comrades 
 and friends to share each other's misery. Rose was down- 
 hearted. Lewin cheerful, though cramped with scurvy, Devlin 
 spunky, and I, well, I was resolved not to lie down and die 
 in that hole. I had the sick of our mess to see to, and it 
 kept me busy from one to three hours daily to have the help- 
 less taken to the gate to be taken to the hospital, and to 
 deliver the sumach berries and acid that the surgeons fur- 
 nished for the cure of scurvy and dropsy, the prevalent dis- 
 eases while I was there. I was also engaged in a tunneling 
 scheme which comprehended the liberation of a large number 
 of prisoners, but we were removed from Anderson ville before 
 this was completed. 
 
 I was in the "pen" from May 17, 1864, until September 
 3, of the same year. On the latter date we were loaded into 
 box cars as thick as we could stand, and a journey of several 
 <lays duration was begun. It was reported that we were to 
 be paroled. We went by way of Augusta, Ga., and Charles- 
 ton, S. C., to Florence, in the latter named state. Many of 
 the boys believed the story, and confidently expected to be 
 paroled and sent north on arriving at Charleston. Therefore, 
 great was the disappointment of the sanguine, and loud their 
 lamentation when our journey was continued to Florence. 
 Deloss Rose had been one of the sanguine, and now seemed 
 to sink still lower in spirits and energy. But it is no wonder 
 his spirits sank and his energy failed ; it was so with all of us 
 the first few weeks at Florence. We had received three 
 days' Andersonville rations just before leaving that place, and 
 we were at least three days in the cars. The most provident 
 of us had exhausted his supply of food before the end of 
 the second day, and we had been at Florence two days 
 before rations were issued to us. Then the ration was 
 only a corn pone, and a very small one indeed it seemed to 
 a man who had been between two and three days with noth-
 
 554 HISTORY OF THE 96iH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 ing at all to eat. It was several days before we were receiv 
 ing regular prison rations, namely, three spoonfuls of flour 
 and two of rice. Our rations continued about thus for eight or 
 ten days, when they began to increase, and were also changed 
 until they finally settled to a pint of meal, about a half pound 
 of sweet potatoes, and a few spoonfuls of molasses, genuine 
 "'nigger toe." Often, however, the potatoes and molasses 
 came but twice a week. For about three weeks after arriving 
 at Florence, we were kept in a guarded camp in an open place, 
 with a cultivated field on the north side. Along this field was 
 a fence, beside which was the guard-line, and the dead-line 
 was two rods from the guard-line. Beyond the field to the 
 north was the forest. The Rebels neglected to furnish suf- 
 ficient fuel for us the first few days, the rations were uncooked, 
 and the nights cold. Thus our miseries increased, until the 
 best of us cared but little whether we were shot down or not. 
 One chilly morning almost the whole camp, as if moved by a 
 common impulse, rushed en masse for the rail fence. No 
 attention whatever was given the guards, and we captured all 
 the rails in that fence in a very few moments. Many of the 
 boys did not stop with that, but fled across the field and into 
 the forest, and it looked very much as though they had started 
 for the North and freedom. It was an exciting hour. The 
 idea was contagious. I was affected by it, and longed to flee 
 also, but I did not see how I was to find my way to the land 
 of the free from that place. No guns were fired until the 
 boys had disappeared in the woods ; then we heard occasional 
 reports the rest of the day. Hounds, followed by mounted 
 men, pursued the fugitives, and many were brought back, but 
 many others were never heard of again. Among the latter 
 was Orange M. Ayers, of Company C. During this term of 
 wretchedness, the first eight or ten days at Florence, I 
 knew of two men who became so crazed with their misery 
 that they ran at the guards with the apparent intention of get- 
 ting relief from suffering by being killed. One was shot, 
 the other wounded with a bayonet, both dying soon. At the 
 end of about three weeks we were placed in the pen that the 
 Rebels had had the negroes make for us. In one corner a.
 
 MYRON J . BROWN'S NARRATIVE. 555 
 
 space was set apart and fitted up with rough barracks for 
 camp hospital. Deloss Rose tried to gain admittance there, 
 and was soon successful. It was arranged between us that I 
 should call at a certain place every day about nine A. M., and 
 he would meet me there. If he did [not meet me I was to 
 know that he was unable to walk. This meeting each day 
 was continued a long time, and Rose seemed consoled and 
 cheered thereby. One morning he greeted me with a less 
 constrained smile, and more cheerfully than was his wont. In 
 our talk that morning, he told me that the sick were being 
 paroled, and he was to start for Charleston the next morning. 
 When we parted that last time, he was feeling remarkably 
 well, and in better spirits than I had seen him since our cap- 
 ture, and we spoke a very cheerful good-bye. 1 called at our 
 place of meeting the next day and the next, and again the 
 third day, but did not see Rose. This third day I passed 
 along the whole line between the camp and hospital, and 
 made inquiries of hospital attendants, and I became con- 
 vinced that Rose had started for the North with other paroled 
 sick prisoners, and I felt very glad for him. This is all I 
 know about Deloss Rose. I cannot conceive what unhappy 
 fate overtook him at last. 
 
 My tent-mates at Florence were William Lewin, Michael 
 Devlin, Eli Thayer and John Young, the latter a member of 
 some Indiana regiment. The horror and suffering there were 
 for me greater than at Andersonville. My greatest suffering 
 was caused by exposure to the cold. I have spent day after 
 day for many days trying to drive out the chill that had pen- 
 etrated to the very centre of feeling, but trying in vain ; and 
 the intervening nights were passed walking the streets of the 
 camp in the same fruitless effort to obtain relief from the chill 
 of a South Carolina winter. Go oo h ! it makes me shiver 
 to think of it. Many dug holes into the ground and made 
 excavations beneath the surface in which to build fires, and to 
 lie down in, with a hole at the top just large enough to admit 
 of crawling out and in. The dwellers in these excavations 
 did not much resemble human beings, when seen coming out 
 of their holes. This mode of existence caused a new and
 
 556 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V.I. 
 
 mysterious disease among the prisoners, called "camp fever." 
 Many died of it. Our tent had no case of it until near the 
 end of our stay at Florence, when Eli Thayer became sick and 
 exhibited symptoms of the strange and fatal fever. We were 
 removed from Florence while he was sick, and the sick 
 remained, the date being about the last of January, 1865. I 
 never knew of Eli afterward. 
 
 When we left Florence there were rumors again of a 
 parole or exchange, but we went into North Carolina toward 
 Goldsboro ; left the cars and railroad, and marched twenty to 
 twenty-five miles, camped in the woods two or three days, 
 then marched back to the railroad, and again in cars. Our 
 journey was finally ended at Wilmington, and we learned that 
 Gen. Terry had captured Fort Fisher and was advancing up 
 Cape Fear River. This was cheering news, and we felt that 
 the end of our prison life was near. We were also given a 
 realizing sense of the frailty of the poor life that was in us. 
 We were in camp on open ground, a ravine having a stream 
 at the bottom, where we got our water, on one side ; a swamp 
 on another. The fever had stayed with us, and several who 
 appeared as well as the rest of us when they lay down at 
 night, were found dead and stiff in the morning. Without 
 premonitory symptoms, none knew who would be the next to 
 go. Then we were ordered to the cars. Fearing we might 
 be returned to Florence, Devlin and myself again began to 
 devise ways of escape, and urged Lewin to accompany us ; 
 but Lewin was in a bad condition, and became taciturn, and 
 refused to go with us. The sick being called up to go to the 
 railroad by themselves, Devlin and myself feigned more sick- 
 ness than was really felt, and went to the railroad track, stop- 
 ping near a deep cut. Fires were built upon the bank, and when 
 night came on, we crawled into the shadow of this bank on 
 our hands and knees until past the guards, going in a north- 
 easterly direction. We met with some misadventures, but 
 succeeded in eluding the camp and picket posts of the Rebels. 
 Coming to a river, we changed our course to a southeasterly 
 direction until we came to a swamp, following which, we 
 found ourselves going back toward Wilmington. Indeed, we
 
 MYRON J. BROWN'S NARRATIVE. 557 
 
 were come to the very camp-ground of the previous day, 
 which we found occupied by a squad of Rebel soldiers. Our 
 only course seemed to be to cross the railroad track. Devlin 
 was " moon blind," and I had to lead him. In coming to the 
 track the cracking of a bush was heard by the Rebels, and 
 they started toward us from their camp-fires, but we laid down 
 by the side of a bank and escaped discovery. We then 
 passed beween a cavalry camp and Wilmington, and although 
 we could see mounted soldiers passing in and out from the 
 camp, we succeeded in crossing the line, and reached a place 
 of seclusion, where we rested and slept till about ten o'clock 
 in the forenoon. We then resumed our journey as soon a& 
 possible, camping under cover of the bushes and timber. 
 The day we left the guards we had received three days r 
 rations, consisting of three pints of corn meal, and about an 
 ounce of raw beef. The beef we consumed that morning, but 
 the dry, raw meal stuck in our throats. We made some pro- 
 gress during the day, and after dark took a road and traveled 
 more rapidly. Soon we discovered a long tfne of camp-fire& 
 in the distance, which we supposed to belong to the Rebels. 
 To go around that long line of camp-fires seemed a hard task, 
 and we ventured to call at a house to make inquiries. There we 
 found a man, who, although a Rebel, sympathized with us, 
 and blamed his government severely for the sufferings of the 
 prisoners. His family shared his feelings, and prepared a 
 meal for us. The meal over, he accompanied us a short 
 distance, and gave us directions as to the line, advising us 
 to hide in the woods until the Rebel army had retreated, 
 which he believed they would do in a day or two. After walk- 
 ing a short distance, we concealed ourselves in the woods and 
 went to sleep, awakening the next morning about ten o'clock, 
 and finding ourselves near two houses, one of which was a 
 genteel, country home, which we discovered to be wholly 
 abandoned. Going to the other house, we found a Union 
 family, who entertained us bountifully, and gave us further 
 directions. Proceeding a short distance that night, we found 
 some deserted huts, which had been formerly occupied by salt 
 workers, in one of which we remained during the night, and
 
 558 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 most of the succeeding day. A boy from the house last 
 visited brought us food regularly. We also fished up some 
 oysters on the sea coast, near which our shanty was situated. 
 The boy reported that the Rebel army was likely to retreat 
 that night. To lessen the chances of discovery, we again 
 concealed ourselves in the thicket, remaining until one o'clock 
 the next day, and then set out on our return trip to Wilming- 
 ton, eight miles distant. On arriving near the town, our eyes 
 were gladdened by the sight of the boys in blue. 
 
 Shall I describe my appearance when I entered the Union 
 lines at Wilmington ? I was fearfully emaciated. I was a 
 mere skeleton, and could span my arm at almost any point 
 with thumb and finger. Before my capture I weighed 166 
 pounds ; a month after my escape, 125 pounds. My suit 
 consisted of a crownless hat, a bottomless remnant of a coat, 
 the waistband of my trousers, to which hung portions only of 
 the pantaloons, so torn that they parted at every step, and 
 utterly failed to protect or conceal my lower limbs. I had no 
 other garment, or part of a garment. Devlin was but little 
 better off. The soldiers who first saw us were so affected by 
 our appearance that they expressed great horror, and declared 
 they could shoot the Rebels with a clearer conscience than 
 ever before. They speedily provided us with full suits, and 
 then we reported to the Provost Marshal, and were assigned 
 quarters with about 300 other escaped prisoners. If I re- 
 member correctly, it was from the 14th to the 18th of Febru- 
 ary, 1865, that Devlin and myself were on this trip. 
 
 A few days later we were sent to Annapolis, Md., where 
 we received new clothing and the amount due us as commu- 
 tation for rations during the term we were prisoners. From 
 Annapolis we went by rail to St. Louis, Mo., where we ob- 
 tained a sixty-days furlough, and arrived at Waukegan, 111., 
 March 18, 1865. 
 
 My furlough expiring, I reported at St. Louis, and was 
 sent to Springfield, 111., where I was discharged June- 24, 
 1865, arriving in Chicago just in time to join my old com- 
 rades and return to Waukegan with them and share the 
 pleasures of the kind reception given us by our home friends.
 
 CAPTURED AT RESACA. 559 
 
 The following, which was read before Waukegan Post, 
 No. 374, Department of Illinois, Grand Army of the Repub- 
 lic, in 1886, by William B. Lewin, is so full of interest that 
 it has seemed best to give it entire : 
 
 CORPORAL LEWIN's NARRATIVE. 
 
 During the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864, while 
 our Regiment was supporting a brigade on our right in a 
 thicket, after several attempts the enemy succeeded in dis- 
 lodging them, and exposing us immediately to a terrible fire 
 .at short range, causing us to fall back on the main line. The 
 regulation tactics require one hundred and sixty twenty-inch 
 steps per minute in double-quick time ; ours were even quicker 
 and longer than these. Crossing a road in full view of the 
 enemy with pieces leveled, my tent-mate, O. M. Ayers, and 
 myself were captured by the main line of Cleburne's Division. 
 We were at once taken to Gen. Johnston, who inquired con- 
 cerning our numbers in the engagement. Our answers not 
 being satisfactory, we were ordered to the rear, our rations 
 to consist of bread and water. I learned, after living with 
 them a short time, that it was unneccessary to make any com- 
 ments on the rations. 
 
 A short walk found us in the enemy's fort, manned by 
 old soldiers, who received us kindly. On learning what 
 State we were from, the Captain said, "What in the name of 
 goodness are you fighting for '( You are our men." What 
 could have prompted such remarks, I cannot say. I am sure 
 we did not look, dress or think alike. We were fighting to 
 maintain a united people and one flag ; he for the stars and 
 bars and a Southern Confederacy. He was about six feet in 
 height, hair long, uniform rather seedy, while his general 
 appearance protested strongly against their ration system. 
 Our clothing was good, and our persons indicated that the 
 Commissary Department was in excellent working order, 
 although heavily taxed. 
 
 Later in the day we were taken before the Provost Mar- 
 shal, our names, Company and Regiment given, and were 
 about to depart, when my comrade informed the Marshal that
 
 560 HISTORY or THE 96 f ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 the guard had borrowed his watch for an indefinite time y 
 whereupon that officer ordered the property returned at once. 
 
 The day following, while marching, we passed by several 
 men in a field, each commanding three or four large bake- 
 ovens and several sacks of corn meal. Upon inquiry we were 
 told that this was the brigade bakery. The meal, after being 
 mixed with water, was baked and thrown upon the ground. 
 
 We soon arrived at Calhoun, and found the place swarm- 
 ing with home guards and ladies, the latter wearing badges 
 inscribed, " Ladies Soldiers' Aid Society." Some of the 
 home guards on our arrival became enraged over pictures of 
 Federal prisoners appearing in Hai*per*s Weekly. Our adopted 
 Captain informed them that battles were not fought on paper, 
 and that if they would go to Resaca real Yankees could be 
 found in abundance. He afterward told me that "taps" 
 would find these guards in their old camp-ground. 
 
 Leaving Calhoun, we took cars for Atlanta, accompanied 
 by about thirty comrades and several car loads of Confederate 
 wounded. On our arrival we were placed inside the first 
 prison walls. A short time was spent the following day in 
 taking prisoners 1 names by one who happened to be captured, 
 although not a soldier, he promising to inform our friends of 
 our capture ; and after obtaining the desired information, left 
 for parts unknown. He belonged to the reporters' staff. A 
 few days and we were persuaded by bayonets to accept seats 
 in a freight car for that prison, above all other prisons, recorded 
 as having no parallel in the world's history. 
 
 A description of Andersonville by those who suffered even 
 more than death, can at least be but meagre. I speak words 
 and sentences ; the number called to endure a life of excruci- 
 ating pain and misery tells you pages. The twelve thousand 
 nine hundred and twenty-six graves made at Andersonville 
 speak volumes to you ! The officers and guards searched us, 
 even running their fingers through our hair, necessary in 
 my case then, but time wasted now. 
 
 The articles taken usually consisted of knives, rings, pens, 
 portraits and watches, the officers promising to return them 
 when we were released. This they failed to do ; perhaps one
 
 EDWIN DRURY, 
 
 COMPANY G.
 
 CORPORAL LEWIN'S NARRATIVE. 561 
 
 reason for the failure was that the prison officials were not 
 permitted by our Great Commander to visit them after their 
 departure, which in so many cases was from earth to heaven. 
 
 Our appearance inside the prison gate created no little ex- 
 citement among those of the NINETY -SIXTH who had preceded 
 us. They were overjoyed to meet us, but sorry we came. 
 The first met with was Comrade Schwerie ; then came com- 
 rades Kearney, Savage and Madden, all who were living, 
 save one who had been exchanged, out of the fourteen cap- 
 tured at Missionary Ridge from my Company. 
 
 Being assigned to a detachment, we were now full-fledged 
 prisoners of war. A detachment consisted of two hundred 
 and seventy men, containing first, second and third nineties 
 of the same ; a smaller division of first, second and third 
 thirties, for convenience in counting and the division of rations. 
 The prisoners fell in four deep, and were counted daily. 
 Rations were brought in wagons, their first division being to 
 the detachment sergeants, the second to the ninety sergeants 
 and lastly to the thirty sergeants. Wnen corn bread was 
 issued, it was cut into thirty small pieces, and one of the 
 number asked to "call off," as we termed it. Blindfolded, 
 and with his back to the ration sergeant, this man would pro- 
 ceed to call each one's number in the thirty, not in rotation, 
 but by naming first the odd and then the even numbers, and 
 vice versa, and I can tell you before our release we had many 
 experts at calling off. We occasionally received unbolted 
 corn meal, rice or cow peas, usually from one half to a pint, 
 doing the cooking ourselves in small tin cups, if we were so 
 lucky as to have them, making two meals a day. The wood 
 was brought in daily by our men, split into rations with a rail- 
 road spike, a ration being the size of a common stick of stove- 
 wood, and about twelve inches long. Many could not eat the 
 rations which they drew, and would walk all day, calling 
 aloud. " Who will exchange bread for peas, rice or meal?" 
 while others were exclaiming, "Here is where you get your 
 hot soup ! twenty -five cents a dish." The exclamations 
 annoyed the Confederates when enumerating the prisoners 
 and the venders were often called upon to make sacrifice of 
 36
 
 5tf2 HISTOKY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 their highly seasoned soup, much to the discomfort of a pass- 
 ing comrade, who received it in his face instead of his 
 stomach. 
 
 Our water supply was poor, being obtained from a creek 
 passing through the wall and under the dead-line. With the 
 exception of a few wells, thirty-two thousand soldiers were 
 supplied here. Our clothing consisted of what we happened 
 to have. If you were unlucky enough to be a prisoner many 
 months, you would be clothed in nature's robes, and your 
 Heavenly Father the proper authority to appeal to. 
 
 For shelter some had parts of coats, pants, tents, rubber 
 and army blankets, sewed together and hung on poles. 
 Others made mud houses, while a few dug holes in the 
 ground. Probably fifteen thousand rested at night on the 
 bosom of mother earth, with heaven's starry canopy a mantle 
 for all alike. 
 
 Our sick were cared for by four or five Confederate doc- 
 tors, who, I think, did all in their power to alleviate the ter- 
 rible sufferings of our men. 
 
 It was not an uncommon occurrence while going for water 
 in the morning to be obliged to pass over several dead bodies 
 on our way. These were picked up during the day, placed 
 inside of the dead-line, and taken out in the evening and num- 
 bered, the number corresponding with the name on the book 
 when known, and buried in a sandy hill nearly one-half mile 
 from the prison, which is the resting place of 12,926 of our 
 comrades, and which has since become a beautiful national 
 cemetery. 
 
 The prison was not a congenial place for amusements, our 
 minds being taxed to the utmost concerning our condition and 
 release. A camp rumor would be repeated by nearly every- 
 one in a few minutes, and in an incredibly short time it would 
 be exaggerated into a possibility and a probability. 
 
 Soon we were reinforced by Comrades Devlin and Barney, 
 of Company D. After several months it was rumored that 
 a -certain number of detachments were to be exchanged in 
 thirty days. Those not strong and able to walk would not be 
 counted in, and by this order I was excluded. The scurvy
 
 CORPORAL LEWIN'S NARRATIVE. 563 
 
 had so contracted my limbs as to make it impossible for me 
 to walk but a few steps at a time, and caused me severe pain. 
 
 By a pure Yankee trick, I had managed to keep my watch 
 until now. At this time in our own lines it would have 
 brought from twenty to thirty dollars. I started out, offering 
 it for eight dollars, but I could find no buyers. Soon I met a 
 soldier selling potatoes and biscuit, all of which were con- 
 tained in a knapsack. Upon inquiry 1 found that potatoes 
 were worth one dollar and fifty cents per dozen, and biscuit 
 fifty cents apiece. I proffered my watch for the lot and two 
 dollars. " No ; even up ! " he said. And the thought flashed 
 through my mind instantly that I was about making an 
 important change, upon which my future existence in this 
 world largely depended. I did not lose a moment in closing the 
 trade, and upon investigation I found my investment panned 
 out seven and one half dozen potatoes and two biscuits ; total 
 -twelve dollars and twenty-five cents. Yery quickly we par- 
 took of raw scraped potato. A Confederate physician stated 
 that one large potato eaten in this way by a person afflicted 
 with the scurvy, would prolong said person's life a month. 
 
 The day following I reached Comrade Madden and gave 
 him the biscuits. Words will not do justice to the kind ex- 
 pressions he made me for this small offering. 
 
 I had concluded to be ready for the talked-of exchange, 
 which was to take place now in less than thirty days. Down 
 upon the creek I selected a small piece of ground, think- 
 ing by continual exercise I might become able to walk again, 
 and so gain my liberty with the rest. Many were the hours 
 that I walked here to accomplish my object. My comrades 
 for several days were puzzled concerning my whereabouts at 
 certain portions of the day. Not being satisfied with my state- 
 ment, they concluded to watch me. All at once, when com- 
 ing in on the home stretch, I was confronted by one of my 
 comrades. My race-track was a secret no longer. "Well, 
 Billy ! What is your record to-day ? Is the track favorable? 
 When you win do not forget your groom." How well I 
 remember these ejaculations of my comrades ! And well I 
 knew they were favorably impressed with my novel idea,
 
 564 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 which was crowned with success, not in thirty days, as antici- 
 pated, but weeks afterward. 
 
 The days passed wearily by, the food being barely enough 
 to keep life in our frail bodies, and with no reading matter to 
 nourish our mental faculties. Secret organizations were 
 formed to try and effect an escape by tunneling. The work 
 was carried on by reliefs, digging from five to seven feet in 
 depth, and then at right angles toward the wall. The exca- 
 vation was large enough for one man at a time. The work 
 was done with knives, sticks, cups and half canteens. The 
 earth was taken by others of the detail in pant legs, caps and 
 skirts of coats, and scattered through the prison, and as this 
 was performed in the night, and in the dark of the moon, 
 many a poor, tired captive would have his ears, mouth, eyes 
 or neck filled with sand by some of the tunnel sowers during 
 the night. Some succeeded in escaping through the tunnels, 
 but only to be recaptured in a few days or weeks, and were 
 often mangled by the ferocious blood-hounds, or subjected to 
 severe punishment in the ^stocks, or going without food for 
 days, and joining the chain-gang. Some of our men, who 
 were no doubt previously hardened in crime, became vile 
 wretches, robbing and murdering their comrades. Arrests 
 were made, and an impartial trial given them by our men. 
 Some were sentenced to run the gauntlet, and others were put 
 in stocks, bucked and gagged or branded, while" six of what 
 was known as " Mosby's Gang " were* hung, myself standing 
 a few feet from the scaffold, and I can say they fairly merited 
 their penalty. 
 
 The walls of the prison were formed by hewing trees on 
 two sides, and placing them side by side in the ground, four 
 or five feet deep, and twelve or fourteen feet high, enclosing 
 fifteen or twenty acres. The number of prisoners held at one 
 time was 32,000, and altogether within its walls were 49,485. 
 The death-roll during some part of August averaged one hun- 
 dred and sixty per day. No clothing or cooking utensils were 
 furnished, and those who had been prisoners several months 
 were in a deplorable condition. 
 
 The dead-line was a railing placed a few feet high and
 
 CORPORAL LKWIN'S NARRATIVE. 565 
 
 twelve feet from the wall. It was death to any one who 
 crossed it, purposely or otherwise. I was an eye-witness to 
 one comrade who had his forehead shattered by a rebel bullet 
 while getting water for his sick companion, having accidentally 
 fallen under it. Others entered purposely to end their miser- 
 able existence. 
 
 Those who violated their oaths as members belonging to a 
 tunneling organization, by informing the Confederates of the 
 whereabouts or the progress of the work in contemplation, for 
 a ration of bread, or to be allowed to pass to the outside of 
 the prison wall, in every instance were severely dealt with. I 
 saw one victim branded with a red-hot iron on the forehead 
 with the letter "T," and another whose shirt was removed 
 und hot grease dropped slowly on his back, by taking a piece 
 of fat meat, blazing from the tire, and holding it over him, 
 returning it to the fire as often as the flame ceased. 
 
 Several hundred prisoners assembled at the gate under 
 a, plea of exchange, and in four ranks passed by the inspecting 
 officers, for none were to go who could not walk. The first 
 sight of the fields and trees covered with Nature's verdant 
 robes, and the thought of home, was more than could be 
 endured by their frail forms, and, because of a kind 6f ner- 
 vous prostration, many fell to the ground and were returned 
 to the prison, and soon passed through the gate ajar for them 
 in heaven. A short walk, and those who did not fall out were 
 inside freight cars, in one corner of which had been placed 
 -corn-bread and pork for rations on the trip. With guards 
 inside and on the top of the train we proceeded by the way 
 of Macon to Augusta, Ga., and then to Branch ville and 
 Charleston, S. C. Here we heard the first Union guns since 
 the day following our capture. The very air was rent with 
 wild cheers as the screeching missiles went crashing through 
 the brick buildings. A few days and we were fin route for 
 Florence, S. C. Soon ten thousand Union soldiers were 
 inside another Southern prison. Our greatest anxiety was as 
 to who the officials would be. A change for worse was not 
 possible. The news soon came that our former commander, 
 Gen. Winder, was to have charge of us. Most all hoped for
 
 566 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 a change, and their wish was granted by the overruling power 
 of Providence, for at the last moment, arriving at Florence 
 by rail, and stepping from the car, he dropped dead on the 
 platform. 
 
 The rations, treatment and general plan of our confinement 
 was in substance the same as at Andersonville, excepting that 
 we had to endure cold rains and hail-storms, common during 
 the winter months, and this with our clothing in a worse con- 
 dition, and a large percentage of the men barefoot. 
 
 I must not fail to mention a number of small boys, rang- 
 ing in years from eleven to fourteen, who were not enlisted 
 soldiers, but served in different regiments as officers' waiters, 
 or in other capacities. Their age and previous occupation 
 making them fit companions for each other, they generally 
 paraded the prison in a body, and woe to the Confederate 
 who dared to utter sentiments of disloyalty in their presence. 
 It was a common occurrence to see four or five of these little 
 fellows about to attack a seedy looking Southern soldier and' 
 make him take back what he had said against the Federal 
 government. I think there was no ill-treatment severe- 
 enough to change their unceasing devotion to the Union. My 
 companion, O. M. Ayres, suffering more than death a hun- 
 dred times, but never faltering in the cause. Disease held a 
 firm grip on him, and preferring to run the guard or die in the 
 attempt, one afternoon at sunset we shook hands and he 
 started. I saw the deadly shot fall around him. God must 
 have been his shield at this time, for they fell harmless at his 
 feet, but during the night the musket finished its work and in 
 the morning I was told my comrade filled a soldier's grave a 
 short distance from the stockade.* 
 
 As we were about taking our departure from Florence,, 
 one or two comrades and nryself conveyed Eli Thayer, of 
 Company D, to his final resting place ; and I can bear willing 
 testimony that he was a brave and true soldier. As for my- 
 self, I can say I owe a debt of gratitude to all of my army 
 comrades, for I feel that through them my life was saved, andi 
 I shall always have a warm place for them in my heart. 
 
 *This appears to be a mistake, as explained on page 548.
 
 CORPORAL LEWIN'S NARRATIVE. 567 
 
 About the middle of February, 1885, four or five hundred 
 prisoners were called to the gate, and under guard were 
 marched to freight cars and in a few hours were unloaded 
 near Wilmington, N. C. We thought our troops would soon 
 capture it, for guns could be distinctly heard. Here Com- 
 rades Devlin and Brown made their escape, and it was 
 thought by them that at best I could survive but a few days, 
 as I was very low at the time with swamp fever. 
 
 The day following we boarded a freight train and went 
 back to Goldsboro, N. C., and were paroled. Even now we 
 could not be induced to believe that we were soon to be en 
 route for our lines. At midnight we started, and at three or 
 four o'clock p. M. of that day arrived at a branch of the Cape 
 Fear River, eight miles from Wilmington, N. C. The train 
 came to a standstill, and, as there was no station in sight, we 
 at first thought it stopped for wood or water ; but our atten- 
 tion was soon drawn to a flag of truce on the engine. This 
 was visible, there being a curve in the road so we could see 
 distinctly. This caused considerable excitement. The train 
 moved on, passing the Confederate pickets, and soon we were 
 confronting a Federal outpost. Now, for the first time, we 
 felt sure of reaching our lines. In a few moments Gen. 
 Schofield and staff met us at the train. After a short consul- 
 tation among the officers, we passed between them and were 
 counted. Once inside of our lines, a short walk brought us to 
 the pontoon, near where Gen. Schofield's main army rested, 
 and here we received a welcome never to be forgotten. It at 
 once occurred to us that our men were expecting us, for across 
 the road and by the sides, were fiags and banners inscribed with 
 such appropriate mottoes as "Home, sweet home," "Thrice 
 welcome, comrades," and "Home again," while bands of 
 music beside the road played their choicest selections. Pen 
 cannot describe our feelings. We were overjoyed to be at 
 home once more, under the folds of the dear old flag. After 
 receiving a good army ration, we journeyed to Wilmington, 
 N. C., and, boarding a steamer, sailed down Cape Fear River, 
 around Cape Hatteras, and landed at Annapolis, Md. Here 
 we received clothing, food and two months' pay. After a few
 
 568 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V.I. 
 
 days we left for St. Louis, Mo., where we were granted a 
 furlough for thirty days, at the expiration of which we re- 
 turned and went to Springfield, 111., where we were mustered 
 out May 24, 1865. 
 
 Among the men taken prisoners by the enemy from the 
 Regiment in the first day's fight at Resaca, as already men- 
 tioned, were First Sergeant Thomas J. Smith, of Company I, 
 commissioned and awaiting muster as First Lieutenant of the 
 same Company ; Private Richard Spencer, of Company F ; 
 and Private Lewis Miller, of Company G. 
 
 The fate of these men was unknown until two days later, 
 when their whereabouts was made known in the following 
 manner. On the sixteenth day of May the Regiment was 
 delayed in crossing the Coosa River while a pontoon bridge 
 was being built. While lying upon the river bank a staff 
 officer came over from Gen. Hooker to see Lieut-Col. Smith, 
 and inform him that his brother the Lieutenant, and two other 
 men had been found wounded upon the road on which Gen. 
 Hooker's column was marching. An ambulance under guard 
 was immediately sent over to find the men, and bring them 
 to the Regiment. TTpon the return of the ambulance it was 
 found to contain the three men, Lieutenant Smith, who was 
 mortally wounded, having been shot through both thighs ; 
 Miller, also mortally wounded, having one leg amputated, 
 and Spencer, severely wounded, the shot being across the 
 stomach. 
 
 The experience of these wounded men while in the hands 
 of the enemy is best told in the language of Lieutenant Smith, 
 as he related it to his brother, our Lieutenant Colonel, while 
 waiting for the crossing of the Coosa. 
 
 "When our Division was overwhelmed and in retreat I 
 was wounded and fell, with a shot through both legs. Being 
 unable to rise, I lay upon the ground until the enemy's lines 
 had passed over, when a skulker in their rear came up, and 
 calling me his prisoner, ordered me to get up and go to 
 the rear. I attempted to rise, but fell. Making the second 
 effort, I again failed, when the Rebel, placing his bayonet 
 to my breast, swore he would run me through unless I got
 
 LIEUTENANT SMITH'S NARRATIVE. 569 
 
 up and went to the rear. Seeing a determination in his eye 
 to do as he threatened, and not knowing what else to do, I 
 gave the grand hailing sign of distress of the Odd Fellows. 
 (Lieutenant Smith was Vice Grand of Galena Lodge No. 17, 
 I. O. O. F., of Galena, Illinois, when he entered the army). 
 This sign was recognized by the surgeon of a Georgia or Ala- 
 "bama regiment, whose name I forget, who immediately 
 came to my rescue, drove the cowardly scoundrel away, and 
 then sat down to talk with me. In answer to his question as 
 to what he could do for me, I replied : ' There are several of 
 the wounded men of my regiment around me ; I wish you 
 would attend to them first, and then wait upon me.' He did 
 so, and found among the number Richard Spencer and Lewis 
 Miller, who are now with me. The surgeon gave us every 
 attention, as much so as if we had been his own men, 
 and spent much time with me while we were in their 
 hands. He told me that as Johnston's army was going to 
 push our forces back to Chattanooga, that we would be sent 
 with the first train to Atlanta, and offered to write me a letter 
 .to some officers in that city who were Odd Fellows, and 
 assured me that they would see that I was given every atten- 
 tion consistent with their duties. I declined the letter, insist- 
 ing that our boys were going to Atlanta, and told him that 
 when Joe Johnston retreated, 1 wished that he would have us 
 left by the roadside, that we might fall into the hands of our 
 friends. The Doctor said I was mistaken, that he would not 
 ^rgue the case with me, as I was too weak ; but if such proved 
 to be the case, he would see what could be done for me. 
 Last night the enemy commenced their retreat, and this 
 morning we were loaded on a farm wagon, Spencer and 
 Miller being with me. "We were being driven along the road 
 in a column of troops, when the Doctor rode up and de- 
 manded to know of the driver what he was doing with those 
 Yankees in his wagon ; ordered him to put us out by the road- 
 side, and take their own men who were unable to walk. We 
 were tenderly lifted and laid outside of the marching column, 
 -when the Doctor, bending over me, said: 'Brother Smith,
 
 570 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 you will soon be in the hands of your friends. Good-bye, and : 
 God bless you ! ' You know the rest." 
 
 Miller died May 27, and Smith June 9, both as a result of 
 their wounds. Spencer recovered after a time, and is still 
 living. 
 
 As the army was approaching Kenesaw Mountain, June 
 18, 1864, the NINETY-SIXTH was ordered to relieve the skirm- 
 ish line and picket the front of the Brigade. The order was 
 received at dark. Before it could be carried out the skirmish 1 -- 
 ers had retired, leaving the front uncovered. Of this the 
 members of this command knew nothing, and in groping their 
 way to the front in the darkness they advanced too far. Halt- 
 ing the main line, a few men went forward to reconnoitre. 
 Sergeant Michael Devlin and Albert Barney, both of Com- 
 pany D, although going but a few yards in advance of the 
 line, were captured by the enemy. Devlin escaped near Wil- 
 mington, as reported in the narrative of Myron J. Brown. 
 The story of their capture and of their prison experiences i&. 
 told by Albert Barney. 
 
 ALBERT BARNEY'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I was captured June 18, 1864, near Kenesaw Mountain. . 
 While the pickets were being relieved the Rebels probably 
 advanced and occupied the rifle-pits of our men, and Sergeant 
 Devlin and myself upon going into one of the pits which we- 
 supposed we were to occupy, were surprised to find it pre- 
 occupied by Rebel soldiers, who demanded our surrender. 
 We were captured by the 6th South Carolina Regiment, and* 
 taken to Gen. Hardee's headquarters, where we were ques- 
 tioned in regard to the number of our forces, but we gave no 
 correct information. Gen. Hardee grew disgusted with us r 
 and told the guard to "take these Yankees to Gen. Johnston's 
 headquarters," and there we were questioned again, but gave- 
 no correct account of the movements of our army. We laid 
 in the corn-field until the morning of June 19. From there- 
 we were taken to Marietta, Ga., and put into a room in the 
 old Court House, remaining there until three o'clock, when* 
 we were transferred to Atlanta, Ga., and placed in what was
 
 ALBERT BARNEY'S NARRATIVE. 571 
 
 called a " Military prison." At that prison they searched us 
 and took all valuables from us. June 21 we were transferred 
 to Andersonville, going by way of Macon, where we stopped 
 over night, and the next morning we were put on board cars, 
 some eighty in number in one box car, and arrived at An- 
 dersonville Prison about four o'clock, June 22. That was our 
 first introduction into Jeif Davis' largest boarding house. Our 
 first meal consisted of one-half pint of sour mush. We laid 
 on the damp ground until the morning of June 23, when we 
 began to look for acquaintances. I soon found William B. 
 Lewin, Myron J. Brown, Eli Thayer and Joseph Schwerie. 
 all of our own Regiment. They gave me the rules regulating 
 our camp, and showed me the dead-line. The first ration 
 issued to me was so distasteful that I threw it away. I soon 
 learned that this was not wise. Our usual ration was one- 
 half pint of corn-meal, which was ground cob, corn and husk 
 together, without any salt to season it, and often with no 
 wood to cook it. The rations were usually issued to one 
 thousand men, and then reissued to squads of a less number, 
 a Sergeant being appointed to superintend the issuing of 
 rations to smaller squads. A kind of pea was used which 
 grows in that vicinity, which was very hard and cooked with, 
 the greatest difficulty, even when wood was comparatively 
 plenty. On account of their hardness they could not be- 
 cooked properly, and upon being eaten would pass through, 
 the bowels absolutely undigested, not being acted upon by 
 the digestive juices at -all ; and men, nearly starved, would 
 pick these out of the faecal masses and eat them again. Such 
 a statement seems almost incredible, but it can be substan- 
 tiated by hundreds. 
 
 Vermin, or body lice, troubled us greatly at this time, for 
 we were without water to wash either our bodies or our clothes ; 
 and it was a part of our daily task to rid our clothes of these 
 little insects. The vermin, coming in contact with the skin, 
 produced more or less sores, and some of our men being 
 wounded, vermin would come in contact with their wounds ; 
 and between body lice and maggots, which infected many, 
 their condition was rendered most miserable.
 
 57- HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Anderson ville Prison consisted of about twenty-five acres, 
 enclosed by timbers about twelve feet high. Guards were 
 placed on top to watch the prisoners. About twenty feet from 
 the stockade was what they called the " dead-line," and any 
 man who was seen putting his hand on the dead-line was shot 
 at. It did not make any difference to them whether they hit 
 the one who touched the line or some one else ; any guard 
 was honored with a thirty-days furlough for shooting a Yan- 
 kee. As an instance, one of the guards shot at a Union sol- 
 dier while he was going for water, missed his mark, and hit 
 another man in the southeastern part of the stockade, who 
 was lying asleep in his tent. 
 
 The worst hand-fist tight I saw while in the service 
 was between two Union soldiers confined at Andersonville 
 Prison, over what I would call one of those little wood mice. 
 The man saw the mouse running from the stockade toward 
 the dead-line. The diminutive animal was about to get away 
 from him, when another man kicked it inside the prison with 
 his foot. About the same time the first man hit it with his 
 hat. Both claimed it, and then had a regular fist-fight for its 
 possession. Finally the case was arbitrated, and the mouse 
 divided between the two men. 
 
 About June 30 the so-called raiders became so trouble- 
 some that it was not safe for a man to lie down at night with a 
 blanket, coat, pair of shoes, or anything that happened to be 
 valuable, for fear of being killed during the night. Captain 
 Wirz came to the prison about three o'clock one after- 
 noon and told the men that he would issue no rations until 
 every raider in the camp was taken out. Those of our men 
 who were able at once organized a regular police force, and 
 took out 150 raiders the first afternoon, and the next day 
 increased their force and took out fifty more. Then they 
 organized a court, tried every man, and out of the two hund- 
 red, six were convicted of murder in the first degree, and five 
 of murder in the second degree, or manslaughter. The six 
 murderers were condemned to be hung July 11, 1864 ; the 
 iive found guilty of manslaughter had to run the gauntlet,
 
 ALBERT BARNEY'S NARRATIVE. 573 
 
 and three or four died as the result of injuries received in that 
 terrible race. 
 
 During the hanging of one man an accident occurred. As 
 the trap was sprung he fell and the rope broke, snapping so- 
 that it could be heard in the farther end of the prison. The 
 doomed man made a rush for liberty, crossing the swamp r 
 where at any other time he would have sunk in the quicksand 
 out of sight. He supposed that he was going into a body of 
 his own friends, but instead he ran into a squad of the police 
 before mentioned. They took him back, and put the rope 
 around his neck the second time, when he was swung off into 
 eternity. From that time on the camp, or prison, was very 
 peaceable and quiet. If a man was caught stealing even a 
 stick of wood, or any other article belonging to one of the 
 prisoners, he was reported to police headquarters and tried ; 
 if convicted, his punishment was from five to fifty lashes on 
 the bare back. 
 
 The prisoners were continually trying in every way to 
 make their escape. There were several tunnels in operation, 
 but they were never finished, on account of some traitor who 
 would inform Capt. Wirz, and thus secure an extra half pint 
 of corn meal. One man was detected informing Capt. Wirz 
 of a tunneling process, and a letter l 'T" was printed upon 
 his forehead in India ink, by the prisoners, as a sign of a 
 traitor. 
 
 The latter part of July there came a heavy thunder-storm, 
 which washed away part of the stockade on both sides of the 
 prison. Some of the prisoners jumped into the water and 
 floated down the creek among the rubbish, going four or five 
 miles, and tried to make their escape into our lines, but the 
 Rebels had a squad of cavalry and about seventy -five blood- 
 hounds to put upon their track, and soon recaptured them. 
 One of the men was torn nearly to pieces before the Rebel 
 guard could get near enough to drive off the dogs. During 
 this storm a spring of water bubbled up between the stock- 
 ade and the dead-line, upon a high ridge. The boys dug 
 a ditch from the spring to carry the pure water inside the 
 dead-line. The prisoners often said that they thought it was
 
 574 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 a Godsend that the spring should break out where it did. 
 Before this supply came, we were compelled to drink the 
 water from the wash of the Rebel camp, and our guards, 
 thinking the water was not filthy enough, threw two or three 
 dead dogs into the creek. 
 
 In order to keep the men in good spirits, some one of the 
 prisoners pretended to read in a paper that we would be ex- 
 changed on the 10th, 15th or the 25th of each month, but that 
 got to be an old story, and we put no confidence in it. I have 
 seen men come into camp with nothing but their undershirts 
 and drawers on, the rebels having stripped them of their 
 outer garments, leaving them with no shelter from the storm. 
 Many of the prisoners would burrow in the sand to hide them- 
 selves from the burning sun. We resorted to every conceiv- 
 able device in order to earn an extra ration of corn meal. 
 A comrade named James Drum and myself started a barber 
 shop, he having a brush and a piece of soap, and I a razor and 
 strap. I did the shaving and we divided the profits between 
 us. 
 
 On the 15th of September we were taken from Anderson- 
 ville to Florence, S. C. The Rebels, thinking Gen. Sherman 
 was too near Andersonville, feared they might lose us. 
 We found Florence no better than Andersonville had been. 
 
 For more than four months I was afflicted with scurvy to 
 such an extent that my teeth became loose, and upon opening 
 my mouth they would rattle. The cords of my limbs were 
 drawn up until at last I was unable to assume an erect posi- 
 tion. Should I desire to go to any place, I would work myself 
 along the ground, and when I left that terrible prison I 
 crawled on my hands and knees until I got out of the horrible 
 pen. 
 
 The Rebels had told us that we were to be exchanged, 
 and of course everybody was anxious to get out. While mak- 
 ing this effort I became so exhausted that I fainted, and was 
 only revived by some of my comrades throwing water in my 
 face. When we were removed to Florence I was so bad that 
 they put me into a large wagon with some fifteen others, and 
 conveyed me to the cars. When we reached Florence I
 
 ALBERT BARNEY'S NARRATIVE. 575 
 
 was so weak that some of my comrades took me from the cars, 
 And placed me under a tree, where I remained two or three 
 days without any shelter whatever. After a while I was 
 placed in a hospital, where the only protection was poles 
 arranged with boughs of trees, which simply protected from 
 the sun. We suffered greatly from the cold during those 
 nights. At this time I succeeded in disposing of a pair of 
 buckskin gloves, which I had retained, and purchased some 
 apples and sweet potatoes, which doubtless saved my life. At 
 last we were placed upon a transport on the Savannah River 
 on the 30th of November, and were once more under the old 
 :fiag. New clothing was distributed to us and all the food we 
 could eat, although the greatest care had to be exercised not 
 to eat too much. When I exchanged my old clothes for the 
 .new ones given us by the government, I inadvertently threw 
 away a testament which my mother gave me when I left for 
 the war, and which I should have been very glad to have 
 preserved, but in my delirium and apathetic condition it was 
 lost. We were taken to Annapolis, where I was kept until 
 able to be furloughed, reaching home on the 27th of Decem- 
 ber, 1864. In March, 1865, 1 went to the general barracks, 
 but was never able to return to my Company. Was mustered 
 out at Springfield, Illinois, and have never been well since. 
 
 The experience of Sergeant Michael Devlin, of Company 
 D, was identical with that of Albert Barney for some time 
 following his capture, and in his escape he was associated 
 with Myron J. Brown. To the narratives of these two com- 
 rades the reader is therefore referred for an account of his cap- 
 ture and escape. Devlin is now residing in Chicago. 
 
 Twilight of June 19, 1864, found the NINETY-SIXTH in an 
 -exposed condition south of Nose's Creek, near the base of 
 Little Kenesaw. A skirmish line was hastily thrown forward, 
 as soon as the position across the creek or swamp was gained, 
 and William H. Ehlers, of Company C, was captured in this 
 advance. He was taken to Atlanta and Andersonville, and 
 had many months' experience in captivity. Near the close of 
 the war he was released and discharged from the service. He 
 JDOW resides in Nebraska.
 
 576 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 August 2, 1864, while the enemy was confronting Atlanta^ 
 four members of the Regiment were captured by Rebel cav- 
 alry, while out after forage in the rear of tue Union left. 
 They were Henry W. Williams, of Company r W. W. Jel- 
 lison and W. M. Montgomery, of Company E, and Hugh 
 Williams, of Company I. Their experience was not unlike 
 that of others. 
 
 Hugh Williams, of Company I, was in poor health, and 
 did not long survive, dying at Florence, S. C., November 29 T 
 1864. 
 
 Wallace W. Montgomery, had a long and trying experi- 
 ence, and is understood to have been among the last prison- 
 ers released. Indeed, many of the members of his company 
 supposed that he died at Florence, S. C. After the war had 
 closed he reached home, and subsequently removed, as near 
 as can be learned, to Wabasha, Minnesota. 
 
 W. W. Jellison, of Company E, writes from his home at 
 Dorrance, Kansas, that he was at Andersonville from August 
 until early winter, when he was removed to Florence, remain- 
 ing at the latter place until near the final break-up. He 
 declares his inability to adequate!}' describe the sufferings he 
 witnessed and endured. He saw George W. Dimmick and 
 Charles Heath, of his Company, daily, in bolh prisons, but is 
 in doubt as to the fate of the former. He remembers that 
 Dimmick was still suffering from an unhealed wound received 
 at Chickamauga, the bullet having caused the loss of one eye 
 and serious injury to the other. He was very weak and badly 
 broken down while at Florence. Jellison became so weak in 
 mind, as well as in body, that he did not know when he left 
 Florence. Returning to consciousness after a fortnight's 
 delirium, he found himself in the fourth story of a brick 
 building at Wilmington. N. C., with many other sick soldiers. 
 He was soon sent to Annapolis. Md., and St. Louis, Mo., and 
 finally discharged at Springfield. 111., in the summer of 1865. 
 
 HENRY M. WILLIAMS' NARRATIVE. 
 
 I was captured near Atlanta, Ga., August 2, 1864, while 
 out with some comrades after corn. A party of mounted
 
 MICHAEL UMBDENSTOCK, 
 
 COMPANY C.
 
 HENRY M. WILLIAMS' NARRATIVE. 577 
 
 infantry having surrounded us, we had no alternative but 
 to surrender. Our feelings can be better imagined than 
 described. After being kept in Atlanta two or three days, 
 we were packed in a freight car like sardines in a box, and 
 after a ride of nearly two days were turned into Anderson- 
 ville, tired, hungry, discouraged and homesick. The first 
 acquaintance found was Sergeant Devlin, and the next was 
 Eli Thayer, both of my own Company. It took some of the 
 sharp edge off to meet friends, even amid such gloomy sur- 
 roundings. Time wore on, with all its want and privation. 
 On the arrival of election day, in November, we went through 
 the form of an election, and I voted for Abraham Lincoln and 
 the party that saved the Union, as did nearly all. This 
 brought upon us the penalty of starvation, for our rations 
 were reduced as a punishment, and we were given but a 
 meagre allowance of corn meal, ground cob and all, for the 
 ensuing three days. 
 
 The horrors of Andersonville no tongue can tell and no 
 pen can portray. One after another the men were shot down 
 on the most trifling pretext, or died from want and exposure, 
 while those who escaped suffered a thousand deaths. After 
 five months of misery, we were taken to Charleston by rail, 
 and placed for a short time in the old fair grounds. Then we 
 were taken to Savannah and imprisoned for three weeks, 
 when I was so fortunate as to be paroled and sent by steamer 
 to Annapolis, Md. I was at that place three weeks, and sent 
 thence to Columbus, Ohio. My average weight was about 
 150 pounds, but when released I weighed but ninety-eight 
 pounds. I was soon furloughed home, where I remained 
 about four months, and returning to Ohio, was discharged 
 July 3, 1865. The years had strangely altered my appearance, 
 and from being a strong and rugged boy, I found myself pre- 
 maturely broken down, but proud that I had been permitted 
 to do something for my country, and that the old flag waved 
 in triumph over a restored Union. My residence, at the time 
 of writing this sketch, is Libertyville, Lake county, Illinois. 
 
 After the fall of Atlanta, Corporal Jared O. Blodgett, of 
 Company G, obtained a furlough, and went by rail to Ack- 
 37
 
 578 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 worth, Ga., to visit a brother in the 15th Illinois. Soon 
 afterward Gen. Hood succeeded in reaching that point, and 
 Blodgett became a prisoner of war. The following is 
 
 CORPORAL BLODGETT'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 I was captured at Ackworth, Ga., with a detachment of 
 the 15th Illinois Infantry, October 4, 1864. There were, 
 including some from other commands, about four hundred of 
 us. We were marched back to the Chattahoochie River, 
 under the escort of old soldiers, who treated us well, and did 
 not seem to fear our getting away. As long as we were with 
 them everything went well, but when we got into the hands 
 of the state militia, at West Point, the show began. We 
 were guarded closely, and when on the march we had to keep 
 our ranks closed up. Nearly every man of the guard had a 
 revolver in his hand, and when one of them told a man to 
 close up, he would point his revolver at him. The second 
 night that we were with the militia we were exhibited to a large 
 audience of ladies and gentlemen of the South. There was a 
 man who acted as crier to the exhibition, and he did full jus- 
 tice to the occasion, calling us the wild Yankees of the North, 
 Yankees with horns, and every imaginary name you can think 
 of, which made the prisoners quite wrathy. 
 
 The third day after our capture we were placed on board 
 a train of flat cars, and taken to Anderson ville. On arriving 
 inside the stockade the order was given to come to a front 
 face. Then the announcement was made that we were to be 
 searched, and that if any one had more than fifty dollars, it 
 would be taken from him and the amount placed to his 
 credit, and when released he could receive it again. As 
 it proved, that was the last of it. After the search was over 
 we were marched into the stockade and organized, which 
 meant to be formed into companies of one hundred each, and 
 a man to be chosen from the ranks to take down the name of 
 each man in the hundred. That man was called " Sergeant of 
 the Hundred." 
 
 The camp was laid out in regular order, each detachment 
 having a company street. In the morning a Confederate
 
 CORPORAL BLODGETT'S NARRATIVE. 579 
 
 Sergeant would come in and call the Sergeant of the first 
 hundred, who would call the roll of his hundred. This con- 
 tinued until the whole camp was gone through with. That took 
 until noon or after. During this time there was a man out- 
 side with a pack of hounds. We could hear him blow his 
 horn, after which the dogs would start around the stockade, the 
 man following then on horseback. He would go two or three 
 times around, and if the dogs failed to strike a trail, they went 
 back for that day ; but if they struck a scent, you could hear 
 them go into the woods, and they never failed to bring back 
 their man, and the captured man always became a subject 
 for the stocks. The stocks were made in two ways, or 
 for two different positions ; one for standing, and one for 
 lying down. They were constructed of plank, hinged together 
 so that the two edges would join. In each plank a hole was 
 cut, so that when they came together the hole was just large 
 enough for a man's neck. For a standing position the plank 
 could be raised or lowered to suit the height of the prisoner, 
 the victim being made to stand partially on tiptoe. For the 
 horizontal position, there was a plank for the feet as well as 
 the neck, causing a man to lie at full length, without the 
 power of moving. The victims were kept in the stocks from 
 three to six hours, according to the degree of punishment 
 they wished to inflict. The men in the stocks also lost their 
 rations for that day. During the first month that I was in 
 Andersonville, we had cooked rations ; after that they were 
 issued raw. They were brought in wagons, and measured 
 out to the Sergeants of the hundreds, who divided them 
 among the men. The ration for a day to each man was as 
 follows : about a gill of corn meal, a like amount of what we 
 called cow peas, every pea having a hole in it, and every hole 
 a family of bugs, black as night and hard-shelled, so that 
 when they got between the teeth, as they always did, 
 they would crack. They looked very much like the seed in 
 wild grapes. A piece of meat about the size of your two 
 fingers, with the aforesaid meal and cow peas, constituted the 
 rations for one day. For a change we received sorghum 
 molasses instead of meat, with the meal and peas. The Ser-
 
 580 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 geant of each hundred received double rations for his trouble 
 in issuing to the rest. The rations were brought in about 
 three o'clock every afternoon, and you can imagine about 
 3,600 men standing on their feet about one o'clock, with their 
 eyes strained to see if they could get a glimpse of the ration 
 wagon. For nearly two hours they would stand watching, 
 and when they caught the first sight, a cheer would go up as 
 if a great victory had been won. 
 
 When the rations were issued, we got the meal first, and 
 this would be eaten raw ; likewise the peas ; the meat, being 
 last, was our dessert. Then we had to wait again until the 
 next day. We were removed to Millen in a short time, but 
 returned in a few days and spent the long winter at Ander- 
 sonville. 
 
 About April 1, 1865, we left Anderson ville en route for 
 Jacksonville, Fla., under guard. Part of the distance was 
 traversed on foot, and part in cars. We arrived within our 
 lines about April 28, 1865. The guard left us when we were 
 about eighteen miles distant from Jacksonville, sending a flag 
 of truce ahead to notify our men that their prisoners would 
 be with them in a short time. We arrived in Jacksonville 
 about four o'clock in the evening, and were received with 
 great rejoicing by our fellow soldiers. 
 
 There were none of my own Regiment with me at the time- 
 I was confined at Anderson ville, although there had been 
 some before I came. But they had been either removed to 
 some other prison or had died before I arrived. I learned 
 that Myron J. Brown had been removed to another prison 
 and Deloss Rose had died there. Both of these men were 
 from my own Company. I was soon sent north, and was 
 finally discharged about the time the Regiment arrived at 
 home. Present residence, Duncan, Neb. 
 
 Corporal Blodgett gives the following description of the 
 prisons of the South : 
 
 Andersonville embraced about thirty acres, and was a 
 stockade constructed of logs, which were flattened on two 
 sides, set in the ground about four feet and as close together
 
 CORPORAL BLODGETT'S NARRATIVE. 581 
 
 as they could be placed. They projected above the ground 
 about ten feet. There were sentinel boxes, about one hund- 
 red feet apart, and built high enough for sentries to look over 
 into the enclosure. Within the stockade, a distance of twelve 
 feet from the fence, was a dead-line, which consisted of 
 posts about three feet high, placed in the ground about ten or 
 twelve feet apart, with light strips or boards nailed from one 
 to the other. Prisoners were not allowed to pass this line on 
 peril of their lives. 
 
 There was a sluggish stream of water running through the 
 north half of the enclosure, which was so filthy as to be 
 hardly fit to wash in. 
 
 In the south end of the stockade was a rough board shed, 
 open at the north side, and containing bunks built of rough 
 boards for the use of the sick prisoners. This was called the 
 hospital. There was not a stump in the stockade when I arrived 
 there in the fall of 1864. The trees of which the stockade 
 was built were cut from the ground enclosed and the stumps 
 had been dug up by the prisoners for fuel. There were no 
 houses to protect the prisoners from the cold and rain. Wells 
 of great depth had been dug by the prisoners within the 
 stockade. These were not protected by railings, and hence 
 we were liable to fall into them on a dark night. In the dig- 
 ging, half canteens were used for shovels, buckets were made 
 by the prisoners for lifting the dirt, and torn-up blankets were 
 used for ropes. Previous to my arrival a spring of water 
 broke out just within the stockade, the water being con- 
 veyed under the dead-line in a trough, and supplying the 
 entire camp. 
 
 I was also in Millen prison, which was a stockade similar 
 to Andersonville, but not as large, and much cleaner and 
 better managed. 
 
 During the time that Gen. Sherman was marching to the 
 sea, we were moved around considerably, usually camping in 
 the woods, with only a guard around us. At Savannah, Ga., 
 we were guarded in this way, but they told us there that we 
 were all to be exchanged soon, and therefore we did not try 
 to escape. From there we were put on the cars and sent to
 
 582 HISTORY OF THE 96 r m REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Blackshear station, on the Gulf Railroad, where we camped? 
 in the woods. We bought an axe with Confederate money, 
 paying fifteen dollars for it, and soon built a house. We had 
 plenty of wood for fuel. There was a great deal of running 
 guard during the fortnight spent there. As soon as it began 
 to grow dark you could hear the command, ''Halt!" and 
 then bang would go a gun. As they were losing five or six 
 men every night in that camp, they moved us to a place 
 called Thomasville. On the day of our leaving Blackshear 
 there were so many prisoners missing that the guard instituted 
 a search. Some were found secreted in various ways and 
 places. The camp was then set on fire, and as many of the pris- 
 oners had dug holes and covered themselves with branches of 
 trees, which of course soon caught fire, the hiders were com- 
 pelled to come out, some of them being quite badly burned in 
 escaping. 
 
 At Thomasville we were put into a camp with only a 
 ditch dug around us. The ditch probably enclosed ten acres. 
 It was about ten feet wide at the top and eight feet deep, the 
 dirt being thrown up on the outside. We were in this camp, 
 I should think, a month or more. Then we were marched to 
 Albany, a distance of fifty miles, and from there sent on cars 
 to Andersonville again, where we arrived Christmas night, 
 each man receiving about one saucer of cooked rice with sor- 
 ghum for that day and the next. 
 
 OTHER CAPTURES. 
 
 When Gen. Hood made his march to the north of Atlanta, 
 in October, 1862, Edwin Drury was in hospital at Dalton, 
 Georgia, and became a prisoner with many others, the officer 
 in command surrendering the entire garrison, together with 
 all of the sick and wounded, and the hospital attendants. 
 Drury was so fortunate as to be left, having the care of some 
 sick and wounded men from either army at the time, and in a 
 few hours, the enemy having moved off, was a free man 
 again, without having been obliged to submit to even the for- 
 mality of being paroled. 
 
 On the night of November 29, 1864, while the army was
 
 OTHER CAPTURES. 583 
 
 retreating to Franklin, Tenn., Elihu Gray, of Company B, 
 was a prisoner for a few moments, near Spring Hill. He 
 was driving a team at the time, and happened to be at the 
 point where the Rebels dashed across the pike and captured 
 and destroyed a few teams and wagons. Fortunately it was 
 so dark that Gray readily escaped, the Rebels leaving in great 
 haste. 
 
 On the retreat to Franklin, Tenn, November 30, 1864, 
 and when about two miles outside of the village, the Regi- 
 ment halted to rest for a few moments, but was very soon 
 ordered to the top of the ridge they had just crossed, and out 
 to the westward. At the first halt many threw themselves 
 down and immediately went to sleep. One of the number 
 was Albert J. Paddock, of Company D. Worn out with the 
 continuous strain of being up for several days and nights in 
 succession, he did not awaken when the Regiment was 
 ordered away, and being behind a log he was not seen by any 
 of his comrades. The line soon retired to Franklin, and when 
 the Rebels came up he was rudely awakened to find himself 
 disarmed and a prisoner. He was sent to the rear under 
 guard, and after a long, hard march, was confined in the 
 prison at Cahawba, Alabama. From there he was sent to 
 Vicksburg, arriving at the latter place a little past the middle 
 of April, 1865. A month later he was sent to St. Louis, and 
 then furloughed home. He rejoined the Regiment in Chi- 
 cago, and was there discharged and paid off. His present 
 address is Spencer, Iowa. 
 
 During the battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864, 
 Thomas Craig, of Company I, was detailed for skirmish duty, 
 and, advancing from the works near the right, he, with a few 
 men from another command, in passing some evergreens, 
 behind which were concealed a number of Rebels, was com- 
 pelled to surrender. He was kept under guard that night, 
 and next day assisted in burying the Union dead on the bat- 
 tle-field. He was then taken to Columbia, and on the morn- 
 ing of December 15, started on the long march to Corinth. 
 The Rebels robbed him of his boots, and the weather be- 
 came so cold that his feet froze, causing him great suffering.
 
 584 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 He arrived in Corinth Christmas day, and a week later was 
 sent, in company with many sick and wounded, to the south- 
 ward. He was for a short time at Meridian, Miss., Mobile, 
 Ala., and Montgomery, Ala. February 15, 1865, he started 
 for Jackson, Miss., and in just a week was paroled at the Big 
 Black River, going thence to Vicksburg. March 11 he 
 started northward, and before the close of the month joined 
 the Regiment in East Tennessee, and was finally discharged 
 with them in June. He is now a liveryman in Stockton, 
 Kansas. 
 
 Craig had previously served in Company I, 19th Illinois, 
 for three years, and had joined the NINETY-SIXTH about a 
 month before his capture. He had been a prisoner on two 
 occasions while a member of the 19th Illinois. He was first 
 captured by guerillas, near Nashville, Tenn., September 10, 
 1862, but escaped after a fifteen days' confinement. At 
 Chickamauga, September 20, 1863, he was severely wounded 
 and left in the enemy's hands, but was paroled ten days later. 
 He justly thinks that he had his full share in this line and was 
 fully satisfied to have it " three times and out." 
 
 While the army was chasing Hood southward, late in 
 December, Charles Sammons, of Company C, fell out of the 
 ranks and stopped at a house to rest and recuperate. Some 
 irregular cavalry, hovering on the flanks and rear of the army, 
 after the Union column had moved to Huntsville, captured 
 Sammons and kept him with them for a few hours. They 
 talked seriously of hanging him, but in view of his extreme 
 youth concluded that such a sentence would be too harsh, and 
 upon his signing a parole written with a lead pencil, turned 
 him loose. 
 
 Gustavus Bollenbach, of Company B, went out from 
 Huntsville, Ala., February 1, 1865, in search of forage. He 
 was accompanied by several members of the Regiment, all 
 mounted upon mules. A party of Rebels were encountered 
 and gave chase. Bollenbach's mule being neither speedy nor 
 reliable, was soon overtaken and its rider was compelled to 
 surrender. He was taken to some high hills near the Tennes- 
 see River, where he found quite a camp of Rebels, most of
 
 OTHER CAPTURES. 585 
 
 them stragglers from Hood's army. He also found a number 
 of prisoners in the camp. The force had no supplies on hand, 
 but were living off the country, and seemed to have no defi- 
 nite purpose in view. The prisoners fared very poorly so far 
 ^s rations were concerned. Bollenbach watched closely for 
 an opportunity to escape, and in about two weeks, while out 
 after wood, succeeded in eluding the guard and making his 
 way to the Union lines, arriving at the Regiment thoroughly 
 -worn out from exposure and fatigue. 
 
 Norman O. Pratt was captured near Kingston, Ga., while 
 on detached service in the signal corps, taken to Millen, and 
 afterward to Andersonville. He stated that at one time 
 with the guards which surrounded the prison there were 
 twenty-four blood-hounds, which were kept to assist in the 
 ^capture of any prisoners who might attempt to escape. At 
 the close of the war he, with about five thousand others, was 
 turned loose, and finally reached our lines somewhere in 
 Florida. He never regained his strength, and from being a 
 stalwart young man became an invalid, and died in Wau- 
 conda, 111., in 1885.
 
 586 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 
 
 BY LIEUTENANT CHARLES W. EARLE. 
 
 Companies C and H on Picket Withdrawal of Army Anxious Mo- 
 ments No Relief Preparations for Defense More Fighting The- 
 Capture March to Dalton Trip to Richmond Separation of Offi- 
 cers and Men Libby Prison First Day in Prison Who were There 
 The Early Morning Roll Call Old Ben Rations Boxes from 
 Home Occupation and Amusements Traitors in Our Midst A 
 Night in Prison Attempts at Escape Gen. Morgan in Libby The 
 Conception of the Successful Tunnel The Working Parties Dis- 
 covery by the Writer The Passage Through the Tunnel In the 
 Streets of Richmond In Company with Rebel Soldiers Experience 
 of Successive Nights Assistance from Negroes Passage of the 
 Chickahominy In Our Lines Reception Home and Regiment. 
 
 IF any doubt ever existed in the minds of those who have 
 read the preceding pages, concerning the terrible treament of 
 our prisoners by the Confederate authorities, they have by 
 this time been fully removed. The narratives have been 
 written years after the war, when time had softened, if it were 
 possible, the distressing and pitiless experiences. For obvious- 
 reasons the manuscripts sent in have been allowed to remain in 
 the language of the authors, only very slight changes having 
 been made. Occasionally a repetition has occurred, but this 
 is not regarded as objectionable, indeed, it may be desir- 
 able, for "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every 
 word be established." 
 
 No one can read the story of Westoff, delirious from 
 starvation to such an extent that he was hardly conscious of 
 passing through Chicago, and almost dying on the threshold 
 of his home, the deplorable and helpless condition to which 
 so many were reduced by impure vaccination, as told by Ser- 
 geant Hileman, the prostration to which Cullen was reduced 
 by small-pox, pneumonia and erysipelas, without wondering 
 how it was ever possible for human beings to endure such pri-
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 587 
 
 vations, or beings having the semblance of humanity, permit- 
 ting it ; and if these experiences were not verified by repeated 
 testimony, the terrible story of the sufferings of our soldiers in 
 Rebel pens and prisons would not, at this day be regarded as 
 authentic. 
 
 It was not alone from sickness that this brave fellow suf- 
 fered, the diet was insufficient and absolutely indigestible, 
 inducing disease, the guards, especially those not in active 
 service at the point, seemed absolutely destitute of any feel- 
 ings common to human beings, and the means resorted to to 
 recapture those who made their escape were simply despic- 
 able. That American citizens engaged in a warfare against 
 other American citizens would resort to such measures as let- 
 ing loose packs of blood-hounds to overtake and recapture 
 emaciated and prostrate prisoners of war, is almost beyond 
 belief. The story of Menzemer will not be agreeable reading 
 to friends of the Confederacy, if any feelings of humanity 
 remain. 
 
 Throughout all these dreadful months and years our men 
 were true to each other and loyal to the old flag, and the patri- 
 otic passages occurring to some of their recitals will be prec- 
 ious legacies to relatives and friends. The last words of 
 Henry Cutler, who, after suffering in prison, was at last ex- 
 changed and hurried back to rejoin the Regiment at the front, 
 "God bless father and mother, and save the country," will 
 never be forgotten, - they will be imperishable. The burst- 
 ing forth of a spring of water in the dreary waste of Ander- 
 sonville is almost comparable with the pouring out of water 
 from the rock by which the thirst of the children of Israel was 
 quenched. And the summary yet legal disposition of some 
 of their own number, who had forgotten that they were Union 
 soldiers and became thieves and villains, earning the designa- 
 tion of "raiders." was only possible among and by such men 
 as composed the glorious and patriotic volunteer army gath- 
 ered to jestore the Union. But time and space forbid fur- 
 ther reference to many topics which would be of great interest 
 and it remains for me to describe the loss to the Regiment of 
 its centre companies.
 
 588 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 THE CAPTURE OF COMPANIES C AND H ON MISSIONARY RIDGE. 
 
 The General and Company Historians will record the facts 
 concerning the Regiment during the night of September 21 r 
 1863, but it will remain for some one in either Company C or 
 H to portray the events of that night as regards those two 
 Companies. 
 
 Between 9 and 10 o'clock of that evening while we were 
 in line-of-battle looking toward the old Chickamauga battle 
 .ground, Company C was detailed to re-inforce the pickets 
 upon our regimental front, a position held by Company H. 
 XDolonel Champion personally gave me explicit orders, which 
 were as follows : ' ' Take your Company to reinforce the 
 pickets in front of the Regiment, and remain there until 
 you are relieved by proper authority. The command will 
 retire towards Chattanooga, and if you are attacked before 
 you are relieved, retreat in the direction of that place." The 
 order was obeyed, and a few minutes after ten p. M. we 
 were in the place assigned. 
 
 From our position on the picket line we could hear our 
 army withdrawing, the movement being from the left toward 
 the right, and conducted with the greatest precaution and 
 utmost order. One of the historians of the army of the Cum- 
 berland says that the withdrawal of the entire army was con- 
 cluded by seven A. M. the next morning, and that not a man 
 was lost. Seated in his editorial chair several years after the 
 war, he probably imagined that he was narrating facts ; but 
 the terrible experiences recited in this chapter demonstrate 
 his great mistake. 
 
 By midnight everything was perfectly still on the top of 
 the ridge, and a few minutes later the pickets to my left moved 
 back to where the main line formerly rested, and passed off 
 toward Chattanooga. I heard the order distinctly, ' ' in retreat 
 march," as they began the movement, and expected every 
 moment to hear the same for my command, but it did not 
 come. The anxiety which we experienced at this time (mid- 
 night) can hardly be described, and I began to investigate the 
 position. The pickets on my left, as I have before remarked,
 
 .PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 
 
 had been withdrawn by some one, and consequently our left 
 was exposed. On my right I found a detachment of the 40th 
 Ohio, commanded by Capt. Meagher, whose orders in regard 
 to relief and rejoining his command were exactly the same as 
 mine. After consultation we decided to remain, in the belief 
 that- it was regarded necessary by our commanders to sacrifice 
 a certain number of men who should present a strong picket 
 line to cover the withdrawal of the main army. The fact of 
 the matter was, as I learned upoh my return to my Regiment 
 six months afterward, that a staff officer was sent at two o'clock 
 in the morning to relieve us, but failed to reach our advanced 
 position. 
 
 The reasons why Companies C and H were not relieved 
 are best told by Lieutenant Pepoon, who was in a position to 
 know better than any other officer of the Regiment, and per- 
 haps better than any other staff officer in either the Brigade 
 or Division. 
 
 About midnight September 21, 1863, Gen. Whittaker, com- 
 manding our Brigade, asked a Lieutenant who was a member 
 of Gen. Steedman's staif, and serving temporarily upon the 
 staif of Gen. Whittaker, on account of the reduction, by cap- 
 ture, wounding and killing of all his staff with the exception 
 of one, if he could find Gen. Steedman's headquarters. This- 
 staff officer replied negatively, and turning to Lieutenant 
 Pepoon the General requested him to report to Gen. Steed- 
 man that in obedience to orders the Second Brigade had left 
 its position on Missionary Ridge at 12 o'clock at night and was 
 then en route for Chattanooga. While Lieutenant Pepoon 
 was executing this order the other staff officer was ordered to 
 go and relieve the two Companies of the NINETY-SIXTH Regi- 
 ment, Illinois Volunteers, and one other company from the 
 Brigade, who were left upon Missionary Ridge. 
 
 In the course of a short time that staff officer returned and 
 reported that the Companies had been relieved, and it was not 
 known at Brigade Headquarters for two days that they were 
 not only not relieved, but were by that time well along on 
 their way to Richmond, prisoners of war. The General was 
 greatly exasperated when he learned that these Companies
 
 590 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 were captured through the cowardice of a staft' officer, and his 
 language was more impressive than polite in the conversation 
 which followed. He threatened to prefer charges against 
 this unfaithful Lieutenant, but Gen. Steedman was his per- 
 sonal friend, and finally persuaded Gen. Whittaker to let the 
 matter drop. The orderly who was with this staff officer said 
 that they went toward the pickets until they could hear talk- 
 ing, and then, after a short delay, the Lieutenant said that 
 they were undoubtedly Rebels, and that he would proceed no 
 further. He then returned to Chattanooga, and made the 
 report that the Companies were relieved. It seems, then, that 
 these Companies were sacrificed, were allowed to be captured, 
 and went through all the horrors of Libby, Richmond, Dan- 
 ville, Andersonville and Florence, a large majority of them 
 meeting their deaths in these places, because a staff officer had 
 not the courage to do his plain duty, which could have been 
 done without a particle of trouble. 
 
 At daylight, beyond the interval on our left, made vacant 
 by the pickets' withdrawal during the night, we discovered a 
 continuation of our line, which was closed by extending my 
 line, and a consultation of officers was held. We represented 
 four or five regiments, and numbered seven officers and about 
 one hundred men, the ranking officer being a Captain. 
 
 We found that no discretionary power had been given to 
 us to rejoin our commands. Our orders were imperative, 
 to' stay where we were posted, and although we could see 
 nothing to be gained, it was unanimously agreed to protect 
 our flanks and hold our ground. It was now ten o'clock in the 
 morning. We could see the Confederate army passing through 
 Rossville Gap, and from the clouds of dust trending toward 
 Chattanooga we knew that we were at least two or three miles 
 in its rear. In the meantime several stragglers from the enemy 
 had been captured, and a depot for prisoners established a 
 short distance down the Ridge. Here we collected seven or 
 eight men and a few horses and arms. It is difficult to say 
 what we proposed to do with these trophies of war, for we had 
 no rations for ourselves, and certainly we could illy spare a 
 guard for prisoners. It was absolutely necessary to detain
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 591 
 
 them, however, as they would communicate our position if 
 allowed to escape, and then, too, the hope was not altogether 
 banished from our minds that in some way, at sometime, we 
 would be relieved, and with our captured prisoners, horses, and 
 arms, march triumphantly into our camp. It terminated some- 
 what differently, however. 
 
 At 11 o'clock, our position being discovered, Gen. Humph- 
 rey's Brigade of McLaw's Division moved at right angles to 
 Missionary Ridge against us, and with our small force it was 
 but a question of a few minutes before we were surrounded 
 and captured. 
 
 We foolishly attempted to resist the advance of the entire 
 Brigade, and had planned a very elaborate Hue of defense and 
 retreat. Our scheme was to form three lines-of -battle, and as 
 the first was forced back it was to retreat to a position in the 
 rear of the third, until by fighting and retreating in order we 
 might rejoin our army. Our tactics were a failure ; and after 
 having one man killed, James Forsyth, of Company H, and 
 several wounded, we found ourselves surrounded and forced 
 to surrender. 
 
 We were taken directly down the point of the Ridge look- 
 ing toward Rossville, and placed in an open field, and filled 
 our canteens from the old spring, where we were guarded 
 closely during the remainder of the day and night, and regaled 
 with fabulous stories of the destruction of our army ; at one 
 time it was 25,000 prisoners, at another the entire army 
 excepting one Brigade, and they were nearly surrounded ; the 
 pontoon bridge was destroyed, they said, and all the trains. 
 We did not see any considerable number of prisoners coming 
 to the rear, however, and were not at all discomfited. 
 
 About noon, September 23, we started for Dalton, the 
 nearest railroad connection, marching over the road we had 
 taken three or tour days before when going toward the front. 
 It was thirty miles distant, and we marched it in one day with 
 a cavalry escort. And here I must pause one moment to bear 
 testimony to the kindness and consideration shown us by the 
 fighting Rebel soldiery. While nothing can be said in exten- 
 uation of the terrible conduct exhibited and perpetrated by the
 
 592 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 guards of different prisons, and the want and woe and suffer- 
 ings and wretched deaths experienced by our noble and brave 
 men, this much I must say for our captors and for the men 
 who were really our opponents on the field of battle. Capt. 
 Win. P. Turner, of the 19th South Carolina regiment, com- 
 manded our guard, and a more gentlemanly or kind-hearted 
 person one rarely meets. Every attention possible was shown 
 us, and all the liberties ever extended to prisoners of war 
 were freely granted. The evening of the 25th we reached 
 Atlanta, the 27th Augusta, the 28th Columbia, the 29th Ral- 
 eigh, and at midnight October 1, Richmond, Va. 
 
 This journey of nearly 1,000 miles, was made in platform 
 cars and with scant rations ; a few crackers, a small piece of 
 pork, and one or two pints of corn meal, being all the food 
 issued by the authorities. The corn meal was made eatable 
 by mixing with water, pasting this dough to a board and 
 standing it near the fire until it was in some slight degree 
 baked. 
 
 As our train would stop for wood or water, our men would 
 occasionally jump out, run into the woods adjoining the track 
 and hastily pick a few persimmons, by which our scanty diet 
 was slightly varied. 
 
 The captain ^of our guard extended many courtesies to the 
 twelve or fifteen officers on the train, which we shall never 
 forget. Under his escort we were permitted to visit several 
 hotels as we passed through the different cities, and to take 
 our meals, paying for such from $2.00 to $3.50, Confederate 
 currency; and at Crown Point, a station in Georgia, the ladies 
 of the place furnished us a very elegant lunch. 
 
 At nearly every station we would find traders of various 
 notions, Confederate relics, fruits or attenuated pies ; these 
 were surreptitiously exchanged for greenbacks. 
 
 By the time we arrived at Richmond we were very desti- 
 tute of blankets and clothing, as at every point where we 
 changed cars, or went into barracks for a night, the local 
 Rebel authorities insisted upon a rigid examination for articles 
 contraband of war. At one place they would demand our 
 overcoats, at another our knives, at another our wool or rub-
 
 3 ^ 
 
 i W5 
 
 * C
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 593 
 
 ber blankets. Indeed, it seemed as if we were expected to 
 make up any deficit in the general equipment of the local 
 military. 
 
 Upon our arrival in Richmond we disembarked from the 
 cars, and, with the officers at the head of the columns, marched 
 through the streets of the city. After proceeding some dis- 
 tance we halted, and word was passed down the line that the 
 officers were to be sent to one prison and the men to another. 
 I had only time to run back to my Company, bid them good- 
 bye, and divide with them a little Confederate money which I 
 had received from the sale of a watch, and we were separated, 
 the officers passing into Libby, and the men into other pris- 
 ons in the vicinity. 
 
 Almost a quarter of a century has passed since that night 
 of parting, yet its memories are as vivid as if it was yester- 
 day. I see the dimly lighted streets of the Capitol ; the lines 
 of determined yet dejected men ; those heroes of Chickamanga, 
 now prisoners of war, anxious and solicitous as to the future. 
 I hear the measured step of the,; sifters at that midnight 
 hour, and their quiet yet: earnest- cohVersatio^, as the possi- 
 ble fate of the morrow is discussed. These remembrances 
 come freshly to my mind at this time as I write of that trying 
 situation. 
 
 We were marched into Libby, as I have before remarked, 
 at midnight, where we were registered, and subjected to the 
 fourth or fifth examination. The small amount of United 
 States currency we had managed to conceal up to this time 
 was taken from us, and we were informed that its value would 
 be returned in Confederate money, about seven dollars of 
 Southern currency for one dollar of United States. In justice 
 to those having this matter in charge, I must say that about 
 one month later this return was absolutely made. 
 
 The preliminaries of proper enrollment on the prison book 
 having been concluded, we were conducted through two or 
 three rooms, the floors of which were covered with sleeping 
 men, up two or three flights of stairs, and finally told to 
 make ourselves comfortable (?) for the night. As the floor was 
 of hard lumber, and we had neither blankets nor overcoats,
 
 594: HlSTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 least of all a mattress to lie upon, this was a somewhat diffi- 
 cult task ; but we were so tired from our journey of a thousand 
 miles, that sleep soon came and our sufferings and inconven- 
 iences were for the time forgotten. 
 
 We awakened the next morning to find ourselves sur- 
 rounded by a crowd of men, some of whom we recognized as 
 fellow officers in other regiments, but whose exclamations and 
 actions we were at a loss to understand. Cries of "fresh 
 fish," "fresh fish," "fresh fish," filled the room, and ques- 
 tion after question in quick succession, was hurled at us. 
 "How is the army; where is Rosecrans? Got any green- 
 backs ? How about the Army of the Potomac '( Fresh fish," 
 etc., etc. We soon learned that we were among one thousand 
 officers of the Union Army, and that this was the usual man- 
 ner of initiation. Some of them belonging to the Army of the 
 Cumberland, interested themselves in our behalf, and we were 
 soon engaged in looking over our quarters and making pre- 
 parations for an indefinite residence. 
 
 The noted prison which was to be our home, was formerly 
 a tobacco warehouse, and situated on the corner of Carey and 
 Eighteenth streets, within a few feet of the Lynchburg canal, 
 and but a short distance from and in full view of the James 
 river. It was three stories high in front, and four in the rear, 
 with a frontage of 1 65 feet, and a depth of 105 feet. It was 
 exceedingly well built, of brick and stone, and divided into 
 three apartments by very thick brick partition walls extending 
 from the foundation to the roof. The cellars, or the first story 
 in the rear, were on a level with the dock bordering the canal, 
 and were inaccessible to the prisoners ; one was used as a 
 dungeon where were incarcerated any who disobeyed the rules 
 of the prison ; a second may have been for cooking purposes; 
 the third was entirely unoccupied, but served a very excellent 
 purpose, which I shall presently describe. The first story 
 proper was occupied as follows : the first room by the prison 
 authorities, the middle room, to which we had access, as a 
 cooking and dining room for the prisoners. The next room 
 was used as an officers' hospital. The second and third stories 
 were assigned to the prisoners, and here, in seven rooms,
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 595 
 
 more than 1,100 United States officers cooked, ate, washed, 
 breathed and slept for many months. 
 
 THE FIRST DAY IN PRISON. 
 
 This was occupied in being assigned to a mess, forming 
 acquaintances, writing letters to my parents, and attending a 
 prayer meeting. We found men here who had been incar- 
 cerated for twelve months, and were informed that no exchange 
 would probably take place till the close of the war, and it was 
 thought advisable to commence a residence which might be 
 extended for years, by attending a prayer meeting. 
 
 At this place I may say a word in regard to meetings for 
 religious exercises, which occurred from time to time during 
 my imprisonment in this place. There were a number of army 
 chaplains in Libby when I first arrived there, chief among 
 whom was the Rev. C. C. McCabe, whose influence for the 
 right, and whose cheerful example did every one good with 
 whom he came in contact. These gentlemen, in the main, 
 conducted these exercises, although after their release, which 
 occurred early in my captivity, the meetings were continued. 
 In those days, and it is feared in the quarter of a century 
 which has nearly elapsed, the subject of religion did not, and 
 has not engaged the attention of any considerable number of 
 our soldiers ; but, amid it all and since, there are those who 
 thank God for the faith which then abided in them, and which 
 in those dark days, was a source of comfort and consolation 
 to them. And to-day there are thousands of fathers and 
 mothers in both North and South, who laid their first born on 
 the altar of our country, whose only solace is the faith that 
 sometime they will see them. 
 
 WHO WERE THERE. 
 
 The officer of highest rank during my imprisonment was 
 Gen. Neal Dow, of Maine, the great temperance lecturer and 
 reformer. He was at that time quite advanced in years, but 
 was always cheerful, and very frequently delivered addresses 
 on various topics (temperance by preference), to large audi- 
 ences of officers. Col. A. D. Streight, of Indiana, was also a
 
 596 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 prisoner at this time. It will be remembered that in 1863, he- 
 obtained permission and organized a brigade of mounted 
 infantry for an expedition into Alabama and Georgia for the 
 purpose of destroying the supplies and threatening the rail- 
 road communication of the Confederates in these States. 
 After several severe and bravely-fought battles, the entire 
 force was compelled to surrender to Gen. Forest, near Rome, 
 Georgia. 
 
 Other officers were : Col. Bartleson, 100th Illinois, who 
 was afterward killed at Kenesaw Mountain ; Col. Carleton, 
 89th Ohio ; Col. Le Favor, 22d Michigan ; Col. Rose, 77th 
 Pa.; Col. D. Cesnola, 4th N. Y. Cavalry, in all some four- 
 teen Colonels, about thirty-five Lieutenant-Colonels, thirty- 
 nine Majors, more than three hundred Captains, and about 
 seven hundred and fifty Lieutenants. These officers repre- 
 sented regiments from nearly every Northern State, and every 
 department of the great army and navy marshaled for the 
 restoration of the Union. 
 
 Our men during the winter of 1863-4 were inside a guard 
 line on Belle Isle, a barren, sandy tract opposite Richmond. 
 Their rations were insufficient at all times, and during a con- 
 siderable portion of the winter, they had neither barracks nor 
 tents, nor shelter of any kind. 
 
 The privations which they endured no pen can describe, 
 and the recollections of those days, as given by some of our 
 men in these chapters, are almost beyond belief. 
 
 A detailed account of the daily round of duties, including 
 cooking and eating, and the various occupations and amuse- 
 ments, and the arrangements for sleeping, will give a fair idea 
 of the way in which we managed to while away the time ; in 
 the main with cheerfulness and hope, but with occasionally a 
 wretched and dreary day. 
 
 THE EARLY MORNING, THE ' ' GENERAL, " AND OLD BEN. 
 
 Attached to the prison were several colored men, who 
 had formerly been cooks and servants to the United States 
 officers. These men were employed in scrubbing and caring 
 for the prisons. One of the first duties to be performed in
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 597 
 
 the early morning, and which usually wakened us, was for the 
 " General " (one of the colored men) to go through the prison 
 with a kettle of burning tar for fumigating purposes, who 
 would repeat on every occasion the remark that it was ' ' bery 
 beneficial to the gemmen, kase it was Union smoke." A few 
 minutes after the ' ' General " had completed his duties, 
 another one, known as "Old Ben" would commence to cry 
 out the morning papers, and arouse to consciousness any who 
 were still sleeping: "All four de mornin' papers. Tala- 
 graphic dispatches from ebery whar. Rise, gemmen, and buy 
 de mornin' news. Great news from de Rappehannock ; great 
 news from Charleston ; great news from Chattanooga ; " and 
 becoming somewhat general, and not particularly correct in 
 regard to points of the compass, he would conclude by cry- 
 ing: "Great news from the Northwest, the Southwest and 
 the Eastwest ! " 
 
 ROLL CALL THE PRISON CLERK. 
 
 This concluded, the nasal twang of Georgia, the prison 
 clerk, would be heard commanding the prisoners to "fall in 
 for roll call." This man was said to be a deserter from our 
 .army, and was, from the first, and continually and consciously, 
 hated by every man in the prison. He subjected us to every 
 petty tyrrany which an abnormal mind could suggest. The 
 names of the officers were not alway^ called, but we were 
 sometimes packed into one room and counted as we passed 
 into another, or formed in ranks of four and counted. At 
 other times the roll would be called. Later, in our prison 
 experience, when the tunnel was in process of construction, 
 and one or two men were working during the day, their 
 absence would be accounted for by one or two who were in 
 the secret, forming at first on the right of the line, and after 
 being counted they would move slyly to the extreme left and 
 be counted twice. This made the number appear correct, and 
 no suspicion was excited. 
 
 Another scheme for deceiving our captors and making one 
 man more in prison than there really was, worked well for a 
 long time. Lieutenant Jones would be in the tunnel at work
 
 598 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 when the roll would be called, and as each answered to his: 
 name he would be required to pass from one room to another 
 in the presence of the clerk. Lieutenant Smith, knowing the 
 secret, would answer to Lieutenant Jones' name, and pass 
 before the clerk. In the general summing up Lieutenant 
 Smith would, of course, be absent, and he would be sum- 
 moned to appear at the office. He would be asked where he 
 was when roll was called, and why he did not respond. His 
 reply would be that he did respond when his name was called, 
 and passed before the clerk, and was here to demonstrate that 
 the authorities had made a mistake. This, like many other 
 devices, was called a "Yankee Trick" by the Confederate 
 authorities, and remained unexplained for a long time. 
 
 January 30, we had roll call nearly all day, as there was some 
 discrepancy in the rolls. The prison clerk, Ross, after work- 
 ing nearly the entire day to correct his roll, finally gave it up, 
 with the remark : "How in the devil can I manage a thou- 
 sand Yankees, when, after counting them all day, I have 
 twenty-four more men in prison than ever were here. On 
 the following day, after continuous roll-call countings, there- 
 were thirty-seven more men in prison than there should have 
 been. The way this was worked upon the Rebel authorities 
 was for the boys to crawl out of one scuttle hole upon the roof, 
 and down through another, and pass before the prison authori- 
 ties, and thus be counted twice. 
 
 OUR RATIONS BOXES FROM HOME. 
 
 Immediately after roll call came breakfast, and then the 
 distribution of rations. These were issued in the middle 
 room, first story, to which it will be remembered the prisoners 
 had access. Here also we did the most of our cooking. The 
 rations were brought in, and placed on the floor, a pile of 
 bread, a pile of meat, and a bag of rice. The prisoners were 
 divided into messes of from twenty to thirty, and each mess 
 was entitled to one representative to receive rations. The 
 commissary of each mess distributed the rations to individuals, 
 and when received the ration consisted of one loaf of brown 
 bread, about the size and density of a Calumet brick, a piece
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 599 
 
 of meat about half the size of a man's hand (small hand), and 
 a gill of rice, and this for dinner, supper and breakfast. 
 
 We were allowed to receive small boxes of provisions and 
 clothing during part of my sojourn in this place. Everything 
 was closely searched, before we came into possession of our 
 boxes, for contraband goods, more particularly for arms and 
 wet goods. The devices to conceal, especially the latter, 
 were quite ludicrous, a very thin tin box concealed by a false 
 bottom, being the most successful. 
 
 I have recently heard of a prisoner who was successful in 
 receiving a bottle of some alcoholic by having it secreted in a 
 small jar of butter. 
 
 OCCUPATION AND AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 Between meals and during the evening we were usually 
 very busy at something. We indulged in amusements of all 
 kinds, cards, checkers, and chess particularly. Some culti- 
 vated their love for music, others studied Italian, French, 
 military tactics and phonography. We had sword exercise in 
 the cooking room, carried on with wooden weapons, while 
 many busied themselves from morning to night in manufac- 
 turing ornaments from the bones of our beef (or some other 
 animal) issued to us. 
 
 The means by which a few of the officers earned an honest 
 dollar were many and varied. Peddling apples was a favor- 
 ite vocation. A major or lieutenant colonel, accustomed to 
 all the luxuries of home, and the pomp and parade around 
 headquarters, would be found seated by the side of a barrel 
 of apples, and, with a few of the choicest on a board as samples, 
 would cry out his wares with all the gusto of a street fakir. 
 
 THE PRICE OF PROVISIONS. 
 
 From one of the newspapers I copied the following : 
 
 Flour, from $100 to $110 per bbl. ; corn, $13 to $14 per bu. ; bacon, 
 $2.56 per Ib. ; lard, $2.25 to $2.35 per Ib. ; butter, $3.75 per Ib. ; apples, 
 $45 to $60 per bbl. ; beans, from $12 to $15 per bu. ; tallow, $2.50 per 
 Ib. ; baled bay, from $10 to $11 per 100 Ibs. ; sweet potatoes, $12 per bu. ; 
 Irish potatoes, $7 to $8 per bu. ; turnips, $6 per bu. ; sugar, $2.35 per
 
 600 HISTOKY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Ib. ; salt, $45 to $60 per Ib. ; whisky, $50 to $60 per gal. ; two sheets of 
 paper and five envelopes, 50 cts. 
 
 Among the organizations for amusements I remember the 
 Libby Prison Minstrels and the Libby Histories. A pro- 
 gramme of one of our entertainments appears below : 
 
 THE 
 
 LIBBY PRISON MINSTRELS. 
 
 MANAGER, ..... Lieut. G. W. Chandler 
 
 TREASURER, ...... Capt. H. W. Sawyer 
 
 COSTUMER, ...... Lieut. J. P. Jones 
 
 SCENIC ARTIST, ...... Lieut. Fentress 
 
 CAPTAIN OF THE SUPERS, .... Lieut. Bristow 
 
 THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 24, 1863. 
 PROGRAMME. 
 
 PART FIKST. 
 
 OVERTURE "Norma," ...... Troupe 
 
 OPENING CHORUS "Ernani," .... Troupe 
 
 SONG" Who Will Care for Mother Now," . . Capt. Schell 
 
 SONG "Grafted in the Army," . . . Lieut. Kendall 
 
 SONG "When the Bloom is on the Rye," . . Adjt. Lombard 
 
 SONG " Barnyard Imitations," .... Capt. Mass 
 
 SONG" Do They Think of Me at Home ?" . Adjt. Jones 
 
 CHORUS "Phantom," . .... Troupe 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 DUET Violin and Flute Serenade from "Lucia," 
 
 Lieuts. Chandler and Rockwell. 
 
 SONG AND DANCE "Root Hog or Die," . . . Capt. Mass 
 
 BANJO SOLO, ...... Lieut. Thomas 
 
 DUET "Dying Girl's Last Request," . Adjts. Lombard and Jones 
 MAGIC VIOLIN. . . . Capts. Mass, Chandler and Kendall 
 
 SONG " My Father's Custom," . . . Lieut. McCaulley 
 
 CLOG DANCE, ...... Lieut. Ryan 
 
 RIVAL LOVERS. 
 JOE SKIMMERHORN, ...... Capt. Mass 
 
 GEORGE IVERSON ...... Lieut. Randolph 
 
 PART THIRD. 
 
 COUNTRYMAN IN A PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY. 
 PROPRIETOR, ....... Capt. Mass 
 
 BOY, ........ Lieut. Randolph 
 
 COUNTRYMAN, ....... Maj. Neiper
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 601 
 
 MASQUERADE BALL. 
 MANAGER, ....... Adjt. Jones 
 
 DOORKEEPER, ....... Capt. Mass 
 
 MUSICIAN, ....... Capt. Chandler 
 
 MEMBER OF THE PRESS, ..... Lieut. Ryan 
 
 MOSE, ....... Lieut. Welsh 
 
 BLACK SWAN, ....... Lieut. Moran 
 
 BROADWAY SWELL, ...... Lieut. Bennett 
 
 RICHARD III, ...... Capt. McWilliams 
 
 THE WHOLE TO CONCLUDE WITH A GRAND WALK-ROUND. 
 
 Performance to commence at 6 o'clock. 
 Admission Free. Children in Arms not Admitted. 
 
 ADJT. R. C. KNAGGS, Business Agent. 
 
 DISCIPLINING RECALCITRANT AND SUSPICIOUS PRISONERS. 
 
 It was expected that every prisoner would be imbued with 
 intense patriotism aud loyalty to our government. Any 
 remarks to the contrary were always treated with contempt, 
 and the unhappy prisoner was usually subjected to some sort 
 of discipline. 
 
 October 25 we had an indignation meeting at the expense 
 of a surgeon belonging to a Michigan regiment. By some 
 means it was learned that this unhappy doctor had written a 
 letter to the commandant of the prison, asking for a blanket, 
 saying, in conclusion, that by thus doing lie would confer a 
 favor upon one who, under any other circumstances, would 
 be a friend to the Confederacy. By some means this letter 
 was mislaid and brought back into prison, and fell into the 
 hands of some of the intensely loyal officers. A meeting was 
 at once organized, a chairman elected, and a committee of 
 three appointed to wait upon the doctor and bring him before 
 the meeting. It was demanded that he should show his 
 colors and give an explanation. The President made a few 
 remarks, and called upon Dr. G - to make the explana- 
 tion. He was invited to explain his conduct, and it was hoped 
 that it would be "freely, frankly and fully given." The 
 doctor was rather an inferior looking man, and when he arose 
 and attempted to explain everybody was hurrahing, and it was 
 impossible to hear what he said. He commenced by saying
 
 602 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 that he would speak "freely, frankly and fully," but 
 yelling drowned what he had to say, and the little man became 
 frightened, fearing that he might be injured by the boisterous- 
 crowd. After a while, however, quiet was restored, and he 
 made his explanation, as expected. In closing, the Chairman 
 gave the Doctor some advice, and said, among other things, 
 that he hoped that the Doctor had learned a lesson ; that the 
 Doctor, in future, would be more discreet ; that the Doctor 
 would get his blanket, and that the Doctor would get every- 
 thing from the Confederate authorities which he desired. 
 
 A few days after this a lieutenant colonel of the Army of 
 the Potomac was suspected of giving some information in 
 regard to the doings within the prison, and he also was dis- 
 ciplined. In fact, it was a poor place for one not thoroughly 
 imbued with all the sentiments of a most loyal and devoted 
 Union soldier. 
 
 The national holidays, and Christmas and New Year's 
 Days, were always celebrated with all the enthusiasm ard 
 gusto that our surroundings would permit. I was not a pris- 
 oner on July 4, but from others I gather that their patriotic 
 sentiments were freely expressed. A Star Spangled Banner 
 was extemporized by Sewing together clothes of different 
 colors ; patriotic speeches were made and patriotic songs were 
 sung, much to the discomfort of the prison authorities. 
 
 December 25 Christmas was celebrated by a dance in 
 the dining room, and a general good time was enjoyed. How- 
 ever, no wood was issued to us that day, and our cooking was 
 done by wood which was obtained by tearing down the parti- 
 tions and breaking up the tables. 
 
 On New Year's Day we sang the Star Spangled Banner, 
 and gave three cheers for the Union, much to the consterna- 
 tion of our guards. 
 
 NEWS FROM THE NORTH. 
 
 The results of the October elections of 1863 in Pennsyl- 
 vania and Ohio were received, and created great enthusiasm. 
 This was the time that Curtin was elected, and Vallandigham 
 was so terribly defeated. News from the different armies, both
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 603 
 
 from the Rebel and northern papers, was occasionally re- 
 ceived. 
 
 About the time that the battles of Lookout Mountain and 
 Missionary Ridge took place the Rebel papers were filled with 
 the anticipation of soon defeating the Union army, and of 
 driving it into Tennessee, and perhaps north to Cincinnati. 
 
 At the time the NINETY-SIXTH made its reconnoissance 
 toward Ringgold it was reported that the Union army was 
 defeated, and was being driven rapidly toward the north. 
 When, however, the combined massing of Grant's, Sherman's 
 and Thomas' forces were being made, by which the capture of 
 Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain was brought about, 
 the Rebel papers said that the Southern people might as well 
 be making up their minds for another of Bragg's retreats, and 
 in one or two days their worst fears were realized. 
 
 A NIGHT IN PRISON. 
 
 With eleven hundred officers sleeping upon the floors of 
 six rooms, with no cots, and with but very few blankets, it 
 can be very easily seen that it required uncomfortably close 
 packing. 
 
 We were in the habit of lying down in rows ; the first 
 row with heads toward the wall, then two rows in the centre 
 of the building, with heads next to each other, leaving a short 
 alley between the feet of the different rows. In the middle 
 of the night, in a room where nearly two hundred men were 
 sleeping or trying to sleep, it would not be remarkable if, 
 occasionally, there was a man who snored. This was fre- 
 quently the case, and the midnight hour would sometimes 
 be made almost hideous by the snoring proclivities of a dozen, 
 or so of our men. 
 
 If the noise became unbearable some fellow would cry out : 
 "Roll him over." "Throw water on him." " Where is the 
 clothes pin ? " and, if he did not subside, an old piece" of corn 
 bread would be hurled in the direction of the noise, striking 
 against tin pails hanging from the ceiling, and generally com- 
 ing in contact with exactly the person whom the thower did 
 not desire to disturb.
 
 604 HISTORY OF THE 96iH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 ITEMS. 
 
 October 14, the British Consul called upon the prisoners. 
 He sailed for Europe in a day or two, and it was said he had 
 been dismissed from the Confederacy by President Davis. I 
 do not now know the significance of this procedure. 
 
 MEN OF MY REGIMENT WHOM I SAW. 
 
 Dimmick, of Company E, passed Libby Prison October 
 21, and Eli Thayer, on the 23d of the same month. At Co- 
 lumbia, on my way to prison, I saw Orderly Sergeant Bangs, 
 of Company B. Captain Rowan arrived in prison October 10. 
 
 October 26 we heard that Rosecrans was relieved, and 
 that the President had called out 300,000 more men. 
 
 After the battles of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Moun- 
 tain the Rebels claimed that the Union Army had lost 20,000 
 men, a gross exaggeration. 
 
 Lieutenant Hannon, our Quarter-Master on Brigade Staff, 
 and Lieutenant Keith, an old school teacher and acquaintance 
 in Lake County, were in prison with me. 
 
 It was reported at one time that three or four corps with 
 Meade's army were on their way to reinforce Rosecrans. 
 
 December 26 we witnessed, from the back windows of our 
 prison, a most sad sight, and were powerless to avert the 
 calamity or to render any assistance. A company of little 
 boys were at play on the ice which covered the canal a short 
 distance from the back of the prison. All at once they broke 
 through, and cried for help. Several of our officers gave 
 their word of honor not to attempt to escape if they might be 
 permitted to rescue the little fellows, but they were not allowed 
 to do so, and before help could arrive from the outside one or 
 two had been drowned. 
 
 During my residence in Libby we were permitted to write 
 short letters to our friends, and to receive our mail from the 
 ^North, both subject to the scrutiny of the authorities. On 
 the arrival of a mail, Lieut. Knaggs, who was acting post- 
 master, would select some elevated place, perhaps a beam in 
 one of the upper rooms, and call out the names of the lucky 
 ones for whom letters had arrived. The exquisite happiness
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 605 
 
 depicted in the faces of the fortunate ones was more notice- 
 able as the gloom and disappointment of those not thus 
 favored manifested themselves. Certainly no one thing 
 brought so much consolation and hope and joy as a letter from 
 home. 
 
 A few days after our escape this happy privilege was to a 
 certain extent denied, as the following order from the com- 
 mandant will show. It is given verbatim : 
 
 "OFFICE C. S. MILITARY PRISON, 
 
 RICHMOND, Va., 14th Feb., 18C4. 
 
 ' 'Hereafter prisoners won't be allowed to write no letters to go to 
 the so-called United States of hiore than six lines in length and only one 
 letter per week. By command of 
 
 "THOMAS P. TURNER, Major C. S. A." 
 
 EXCHANGE. 
 
 Rumors in regard to exchange were frequent at times 
 favorable and at others so dismal as to extinguish every ray 
 of hope. October 3 it was reported that all prisoners captured 
 previous to September 1 had been exchanged ; on the 10th it 
 was denied. During the 13th exhange was high. (We used 
 to quote it as business men speak of stocks and bonds.) Ten 
 steamers were at City Point to carry us to Fortress Monroe ; 
 Milroy's men were to go down in the morning. On the 27th 
 the report was that the United States Government would 
 exchange no more prisoners till the close of the war. That 
 day we had simply bread and water to eat. November 8- 
 there were rumors of an immediate exchange of everybody, 
 and for hours some of the more despondent would stand and 
 look down James River for the United States transports which 
 were to carry them to our lines and to their homes. Suffice 
 it to say they never came, and so for months, and in many 
 cases for one and two years, these same officers, and thousands 
 of our brave men suffered and languished and died in those 
 wretched places. 
 
 ESCAPE FROM LIBBY. 
 
 Owing to the uncertainties of exchange, and to our wretched 
 treatment, and the innate love one has to be free, and the
 
 <606 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 desire which was almost universal to be once more by the side 
 of our comrades to help fight the war to a successful termina- 
 tion, many of the prisoners were restless and impatient, and 
 thought long and seriously of escape. This was particularly 
 true of the younger officers. Those who were older and had 
 families at home, although extremely anxious to see their 
 loved ones, were not as willing, so far as my observation 
 extended, to take risks in attempting an escape which might 
 be fatal to their lives. I have heard them remark that they 
 were captured in the line of duty by no fault of theirs, and if 
 the government needed them it could effect an exchange. A 
 certain number, however, were always on the alert, and 
 scheme after scheme was discussed. It was constantly in our 
 aninds, the subject of conversation among our confidants dur- 
 ing the day and our dream at night. But an escape seemed 
 almost impossible. We were surrounded by a strong guard 
 at every point, and could we escape from the building we 
 were in the midst of an enemy's country, without food or 
 money or allies, and withal weak from insufficient food and 
 improper clothing. 
 
 ATTEMPTS AT ESCAPE. 
 
 The first escape from the prison which I remember was 
 effected by one of the officers, by assuming to be one of a 
 party of workmen who were engaged in the prison in strength- 
 ening the window protections. He assumed the dress of a 
 laborer, blackened his face and hands slightly, as if he had 
 been working with iron, and shouldering some tool or a bar 
 of iron, marched out of the door, passed the guard, and was 
 free. I am not informed whether or not he reached our lines 
 in safety. 
 
 In December, Captain Anderson, of the 5th Indiana Reg- 
 iment, and Lieutenant Skelton, of the 17th Iowa Regiment, 
 escaped by bribing the guards. They reached our lines after 
 passing through innumerable hardships and dangers. 
 
 During the night of December 20, Col. Streight and his 
 adjutant, Lieut. Reid, effected an escape from the prison by 
 giving to the sentinel $100 in greenbacks and two silver
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 607 
 
 watches. As soon however, as they were outside the guard- 
 line an irregular fire was opened upon them, and after a short 
 struggle they were captured and returned to a cell, where 
 they were kept twenty-one days. The affair was simply a plot 
 -on the part of the prison officials to rob and perhaps murder 
 .these two officers. 
 
 A short time after this, the Rebel Gen. Morgan, having 
 escaped from the Ohio penitentiary, made us a visit, accom- 
 panied by several Kebel officers of rank and some of the Rich- 
 mond civil authorities. I witnessed his introduction to Gen. 
 Neal Dow, and as the conversation between these two noted 
 gentlemen was somewhat sarcastic, I note two sentences. 
 
 " General Dow," said General Morgan, " I am very happy 
 to see you here ; or, rather, as you are here, I am happy to 
 see you looking so well. " General Dow immediately replied : 
 "General Morgan, I congratulate you on your escape, 
 although I can not say I am glad you did escape, but since 
 you did, I am happy to see you here." 
 
 During the night of January 15, 1864, several officers 
 again attempted to escape, by bribing the guards and letting 
 themselves down from the prison windows by means of some 
 kind of rope. The guards again proved treacherous, and 
 made one who had descended climb back. The day following, 
 considerable amusement was caused by allusions to this unfor- 
 tunate adventure, and that night after the officers had retired 
 and the Chickamauga room was still, Capt. Smyth, of the 
 16th U. S. Regulars, offered the following preamble and res- 
 olutions : 
 
 WHEREAS, Several of our fellow officers, disgusted with the scant 
 rations and mule-beef of the Confederate authorities, and inspired with 
 the love of liberty and a desire to see once more their wives and little 
 ones, attempted to escape last night from their confinement ; and 
 
 WHEREAS, Said attempt was ignobly and most unfortunately frus- 
 trated by the base treachery of the sentinels ; therefore 
 
 Resolved, That the aforesaid officers have our warmest sympathy in 
 this their bitter disappointment, and that we earnestly deprecate the dis- 
 position of some among us to ridicule their misfortune, and to make light 
 of their honest endeavors to obtain that dearest boon of an American 
 citizen, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 
 
 Resolved, That although the aforesaid officers have lowered themselves
 
 608 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 in the sight of their fellow officers, yet their earnest endeavors under the 
 most embarrassing circumstances, to rise again to their former position r 
 have again placed them on an equal footing with us all. 
 
 Resolved, That the action of the sentinel in turning traitor to his gov- 
 ernment, by consenting to the escape of a prisoner, and then turning 
 traitor to the prisoner, by preventing his escape, was but a change of base. 
 
 Resolved, That the feelings that prompted a sentinel to cock his piece 
 at one of our fellow officers, while he was hanging on the slender thread 
 of fate, was an offshoot of humanity. 
 
 Resolved, That while mechanical principles plainly teach us that 
 watches may run down, the events of last night show that they cannot 
 with equal facility be made to run up. 
 
 Resolved, That the events of last night plainly show the true value of 
 time. 
 
 Resolved, That although a watch may run down, it is no reason that 
 the owner should be. 
 
 Resolved, That officers in escaping should use the starboard-watch,, 
 which is right, and not the port-watch, which is left. 
 
 Resolved, That if officers would watch more they would not be watch- 
 less. 
 
 Resolved, That officers should not palm off on a sentinel watches not 
 having a good escapement. 
 
 Resolved, That under present circumstances officers should not 
 attempt to escape on tick. 
 
 The resolutions were greeted with immense applause, 
 immediately adopted, and after a few patriotic songs, we 
 quieted for the night. 
 
 During all this time the idea of escape by tunnel was 
 being discussed. There were, however, apparently insuper- 
 able difficulties to a plan of this kind. It was absolutely 
 impossible, as far as we could see, to obtain access to an out- 
 side wall in the basement, or, indeed, to any part of the cel- 
 lar floor. 
 
 Just who thought of the plan by which we succeeded in 
 gaining an entrance into the cellar, it is, perhaps, difficult to- 
 state, but as I understand it, and as I know is in the main cor- 
 rect, the following are the names of the men to whom belong 
 the honor of planning and carrying forward to a successful 
 termination this bold enterprise. 
 
 Lieut. Wm. G. Galloway, of the 15th U. S. Regulars, was- 
 suffering from fever, and one night being quite wakeful as one 
 of the results of his sickness, he thought of a tunnel from
 
 LIEUTENANT CHARLES W. EARLE. 
 From a photograph taken in 1864. 
 
 CAPTAIN ROWAN AND LIEUTENANT EARLE. 
 Crossing the Diascon River. See page 622.
 
 0?
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 609 
 
 some point in the east basement. The following day he con- 
 fided his idea to Lieut. Ludlow, of Battery M, 4th Regular 
 Artillery, and Lieut. Clifford, of the 16th U. S. Regulars. 
 After consultation it was thought best to increase the party, 
 and Col. T. E. Rose, of the 77th Pennsylvania, and several 
 others were added. From this moment Col. Rose became the 
 acknowledged manager and engineer. Concerning this there 
 can be no doubt. The honor of being the leader of this 
 scheme has been claimed by others, but to Col. Thomas E. 
 Rose it rightfully belongs. The working party was thoroughly 
 organized and bound to secrecy by a solemn oath, adminis- 
 tered by the manager. This proceeding was absolutely neces- 
 sary, both to protect the party from discovery by spies, who 
 undoubtedly were in the prison in our very midst, and from 
 a few very weak individuals among our own officers, who, for 
 certain considerations, were constantly imparting information 
 to the prison officials. 
 
 The party 'having in charge the work to obtain entrance 
 into the cellar, and who were engaged' in working on the first 
 tunnel, which I shall presently briefly detfcrfbe, was com- 
 posed of the following officers : Col. Rose, Capts. Lucas and 
 Gallagher, Lieuts. Galloway, Ludlow, Clifford, Brown and 
 Hamilton, with possibly two or three others whose names I 
 cannot obtain. It must be remembered that our quarters 
 were in the two upper stories, and that we had access to only the 
 middle room on the first story, which was our cooking and 
 dining room. At one point on the east side of this room was 
 situated a fire-place, built in the massive brick and stone par- 
 tition, which, as I have before remarked, extended from base- 
 ment to roof. Around this fire-place three stoves were placed 
 for our use, leaving a very small space between the back of the 
 stoves and the fire-place. It was at this point that some one 
 conceived the idea of gaining entrance into the cellar, under 
 the next room, which would give easy access to an outside 
 wall, and a chance for tunneling. It will be seen that if an 
 opening could be made in the floor of this fire-place, by 
 oblique digging we would come out in the cellar of the adjoin- 
 ing room, which was seldom, if ever, used.
 
 610 HISTORY OF THE 96ra EEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 THE PRISON AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 
 
 EIGHTEENTH STREET. 
 
 tt tt tt tt 
 
 I I E I I 
 
 44 
 
 tt Guards. 
 
 1. Open Carriage Way. 
 
 2. Upright Board Fence.
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 611 
 
 Capt. Hamilton was a stone-mason, and removed the first 
 brick and stone from the fire-place, through which we hoped to 
 reach the basement. During the day this opening was kept 
 closed, and so ingeniously were the bricks and stones replaced, 
 aided by a few ashes and one or two worn-out skillets thrown 
 carelessly in, that one would never notice that anything had 
 been disturbed. After I was aware that this opening existed, 
 and that a working party was in the basement, I have looked 
 intently (knowing that no one was observing my movements) 
 for evidences of carelessness in closing this opening, for a 
 little fresh dirt that possibly might furnish a clue to our oper- 
 ations, but I could see nothing. Every possible clue to 
 detection was minutely guarded. The basement, or cellar, 
 to which we now had access, and from which the tunnel proper 
 was commenced, was dark, rarely, if ever, opened, and 
 had the appearance of not having been cleaned for years. 
 There was found here some straw, a few boards, some old 
 boxes, and, I believe, some old stoves, and plenty of rats. 
 
 The first tunnel was from the south end of the cellar, and 
 was made with the intention of tapping the sewer between the 
 prison and canal. It was found impossible, on account of 
 the terrible odor and the small size of the box sewer, for a 
 man to enter, and was therefore abandoned, and the attention 
 of the working party directed toward the east side. 
 
 About this time, probably one or two days before the 
 abandonment of the sewer tunnel, possibly when escape in 
 that direction was determined to be impracticable, there was 
 a division in the working party. I am not aware that any 
 direct disagreement took place, but, without consulting certain 
 ones who were at work, additional officers were taken into the 
 secret, and without the knowledge of all belonging to the first 
 party, a new tunnel from the east side was commenced. This 
 new working party, as given to me by Col. Rose in a recent 
 communication, was as follows : Maj. Fitzsimmons, 30th 
 Ind. Inf.; Maj. McDonald, 101st Ohio Inf.; Capt. A. J. Ham- 
 ilton, 12th Kentucky- Cav.; Capt. Clark, 79th 111. Inf.; Capt. 
 Gallagher, 2d Ohio Inf. ; Capt. Randall, 2d Ohio Inf. ; Capt. 
 Lucas, 5th Kentucky Inf.; Capt. Johnson, 6th Kentucky Inf.;
 
 612 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96 KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Lieut. Fistler, 12th Ind. Inf. ; Lieut. Mitchell, 79th 111. Inf. ; 
 Lieut. Simpson, 10th Ind. Inf. ; Lieut. Garbet, 77th Penn. 
 Inf.; Lieut. Foster, 29th Ind. Art,; Lieut, McKean, 44th 111. 
 Inf. 
 
 Bounding the prison on the east was an alley or narrow- 
 street, and on the opposite side of this narrow street from the- 
 prison were situated what 1 suppose to have been a ware- 
 house and an unused stable. There was also a small yard 
 concealed from view in the alley by an upright board fence. 
 
 The situation will probably be better understood by refer- 
 ence to the accompanying diagram. 
 
 Section of the heavy partition wall, showing the opening 
 
 in the fireplace by means of which the tunneling 
 
 party gained access to an outside wall. 
 
 Officers' Quar 
 ters. 
 
 
 Officers' Quar- ill 
 ters. l|l 
 
 ' 
 
 ill 
 
 Cooking and 'i 1 
 Dining Room. Ill 
 
 1 
 
 T3 
 
 II- 
 
 ill 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 III 
 
 ' 
 
 11 
 Hi 
 
 ih - 
 
 ' 
 
 |!| 
 
 !i 
 
 |!| 
 
 ill 
 
 jL 
 
 ill 
 
 CELLAR. 
 
 llL 
 
 1. Three stoves. 
 
 2. Fireplace. 
 
 3. Opening from fireplace to cellar. 
 
 4. Commencement of main tunnel. 
 
 One of the most difficult tasks of the entire work was to 
 effect an opening in the foundation wall. It was accom-
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 613 
 
 plished, however, after great labor, and the tunnel com- 
 menced nearly on a line with the floor of the cellar, probably 
 eight or nine feet below the surface of the ground. The dis- 
 tance to be tunneled was from seventy to eighty feet, although 
 it has been estimated by some at one hundred. 
 
 The man at work was obliged to recline on the anterior 
 part of his body, and the tools at his command were only 
 common knives, small hatchets, sharp pieces of wood, and 
 a broken fire-shovel. After the tunnel was fairly commenced 
 it required two men to work successfully, one in the tunnel 
 digging, and a second at the cellar opening to haul back the 
 earth, which was done, at least partly, in shallow frying pans. 
 
 And now I must answer one question which is always sug- 
 gested : ''What did you do with the dirt ? " In reply I would 
 say that it was distributed over the cellar floor, and straw care- 
 lessly scattered over it, or placed in boxes in small quanti- 
 ties, or in barrels, a little here and a little there. It has been 
 stated by a writer in the Philadelphia Weekly Times that some 
 of the dirt was emptied into a sewer. In any event, there was 
 not a great amount ; and indifferently distributed in a cellar 
 55x105 feet, it would hardly be noticed, even if the guards 
 or officials entered this part of the prison. 
 
 The time required for the construction of this tunnel was 
 nearly three weeks, and it was about half finished when I dis- 
 covered it and was taken into the secret. 
 
 Sunday night, January 24, I had been reconnoitering and 
 making an examination in regard to the feasibility of an 
 escape, indeed, there was probably not one hour during any 
 night when some impatient soul was not looking out to detect 
 some guard asleep on his post, or .watching with the hope that 
 something would transpire that would enable him to gain 
 freedom. Later I had approached the stoves, which were 
 standing around the fireplace, to make some arrangement for 
 breakfast, or to wash some article of clothing, I do not now 
 remember which, and had placed a light I had in my hand 
 upon one of them. Immediately a man whom I had not 
 observed, although there were a few at the other end of the 
 room, stepped up to me and said: "Please put out that
 
 ' 614 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 light." 1 hesitated only a moment, and the thought flashed 
 through my mind that some one was trying to force the lock 
 in the door, and I was just on the point of extinguishing the 
 candle, when the man whispered, "For God's sake, put out 
 that light ! to-morrow I will explain all ! " By this time the 
 light was out, and I passed up to my quarters, and wished for 
 the morning. I had recognized the officer, and at a favorable 
 opportunity the day following, interviewed him. It was Capt. 
 Lucas, of the tunneling party, and in charge of the work for 
 that night. He was changing the working party, and had the 
 opening behind the stoves in the fire-place uncovered. The 
 light I placed on the stove jeopardized the entire scheme; 
 hence the solicitude and remarks of the officer in charge. He 
 administered the charge of secrecy, to which I agreed, reserv- 
 ing the right of acquainting one man who should be my com- 
 panion during our attempt at escape. I immediately made 
 application for a position on the working party, but was 
 refused, upon the ground that there were already plenty 
 who had had experience and could do better work than one 
 unaccustomed to it ; but the promise was made that I would 
 be informed when the tunnel was completed. 1 immediately 
 confided the secret to my comrade, Capt. Chas. E. Howan r 
 and we began quietly to make arrangements for a sudden 
 change of residence. I copied a little map of the peninsula, 
 and upon trifling excuses borrowed or exchanged clothing 
 more suitable for traveling in an enemy's country. In the 
 meantime we had determined to watch the movements of 
 some whom we knew to be in the secret, and not depend 
 upon being informed by any one when the tunnel was com- 
 pleted. During the night of February 8th we became satis- 
 fied that the enterprise was finished, but no attempt was made 
 to escape, although a number of those whose movements we 
 were watching did not retire until very late. I have been 
 informed since that it was the plan to open the extreme end 
 of the tunnel during the night of the 8th, and that the escape 
 was to have taken place. It was really opened but, terrible 
 to relate, it was on the wrong side of the fence, and in plain 
 sight of the guards with loaded muskets ; the tunnel was not
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 615 
 
 long enough, a mistake in measurement having been made. 
 The opening was immediately closed, and the tunnel con- 
 tinued two feet, when an opening was made in a safe place. 
 
 According to the statements made to me by Col. Bose 
 recently, the sensational part of the above will have to be 
 omitted, and yet part was true. It was not the intention to 
 make the escape on the 8th, but contrary to his instructions a 
 very small opening was made during that night, which nearly 
 jeopardized the entire enterprise. However, it was remedied 
 immediately, and no discovery made. 
 
 During the evening of the 9th it was agreed that I should 
 watch operations, and at half past nine o'clock, most of the 
 officers having retired, I visited the lower room, and was 
 surprised to find at least thirty men around the fire-place, 
 rapidly lowering themselves into the cellar. The exodus had 
 commenced. Hastily returning to my friend, I communi- 
 cated the fact to him, and we were soon in the crowd around 
 this first opening. We had provided ourselves with three or 
 four loaves of prison bread, two or three pieces of meat, and 
 an empty pop bottle for carrying water. Around the fire- 
 place everything was conducted with terrible earnestness. 
 There was very little order, but it was quiet. We found that 
 everybody except ourselves belonged to some one's party, 
 Col. A., or Col. B., or Col. C, and every one was going 
 out first. It has been said that the managers of the tunnel 
 believed that not more than one hundred among the eleven 
 hundred officers knew anything in regard to the undertaking, 
 and that it was the plan for fifty to leave the first night, and, 
 the prison clerk being deceived in regard to the number of 
 men really in prison, which had been done before, fifty should 
 leave the second night, and so on. The officer charged with 
 the responsibility of conducting the escape the second night, 
 becoming convinced that absolutely no control could be exer- 
 cised over the movements of men escaping from prison, 
 became alarmed, and made his own escape. Concerning the 
 above plan I know nothing ; but this I do know, as early as 
 half past ten o'clock in the evening, the time we arrived at 
 a point as near the tire-place as the crowd would permit,
 
 616 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 there was no order or plan. Everyone was for himself, and 
 my companion and myself soon became part of the crowd, 
 and belonged to a party that was going out next if possible. 
 We accomplished our undertaking in just about fifteen min- 
 utes. 1 have always supposed that the working party made 
 their escape first, and that my companion and myself were 
 numbers thirty and thirty-one out of the tunnel. We pro- 
 ceeded somewhat as follows : We were now in the midst of 
 some thirty or forty men, all struggling to get past three 
 stoves and attain the little opening in the bottom of the fire- 
 place. Some hard words were undoubtedly said. We may 
 ourselves have possibly dropped a word not absolutely in 
 conformity with army regulations and the most refined society, 
 although we had our testaments in our pockets, and nothing 
 but a pop bottle full of water ; but we were in a hurry, we 
 were striving for freedom, for homes, and our regiments in the 
 field. In a few minutes we were at the fire-place, and my 
 associate thrust his feet into the opening. This rather pre- 
 empted the position, and he went down and out of my sight. 
 Two or three beside myself were struggling to be next. I 
 effected a compromise and was second. In a moment I was 
 in the cellar, and by my predecessor conducted to the east 
 wall and to the vicinity of the second opening or entrance to 
 the tunnel. Here I found my companion with four others, 
 each one determined to make the passage first. Another 
 compromise and I was number three to make the escape. 
 Only one man was allowed in the tunnel at the same time, 
 on account, I suppose, of the bad air. The exit of the man 
 preceding could be easily determined by the cessation of the 
 terrible noise made in forcing one's body through a long nar- 
 row shaft, which the tunnel really was. I had arrayed myself 
 in an army overcoat, in which I had made two large inside 
 pockets, and placed a loaf of bread in each, as I desired 
 to have my hands and arms free for any emergency. 
 My head and shoulders passed into the tunnel without trouble, 
 but when the enlargement caused by the bread engaged, I 
 could go no farther. I immediately pulled myself back,
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 617 
 
 took oft' my overcoat, and, pulling it behind me with my right 
 hand, proceeded to worm myself through the tunnel. 
 
 It must be stated that this was no light and airy opening, 
 but a narrow, dark and damp hole, just large enough for one 
 to pull himself through, and the noise and racket produced by 
 one man kicking and floundering against the walls of this cavern 
 were simply indescribable. The noise is comparable to the 
 working of a steam fire-engine, or cyclone, or an army reunion. 
 The exact time consumed in passing through I cannot say ; it 
 could hardly have been more than two or three minutes. We 
 had no way of knowing when we approached the external open- 
 ing, but I remember that the shaft seemed to change direction 
 abruptly upwards, and it also was more contracted, indeed, I 
 could again proceed no farther, and stopped. Some one whis- 
 pered to me, ' Don't breathe so loud ; stop blowing," and I 
 felt a hand which 1 grasped, and was pulled out of the exter- 
 nal opening, which was in the open yard I have described, on 
 the opposite side of the fence from the guard. My assistant 
 proved to be my companion, Capt. Rowan. We could now 
 breathe once more the pure air of heaven, but our dangers 
 were by no means passed. We were in direct proximity to 
 the guard, and in the midst of the Confederate capital. We 
 <;rept very cautiously behind the fence into the open carriage- 
 way toward the canal, for once there, we were for the time 
 out of sight of the guards. It has been supposed by many 
 that those of us who escaped organized into parties for protec- 
 tion, and that we journeyed in considerable numbers. Not 
 so. It was necessary to pass from the vicinity of the prison 
 singly or by twos, in order to avoid suspicion, and it would 
 have been absolutely impossible for any number to have kept 
 together. All those who had escaped before us had disap- 
 peared except one. He communicated the manner of pro- 
 ceeding to escape from the vicinity of the prison, which had 
 been successful up to this time, by those preceding us, and 
 then he passed out. We communicated the plan to the next 
 party, and so every one had the benefit of the experience of 
 the one preceding him. We were in the carriage-way, front- 
 ing the canal ; four guards were slowly pacing along the south
 
 618 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 side of the prison. One guard on the east of course met 
 his fellow at the southeast corner, and the same was true 
 at the southwest corner. We were then less than three 
 hundred feet from six armed men, whose duty it was to shoot 
 us if they observed our movements. From our shadowed 
 position in the carriage-way we could look up and down the 
 street, and choosing a moment when it was comparatively 
 clear, we passed out and walked slowly and deliberately down 
 the canal, in full view of the guards, remember, but, 
 assuming the manners of those walking in the streets who had 
 the right to do so, we were either not seen by the guards, or, 
 if seen, supposed to be citizens. This was one of the most 
 dangerous points we passed during the escape, and in many 
 respects the most wonderful. How these guards could stand 
 there and see the number of persons on Canal street walking 
 away from them, and none passing, and not have their suspicions 
 aroused, is almost a miracle. The guards were also relieved 
 once or twice every night, and new men must have observed 
 the unusual activity on that obscure street during that entire 
 night. One hundred and nine men passed out, and not one, 
 as far as I am informed, was even halted by the prison guards. 
 We walked probably two blocks on Canal street, and then 
 turned abruptly to the left, and were for the first time out of 
 range of the guards' muskets. Of course we took a long 
 breath, for, although I do not remember that the matter of 
 being shot was spoken of, and certainly we evinced no fear of 
 danger to each other, when we were beyond the range of 
 those guns, there escaped from us an expression of relief. 
 
 Continuing our course to the left one block, we came to 
 Carey street, which was brilliantly lighted, and many of the 
 shops were still open. We observed quite a group of soldiers 
 walking in front of us, talking and laughing, and several 
 others, who apparently belonged to the same party, soon 
 came up. They were evidently going out to some Rebel 
 camp, after spending the evening in the city. We mingled 
 freely with them, talking to ourselves on subjects similar 
 to those we observed they were discussing. We avoided 
 coming in direct contact with them, however, and, gradually,.
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 
 
 as we approached the outskirts of the city, allowed them to 
 pass us, until at last, after being in their company probably 
 half an hour, we found ourselves alone on the Charles City 
 Railroad, about one mile to the east or north-east of Rich- 
 mond. We had, up to this time, made no plans for our jour- 
 ney. We had said to each other we will, if possible, escape 
 from the prison and gain some point outside the city, going 
 in the direction that presents the fewest obstables ; then we 
 will decide upon a plan for the future. We knew something 
 of the position of the Army of the Potomac. We knew that 
 West Virginia was mountainous, and that a trip in that direc- 
 tion would consume weeks, perhaps months, and we knew 
 that our forces occupied Fortress Monroe, with outposts some 
 distance up the peninsula. We decided at once to attempt to 
 make the latter point, and with nothing but the polar star to 
 guide us, we started. We had concluded to travel nights and 
 secrete ourselves during the daytime, and toward daylight we 
 selected a place in a swamp, about five miles from Richmond, 
 as we supposed, and by arranging brush and evergreens, pre- 
 pared a place for concealment. We could hear distinctly the 
 reveille in the camps around the city, but we were not dis- 
 turbed that day. 
 
 Our escape through the fortifications around Richmond 
 was made without any great difficulty. We really crawled on 
 the ground a great part of the first night, stopping every few 
 minutes and scanning every bush and tree, where, from pre- 
 vious experience, we would expect a picket to be posted or a 
 scout secreted. The following day was occupied in maturing 
 our plans for the journey, and devising schemes to meet 
 emergencies which might arise. We also divided the bread 
 and meat we had managed to escape with, into six parts, 
 expecting that our journey would consume six days, and 
 agreed to eat only a daily portion, knowing well that we 
 would need as much the sixth as the first day. 
 
 The second night we traveled a little south of east, and 
 toward morning, being somewhat in doubt as to our where- 
 abouts, we approached a small cabin, which we supposed to- 
 be occupied by a negro. We were correct in our opinion,
 
 620 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 and he gave us some general directions, and a small piece of 
 corn bread, it was all he had. We suffered greatly during 
 the day, when in our places of concealment, from the cold. 
 We avoided all roads, and pushed directly through swamps 
 and tall briars, so that by morning our clothes would be 
 thoroughly wet and considerably torn. We would then 
 secrete ourselves, and with our wet clothing clinging to us, 
 the cold air caused us to suffer severely. 
 
 We had anticipated great trouble in crossing the Chicka- 
 hominy River, as my companion could not swim, and I had 
 no desire to engage in that pastime in the middle of February, 
 and with our then present surroundings. 
 
 Toward the morning of the third night, we reached what 
 we supposed to be a swamp, and concluded to stop on its 
 banks until early light, and then pass through it. We 
 rested under a tree and went to sleep. Imagine our surprise, 
 upon awakening, to find ourselves on the Chickahominy, and 
 also to find within a few feet of where we rested, a large 
 tree, which had been blown down and across the narrow, 
 rapid stream, making for us a complete bridge.. It was the 
 work of only a few moments to pass the point where we had 
 expected to find our greatest difficulty. 
 
 During the fourth night out, finding that our strength was 
 becoming somewhat exhausted, we planned to approach a 
 farm-house and confiscate a chicken, which we intended to 
 eat raw. We felt the need of a change of diet. The bread 
 and meat we had expected to last for six days had disappeared, 
 and the water, of which we took large quantities, did not seem 
 to strengthen us for our severe march at night and the terrible 
 -cold of the day. We had kept the pop bottle which we had 
 when we started, and at every little stream crossed, we would 
 not only drink large quantities, but fill the bottle, as the 
 water seemed to revive us somewhat till the next stream was 
 reached. While we were reconnoitering the out-buildings of 
 a farm-house for the chicken I have mentioned above, we 
 were discovered by a negro. He knew at once who we were, 
 and said we were "Yankee officers, 'scaped from prison," 
 but he gave us such assurance of sympathy and help that we
 
 PRISONS AND PRISON KKS. 
 
 trusted him at once. We were taken immediately to his 
 cabin, and were soon before a blazing tire in an old-fashioned 
 tire-place. A guard of colored people were posted to prevent 
 surprise, and the mother of the family began to prepare us 
 something to eat. How the panes of corn-bread, shaped in 
 the old granny's hands, and baked in the ashes before us, dis 
 appeared, and how delicious was that meat, I have always 
 thought it was stolen expressly for us, from the slave-holders' 
 pantry. And the cabbage, fried in a skillet ! No Grand 
 Pacific Hotel bill of fare ever equaled that meal. We were 
 thoroughly wanned and well fed, and started out with new 
 courage and definite directions in regard to our route. 
 
 One of our greatest fears throughout the entire journey 
 was from dogs, it seemed as if the country was full of 
 them. One of these animals would commence to bark a little 
 to our left, another over to our right, and then one directly 
 in our path, and then they would all bark. It is no exagger- 
 ation when I say that it seemed as if there were a hundred 
 thousand dogs on that peninsula. We avoided them, by 
 deflecting from our course many, many times. 
 
 During the fifth day we suffered greatly on account of our 
 exposed position for concealment, and to add to our discom- 
 fort, it commenced to snow shortly after noon. About four 
 o'clock, unable to remain quiet, we started on our way, the 
 snow falling rapidly, and thawing quite as fast, making it 
 very difficult to travel. We were deprived of our only safe 
 and constant guide, the North Star, and after proceeding till 
 nearly dark, we came to the exact spot whence we had started 
 two hours before. We were exceedingly discouraged, very 
 tired, cold, wet and hungry. Just at this time we saw a one- 
 horse covered cart approaching, and supposing its occupant 
 was one of our colored friends, we halted him, but to our dis- 
 may found it was a white man. We told him we were Con- 
 federate scouts, and desired information as to the position of 
 the Yankees. A few minutes' conversation, however, con- 
 vinced us that he was a Union man and our friend. He gave 
 us valuable information in regard to roads ; where to find a 
 negro family who had the means to furnish us some food,
 
 #'22 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 and also assured us that in all probability we would come in 
 contact with some of our troops if we eluded the rebel scouts 
 during the next twenty-four hours. He informed us, how- 
 ever, as did the colored man who at midnight gave us a good, 
 substantial meal of corn-bread, pork and rye coffee, that we 
 were on very dangerous ground, the scouting ground between 
 both armies, a place full of guerillas and bushwhackers. 
 We traveled very cautiously and met with an exceedingly 
 vexatious delay in crossing a river, concerning which we knew 
 nothing, but called by the negroes the Diascon. 
 
 At this time in our journey, the sixth night since our 
 escape, and at a time when we were almost within our own 
 lines, the strength and heroism and capacity to direct and 
 decide, which were all virtues of my companion, all at once 
 seemed to disappear. From the terrible mental and physical 
 exertions of the week, from exposure to cold and suffering 
 from hunger he became absolutely prostrate. He had had 
 experience in an attempt to escape when in Georgia, before 
 he arrived in Libby, and he had really decided most of our 
 movements until now. Not only was he prostrate, but he 
 was indifferent. I urged him forward with all the powers of 
 persuasion left, but a little before daylight we were obliged to 
 stop and rest. At sunrise we concluded to travel during the 
 forenoon, as we were confident our troops must be near us, 
 and as the country was more open and exposed, the facilities 
 were not as good for concealment during the day. In fact, 
 it was the last effort we could make, and for the first time we 
 traveled in a road. About nine o'clock there suddenly 
 appeared, as a curve in the road was attained, a squad of cav- 
 alry, a few hundred yards in our advance. We recognized 
 them at once as our own men, and knew that we were safe. 
 
 It is impossible to express in appropriate words our feel- 
 ings at that time, indeed, I doubt my ability to do so. No 
 words of mine could form a fitting peroration to that event, 
 commencing at the terrible battle of Chickamauga, and end- 
 ing with an escape from military prison, a battle, than 
 which none could be more bravely fought, in which scores of 
 my young friends went down, schoolmates and neighbors
 
 PRISONS AND PRISONERS. 623 
 
 the anxiety and solicitude of that picket duty, the thousand 
 mile trip to a Confederate prison, the joys and sorrows, the 
 hopes and disappointments, the waitings and watchings 
 while incarcerated, and the days and nights of peril and suf- 
 ferings and cold and hunger, the swamps and briar thickets, 
 the anticipation of success and the despair at the thought of 
 recapture ; all this, and, finally, freedom and home and 
 friends, what words can express it all? 
 
 A few words and I have finished. We came into our lines 
 a few miles from Williamsburg. Some of the escaped officers 
 reached our lines the third day out from Richmond, and Gen. 
 Butler, who was at that time commandant at Fortress Mon- 
 roe, sent out, on alternate days, the llth Pennsylvania Cav- 
 alry and the 1st New York Rifles to drive back the enemy, 
 and to patrol the country with tall guidons to attract the 
 notice of the escaping prisoners. The 1st New York Rifles 
 were our deliverers. No one can describe the kindness 
 shown to us by this body of men. Every attention was show- 
 ered upon us. We were banqueted at Company A's head- 
 quarters, and feted at Company B's, and banqueted again at 
 Company C's, and so on. 
 
 As soon as possible we reported at Washington. Every 
 paper was full of the escape from Libby. Fifty-five out of 
 one hundred and nine reached our lines ; the others were 
 recaptured. We were ordered to rejoin our respective regi- 
 ments, permission being given to delay reporting for thirty 
 days. Flying visits were made to friends, and then we were 
 back to go over nearly the same ground, although under 
 different circumstances, as we participated in the Atlanta 
 campaign.
 
 624: HISTORY OF THE 96'fH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTKR XXXV. 
 
 DETACHED SERVICE. 
 
 BY CAPTAIN AND BREVET MAJOR WILLIAM M. LOUGHL1N. 
 
 The Pioneer Battalion Causes Leading to its Organization Nature of 
 the Service Required A Building Blown Up Building Bridges and 
 Forts A Reconnoissance How Swan Pond was Crossed The Cum- 
 berland Pontoon A Valuable Invention Building Block Houses 
 Formally Transferred The Roster. 
 
 It is doubtful whether, at any time, the term "detached 
 service" ever had a more general application than in the 
 armies of the United States during the War of the Rebellion. 
 The years of profound peace which preceded that war, and the 
 almost exclusive attention of the people of the loyal States to 
 the development of their mechanical, agricultural and commer- 
 cial interests left them little time, and less inclination for the 
 study of the art of war. As a result of this condition, military 
 knowledge, except to a very limited extent, was confined to the 
 graduates of our military schools. These men, who in after 
 years honored themselves and their country by their splendid 
 military achievements, had, up to this time, no better field of 
 practice than such opportunities as garrison and frontier duty 
 furnished. All classes, therefore, had from necessity, much 
 to learn, the officers how to organize and direct the forces 
 placed at their disposal, the recruit, the duty of the soldier in 
 active service with all which that implies. These things 
 meant, in this instance, the selection and instruction of com- 
 pany, battalion, brigade and division commanders for an army 
 of a million men, and the drill and equipment of that vast 
 number of soldiers. That the lessons were well learned, the 
 successful operations of the splendid armies thus formed have 
 fully established. 
 
 In the report of the Adjutant General of this State, only 
 such details as become permanent transfers were recorded,
 
 WM. M. LOUGHLIN. 
 
 CAPT. 1ST U. S. VET. VOL. ENGINEERS, 
 
 . FORMERLY 1ST. LIEUT. CO. O 96TH ILL. INFTRV.
 
 THE PIONEER BATTALION. 625 
 
 and while there were but a small part of the actual details, 
 they furnished some evidence of the amount of the service 
 required and performed. The total number of enlisted men 
 transferred from the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS, as per Adjutant 
 General's report, independent of the transfer of recruits, was 
 sixty-nine (69), viz. : 
 
 To Veteran Reserve Corps, 34 At various times. 
 
 U. 8. Vet. Vol. Engineers 22 April 7, 1863. 
 
 Company B to D 1 
 
 1 each to Companies E, G and H. . 3 21st Illinois. 
 
 92nd Illinois, 2 
 
 Accept Com. in U. 8. C. Troops. . 6 
 
 Signal Corps 2 
 
 3d Missouri Cavalry 1 
 
 Marine Brigade 1 
 
 Total 72 
 
 The twenty-two men here credited to the U. S. V. V. 
 Engineers were originally detailed as Pioneers, and as such 
 were still members of the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS. Only as 
 such will their service be noted in this review of their opera- 
 tions, for after their transfer to the 1st TJ. S. V. V. Engineers, 
 they ceased to be on detached service. 
 
 As it is impossible, in such a brief paper as this must be, 
 to even sketch, with any satisfaction, the service of the various 
 detachments sent from this Regiment during its term of 
 service, I shall confine my statements to a review of the serv- 
 ice rendered by the Pioneer detachment, which I had the 
 honor to command, it being the largest body sent from the 
 Regiment at any one time for special duty. 
 
 To more fully understand the nature of their service, 
 some mention of the reason for the organization, and the 
 order under which it was formed, seems necessary. 
 
 Shortly after taking command of the Army of the Cum- 
 berland, Gen. Rosecrans, and the officers acting with him, 
 became satisfied that the efficiency of the army would be 
 greatly increased by the formation of a Brigade of skilled 
 mechanics, selected from the various regiments, and under 
 the immediate command of the Chief Engineer, trained for 
 pontoon, pioneer and engineer service. For this purpose a 
 40
 
 626 HISTORY OF THE 96iH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 General Order (No. 3, Series 1863) was issued, requiring each 
 regimental commander to detail one officer, two non-commis- 
 sioned officers and twenty men from their several commands, 
 the men to be selected for their superior skill and natural 
 adaptation for the work, and the officer for his courage and 
 enterprise, as well as his experience and ability. These 
 detachments were directed to report to the Chief Engineer, 
 and, after being inspected and approved by him, were formed 
 into companies and battalions. 
 
 The NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS, with the Army of Kentucky, 
 to which it was attached, was transferred from Kentucky to 
 Nashville, Tenn., in February, 1863, and a short time after- 
 ward was united with and made a part of the Army of the 
 Cumberland, and under the order above described furnished 
 regimental details for the Pioneer Brigade. These details 
 were made April 7, 1863, and required the detachment to 
 report on the day following at Franklin, Tenn., to Capt. Wil- 
 liam E. Merrill, Chief Engineer of the Army of Kentucky, by 
 whom they were inspected and organized as the 4th Battalion 
 Pioneers. The detachment of the NINETY-SIXTH, with that 
 from the 78th and 92d Illinois, formed Company B of that 
 Battalion, with First Lieutenant William M. Loughlin in com- 
 mand. The Battalion was immediately assigned to duty in 
 the construction of Fort Granger, on the right bank of the 
 Harpeth river, opposite and commanding the town of Frank- 
 lin, Tenn. They had hardly commenced work there when 
 the Confederate General Yan Dorn, with a large force of cav- 
 alry and artillery, made a spirited attack (April 10, 1863) on 
 our forces, driving in our pickets and taking possession of the 
 principal part of the town, which they held for some time, but 
 were finally driven off after a sharp engagement, with serious 
 loss to them. 
 
 An incident in this fight furnishes additional proof of the 
 declaration so often made by our generals, and especially by 
 Gen. Grant (1 vol. Memoirs, p. 468), viz.: That "the Yankee 
 soldier was equal to any emergency." The enemy having 
 taken possession of the town, commenced, under cover of a 
 large brick mill, to annoy our bridge guards and threaten the
 
 . . , BLOWING UP OF BUILDING. 62T 
 
 river crossing on our front. How to. remove the building 
 which afforded this shelter was the important question, Capt. 
 William E. Merrill, then Chief Engineer, Army of Kentucky, 
 called the attention of Lieutenant Loughlin to the situation, 
 and expressed a wish for men capable of blowing up the 
 structure with ordinary gunpowder. The Lieutenant stated 
 that he could find the men to do the work if the Captain, could 
 furnish the tools and materials. He was ordered to furnish 
 the men, and at once rode to the camp of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 ILLINOIS, knowing as he did that the Regiment contained six 
 companies from Jo Daviess County, on the rolls of which were 
 many men experienced and skilled as lead miners. Colonel 
 Champion, as soon as the matter was explained to him, 
 directed Lieutenant Robert Pool to make selection of the 
 men, take charge of the detail, and report to Capt. William 
 E. Merrill. The latter had the fuses prepared, and procured 
 the necessary powder by unloading shells. The buildings 
 were successfully mined and fired, and in a brief time, to the 
 surprise and gratification of our army, it was a mass of ruins. 
 The enemy retreated from the town, and Gen. Baird's division, 
 to which the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS belonged, was sent across 
 the river in pursuit. 
 
 But few men of the Regiment knew then, or since, for 
 that matter, that a detachment of their own Regiment had 
 thus opened the way; but none the less was the credit due the 
 Regiment as a whole, for a true account of its work will regard 
 all the acts of its members, whether those of individuals, com- 
 panies or battalions, and which go to make up the sum of its 
 usefulness in a military way. For this reason the history of 
 the Battalion is substantially the history of the detachment 
 or companies of which it was composed. 
 
 After the completion of the fortification at Franklin, 
 Tenn., June 2, 1863, the Battalion marched to Triune, Tenn., 
 the headquarters of the Corps, and from this time up to the 
 capture of Shelby ville and the occupancy of Wartrace, Tenn., 
 the} 7 took part, under the direction of Lieutenant Loughlin as 
 construction officer, in all the operations of the Reserve Corps 
 (formerly Army of Kentucky), and which then formed the
 
 628 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 right wing of the Army of the Cumberland. In the Tulla- 
 homa campaign it was always at the front, wherever pioneer 
 or engineer service was required. At Wartrace a depot of 
 supplies had been established, and the Battalion was directed 
 to construct suitable defenses for the same. Before this work 
 was completed, however, they were ordered back to Franklin, 
 Tenn., to rebuild the railroad bridge across the Harpeth river r 
 which had been carried away by an unusual flood, resulting 
 from the heavy and almost incessant rains which prevailed 
 during that campaign. 
 
 The work was completed so entirely to the satisfaction of 
 the District Commander, that a special request was made of 
 the Department Commander to allow the Battalion to con- 
 struct other bridges between Franklin and Columbia, Tenn. 
 The request was granted, and the Battalion continued on this 
 work until January, 1864, when, after completing the last 
 bridge north of Columbia (at Rutherford's creek), they were 
 ordered to Athens, Ala., to construct the railroad bridges 
 across Swan creek, nine miles south of that city. Some 
 knowledge of the character and value of the service rendered 
 by this command can be obtained from the following extract 
 from my report as commander of the Battalion at the com- 
 pletion of this work : 
 
 * * * * The 4th Battalion Pioneers left Columbia, 
 Tenn., January 17, 1864, for Athens. Ala.; marched the entire distance 
 via Pulaski and Elkton, between ninety and one hundred miles ; built two 
 railroad bridges across separate branches of Swan creek, whose united 
 length was over 640 feet, taking the timber from the forest, and after 
 completing the same started for Chattanooga, February 17, 1864. 
 
 This was done in mid-winter, with only four small companies, whose 
 total effective strength was less than 200 men, and doing our own guard 
 and picket duty nine miles in advance of any supporting force, and only 
 four and one-half miles north of Decatur, Ala., then held in force by the 
 enemy. The necessity for extreme care on our part to prevent being 
 surprised is evidenced by the fact that during our operations there Gen. 
 Roddy, with several regiments of Confederate troops, infantry and cav- 
 alry, crossed the Tennessee river just below us, passed to our right and 
 rear, attacked and captured the town of Athens, Ala., and destroyed 
 large quantities of supplies, but were forced to make a hurried retreat by 
 the vigorous and persistent attacks of Col. Phillips, with his regiment, 
 the 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry, and the 92d Illinois Mounted Infantry, 
 under Col. Smith D. Atkins.
 
 SERGEANT LEE'S BRAVERY. 629 
 
 One of the most unfortunate results of the expedition above referred 
 <to was the pain and anxiety of our friends at home, caused by reports in 
 the northern press, which had us all either killed or captured. 
 
 I will give a single incident, which will convey some idea of 
 the duty required, and the prowess and courage that was equal 
 to every demand. Shortly after reaching Swan creek I took 
 Lieut. Warren, 84th Indiana, Sergeant J. C. Lee, NINETY-SIXTH 
 ILLINOIS, and ten other men, and started for Decatur, Ala., 
 iollowing the railroad, to ascertain, if possible what might be 
 expected from the movement of troops from that direction, the 
 -country there being about equally divided between large fields 
 .and large bodies of heavy timber. After traveling about four 
 miles we came to a body of water, about 600 feet across, 
 formerly spanned by an iron truss railroad bridge. At that 
 time nothing remained but the stone piers, nine in number, 
 which stood some eighteen feet above the water, and the rail- 
 road iron stretching from pier to pier. The ties and every 
 other semblance of bridge and track were gone. The rails 
 ragged by their weight almost to the water between the piers, 
 and offered no apparent means of transit. The scouts had 
 ireported this to be the Tennessee river, but we knew it was 
 not wide enough for that stream. To find the Tennessee we 
 must cross this, but how, was the question. All around was 
 forest, but no timber suitable to build a raft could be found. 
 On the opposite shore a canoe was seen, drawn up on the 
 Taank. Sergeant Lee started for it on one of the suspended 
 railroad irons, sliding down to the centre, and then, by his 
 superior muscular power, climbing up the smooth iron to the 
 next pier, and repeating the operation over again. Every 
 eye was directed to the opposite side, and every rifle ready, 
 but no foe appeared, and the intrepid soldier made the cross- 
 ing, launched the canoe, and by it we gained the other side two 
 .at a time. Eight of the party, with Lieut. Warren and myself, 
 tmoved on to Decatur, a march of one-half or three-quarters of 
 .a mile bringing us to the bank of the Tennessee. 
 
 In front of that town we deployed as skirmishers ; the long 
 roll was sounded on our appearance, and the busy street was 
 ><3eserted. Even boats in the river were abandoned as soon
 
 630 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT^ IiiL. V. I. 
 
 as they were beached, and everybody took to cover. We had 
 no desire to report our actual strength and limited ' transpor- 
 tation, and therefore quietly withdrew. The object of our 
 expedition had been fully attained. We learned that -the 
 body of water crossed by us was Swan pond, a lagoon or 
 bayou, running parallel to the Tennessee river, and, under 
 the circumstances, of more benefit to us than to the enemy. 
 All the men of that expedition deserve special mention for 
 cool, unflinching courage and promptness in action, and I sin- 
 cerely regret that at this time I can recall the names of but 
 two others, Charles Phillips and Andrew J. Dimmick. 
 
 A march of two daya brought the Battalion from Swan- 
 Creek to Huntsville, Alabama, where we took cars to Chatta- 
 nooga, and, after being separated for several mouths, found 
 ourselves again with the Army of the Cumberland, which was 
 then preparing for the Atlanta campaign. 
 
 Among the leading questions under consideration by the 
 officers of that department were railroad defenses and 
 improved pontoon bridge equipments. At that time the only 
 bridge boats in use for field service were the French batteau, a 
 wooden boat, known in our army as the Cincinnati pontoon, 
 and the Russian pontoon, a canvas boat, each twenty two 
 feet long, and requiring a long-geared wagon to transport 
 them. This was a serious defect, for in a rough, mountain- 
 ous country such wagons were always breaking, and the 
 progress of the army delayed. 
 
 Several alterations had been suggested in the construction 
 of pontoon boats, but none had been adopted. Colonel (then 
 Captain) Wm. E. Merrill, Chief Engineer, Army of the Cum- 
 berland, had recommended the construction of boat-sides for- 
 canvas boats with a hinge in the centre, so that they might 
 be folded, and loaded into an ordinary army wagon. This 
 idea was generally approved, and an order was issued detail- 
 ing Capt. P. O'Connell, 1st Ohio Infantry, and fifty men of 
 the Pioneer Brigade to go to Nashville, Tenn., and after con- 
 sultation with Lieut. James R. Willett, the Acting Engineer 
 officer in charge of the shops there, to construct a boat frame 
 with the hinge coupling, and with such other modifications as
 
 THE CuMBEELAND PONTOON. 631 
 
 might seem advisable. After being fully advised of their 
 duty, I was called upon to furnish twenty-five men for this 
 detail, which I did, placing them in charge of Sergeant J. C. 
 Lee, with Isbon Gleason as assistant. On their arrival at 
 Nashville, Lieutenant Willett furnished them a plan for a boat 
 side which was a slight modification of the Russian, adjusted 
 to the hinge. Sergeant Lee asked and obtained permission 
 to make a plan which changed the structure in many particu- 
 lars, and, though increasing .the number of braces and bed- 
 timbers, it reduced their size and weight, without impairing 
 the strength of the boat, by using horizontal as well as verti- 
 cal iron tie-rods. Lee's plan was adopted (both of the plans 
 are now in my possession), and the first boat built stood the 
 test so satisfactorily that orders were given to construct 
 a train of fifty boats for immediate use. They were built and 
 equipped, and Captain P. O'Connell took them to the front, 
 taking Sergeant Lee and his detail with him to instruct the 
 pontooniers how to put them together and use them. The 
 first bridge of these boats was laid across the Etowah, near 
 Kesaca, in the Atlanta campaign, and gave general satisfac- 
 tion. At Kingston, Ga., Captain O'Connell was taken sick, 
 and Sergeant Lee was left in charge, and remained in charge 
 until the pontoon service of that army was turned over to Col. 
 G. P. Buel, 58th Indiana, who from that time had charge of 
 the pontoon service in Sherman's army, and used for bridge 
 purposes this boat only which Lieut. Willett had so justly 
 named the "Cumberland Pontoon." 
 
 Sergeant Lee, after turning over his pontoon train to Col. 
 Buel, was sent with his detachment to report to me at Charles- 
 ton, East Tennessee, where I was fortifying the railroad cross- 
 ing of the Hiawassee river, and the account here given as to 
 the origin and history of the construction of that now cele- 
 brated bridge boat, aside from what I give as of my personal 
 knowledge, is from the report made to me by Sergeant Lee at 
 that time, and has been fully verified by other facts ; and the 
 eminence afterward attained by Sergeant Lee as a bridge- 
 builder proved his ability in that work. The value of that 
 boat to the government, in the reduction of cost of transporta-
 
 632 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 tion, as well as in time saved, would be quite an item, and 
 worth considering. That it was valuable the amount asked 
 for this invention by one whose claim as inventor was prop- 
 erly rejected (viz., $100,000) fully attests. J. C. Lee has 
 gone to his reward, and if faithfulness to his country and his 
 fellow men is to be reckoned, that reward is sure. Justice to 
 his memory, and to the brave men associated with him, 
 demands these facts from one who esteems it an honor to have 
 served with them, much more to have held command. 
 
 Shortly after reaching Chattanooga, I was sent with fifty 
 picked men to fortify the railroad crossing of the Hiawassee 
 river at Charleston, East Tennessee, with orders to call upon 
 the post commander for such assistance as 1 might need. This 
 was the most important point on that line, next to Loudon, 
 and if communications with Knoxville during the Atlanta 
 campaign were to be maintained, which was almost a neces- 
 sity, this point must be held. 
 
 The defense consisted of a block-house, with out-works on 
 each side of the river. The work was prosecuted under great 
 difficulties, the men having frequently to rally in their own 
 defense, but it was completed so satisfactorily to the depart- 
 ment commander that a tablet was placed in the principal 
 block-house by his order, giving my name, rank and regi- 
 ment. 
 
 This work was substantially the last of our detached ser- 
 vice. The Pioneer Brigade was soon after disbanded, and all 
 the officers and men not selected for service in the Engineers 
 were returned to their regiments. The following is a com- 
 plete roster of the Pioneer Detachment of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY : 
 
 First Lieut. Wm. M. Loughlin, Company C Lake Forest. 
 
 * Sergeant John C. Lee, Company F Elizabeth. 
 
 f Corporal Cleveland M. Kinney, Company K Warren. 
 
 * NOTE. J. C. Lee, who for many years represented the Canton Iron Bridge Co. in 
 northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska, and was justly considered 
 authority on bridge structures, died at his home in Elizabeth, 111., April 22, 1886. 
 
 Sergeant John A. Francisco, of (Jpmpany H, was at first detailed with the Battalion 
 and served a few weeks, when he was returned to his company and promoted to First 
 Sergeant, whereupon Sergeant Lee was detailed in his place. 
 
 t Corporal Cleveland M. Kinney, of Company K, died a little before his term of serv- 
 ice expired.
 
 THE ROSTER. 633 
 
 Privates, Henry Peeper, Company A Galena. 
 
 Peter D. Campbell, Company A Stockton Center. 
 
 Isaac Barrus, Company B Goodale. 
 
 Alfred Castle, Company B Ela. 
 
 Wm. G. Morley, Company C Antioch. 
 
 Charles Phillips, Company C Fremont. 
 
 Martin M. Blunt, Company D Antioch. 
 
 Andrew J. Dimmick, Company D Antioch. 
 
 Jasper N. Lindsey, Company E Scales Mound. 
 
 Isaac Noggles, Company E Apple River. 
 
 Joseph Perkins, Company F Vinegar Hill. 
 
 Charles N. Hammond, Company F Hanover. 
 
 Isbon Gleason, Company G Libertyville. 
 
 Levi Shupe, Company G Libertyville. 
 
 Hiram P. Millet, Company H Warren. 
 
 Theopholus Pettibone, Company H Warren. 
 
 Thomas B. Bray, Company I Elizabeth. 
 
 Thomas Holland, Company I Elizabeth. 
 
 Oliver H. Pruner, Company K Rush. 
 
 Peter Shick, Company K Rush. 
 
 All the members of this detachment were transferred in 
 July, 1864, to the First Regiment U. S. Vet. Vol. Engineers, 
 where many of them received promotions (which acknowledg- 
 ment for meritorious service they could not receive while on 
 detached duty), and where all served until finally discharged 
 by death, or at the close of the war, with credit to themselves 
 their former comrades of the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS.
 
 63-t , HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 
 
 Notes from an Old Diary A Middle Tennessee Scouting Expedition 
 How the Scouts were Fooled by a Rebel Jeff Davis' Feat Dis- 
 counted A Very Tired Man and a Bad Government Mule An Inci- 
 dent at Moccasin Point Corn Doled Out in Spoonsful Color 
 Corporal Robison How he Lost an Arm His Hospital Experience 
 The Ambulance Corps Wounded Men, and Who Carried Them 
 Fidelity and Courage of the Stretcher Bearers Poem by A. R. Thain. 
 
 MANY comrades have responded to the call for incidents or 
 personal experiences. In most cases these have been woven 
 into the general narrative ; others appear in the personal 
 sketches ; a few are given herewith. The first is contributed 
 by Myron J. Brown, of Company G. 
 
 A SCOUTING EXPERIENCE. 
 
 In my diary, under date of August 29, 1863, I find the 
 following: "A scouting party, which went out from camp 
 yesterday afternoon, returned this morning, bringing five 
 persons of suspicious character, two of whom are charged 
 with helping to hang two Union soldiers, last Sunday, not 
 very far from camp." We were then in camp at Estell 
 Springs, Tenn. The next day (Sunday, August 30, 1863) I 
 was detailed to join a party to go into the country and make 
 other arrests of bushwhackers, deserters and discharged sol- 
 diers from the Rebel Army, and men suspected of having the 
 intention of joining it. Our party consisted of the Sergeant- 
 Major and Quartermaster Sergeant of our Regiment, a Ser- 
 geant and two orderlies from Brigade Headquarters, a Sergeant 
 and three cannoneers from a battery, and three privates from 
 the NINETY-SIXTH, all under command of Lieutenant Richard- 
 son, of Company E, of the same Regiment. The party was 
 mounted. The three privates from the NINETY-SIXTH rode 
 mules. It is hardly necessary to mention that / rode a mule. 
 I will now copy again from my diary : " We rode west until
 
 LEAVES FROM MYRON J. BROWN'S DIARY. 635' 
 
 dusk, when we found ourselves in the midst of a dozen or so 
 old, decaying log-houses, inhabited by women and dogs, which 
 collection of logs, women and dogs was called Ridgeville. As- 
 we were leaving this village we came upon two young men 
 who were trying to elude us. They said they thought we 
 were bushwhackers. When they learned who we were and 
 our business they immediately offered to act as guides. One 
 of them told us of a man who was ' aiming ' to join Holman's 
 Cavalry that night, and he was ordered to lead the way to him, 
 'double quick.' After a half-hour's hard ride over a very 
 rough road, or one that seemed rough to a man on a mule, 
 we halted near the house where our guide said we would find 
 the man, whose name was Buchanan, or, as the guide spoke it y 
 "Buckhannon." We proceeded on foot, and surrounded the 
 house. The Lieutenant inquired for Buckhannon, and was- 
 told that he went a half-hour before up the creek to the next 
 house. Leaving that house surrounded, the rest of us went oft 
 up the creek to the next house, about a quarter of a mile dis- 
 tant. Buckhannon had not been seen there since before din- 
 ner, and we returned to house number one, and searched it. 
 We found the occupants to be a family by the name of Smith 
 and a visitor in the person of a neighbor woman, a young; 
 mother, with babe in arms. She had been prevented from 
 going home earlier by the guards, who detained her until the 
 search of the house was finished. She was then assisted to 
 mount hec palfrey by some of the gallant members of our 
 party, and permitted to go home. Buckhannon was not- 
 found. We learned, however, that the head of this family,. 
 Smith, had been a Lieutenant in the Rebel Army, and had, 
 lately resigned and come home. He was told he would have 
 to go along with us, but remonstrated, saying he had not been- 
 at home from the army an hour when we called, and he 
 begged to be left with his family until morning, when he 
 would meet us at any place we might name, or go by himself 
 to our camp at Estell Springs. The Lieutenant of our party 
 would not trust him, but concluded to leave one man with 
 Smith, who should report with him at a certain place next 
 morning. I was the man detailed to remain with Smith. I
 
 '636 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 presume the mule was glad, and perhaps I ought to have 
 been, but I was not. I did not like to miss my share of the 
 night's sport, and I did not know what sort of callers I might 
 have to help entertain before morning. Lieut. Smith was 
 agreeable, and tried to make my situation pleasant, but I was 
 not at ease. I had been there about an hour when we were all 
 startled by the clatter of hoofs near the house. Smith showed 
 great uneasiness. Suspecting bushwhackers and treachery, I 
 sprang to arms, intending to defend myself desperately. I did 
 not have to though, for the clatter was made by the horses of 
 Lieutenant Richardson and some of his party. They had con- 
 cluded that as there were so many bushwhackers and returned 
 Rebel soldiers in the neighborhood, and as two Union soldiers 
 had been hung not far from there only a week before, it was 
 not safe to leave me there alone. 1 was thus relieved of my 
 dread, and permitted to have the fun of riding a mule all 
 night. During the night we arrested five suspected men, and 
 visited the homes of several others who were wanted, but not 
 at home. One Jack Eaton had joined Forrest's Cavalry a 
 few days before we called for him. At dawn on Monday 
 morning we found ourselves once more at Ridgeville. From 
 there our prisoners and Lieut. Smith were sent to camp, 
 escorted by our Sergeant Major and Quartermaster Sergeant 
 and the Brigade Headquarters Sergeant. We breakfasted at 
 one of the log piles, and rested until about 10 o'clock A. M. 
 We then visited a man named Osborn, of whom our guides 
 said we could get dinner and whisky. There was, indeed, 
 plenty of the latter-named article to be had there, but none of 
 our party seemed to care much for whisky that day, and we 
 continued on in search of a returned Rebel soldier, who, when 
 found, showed a parole, so we had no use for him. As the 
 day was very hot, we returned to Osborn's for rest and refresh- 
 ments. We remained there until evening, had a good supper 
 and then started on another night's sport. A new guide was 
 necessary. After procuring one, we called on another Mr. 
 Osborn, who was brother to the one with whom we supped, 
 .and who was charged with bushwhacking, horse-stealing, etc. 
 "We expected resistance and a night skirmish there, as it was
 
 PICKET DUTY BY SERGEANT MILLER. 63T 
 
 reported that three or four of the same sort were with him. 
 Only two men, however, could we find, Mr. Osborn and 
 Doc Mann, and they did not seem to be in the humor to- 
 resist. Osborn pretended to be very sick. His wife feared 
 he was about to die. The part was overacted, strained, and 
 the pretense became too thin. He was pulled out of bed v 
 thrust into his pantaloons and assisted to mount, after which 
 he seemed quite well. The next name on our Lieutenant's list 
 was Silvertooth. He was not at home. One more person 
 was captured without trouble or excitement, after which 
 we started for Estell Springs, arriving at our camp there- 
 about 4 o'clock A. M., Tuesday, September 1, 1863, just in> 
 time to hear reveille and answer to roll-call. To say I did not 
 sleep all that day, and that I was not very, very sore and 
 lame when I was awakened, would be untruthful ; and I have 
 not yet fully recovered froon the ill effects of so long riding 
 that lean, rough, tough, wiry, waltzing, limber-legged, stiff- 
 legged, bad, bad government mule, although it is now Sun- 
 day, September 6th." 
 
 The foregoing was taken from my diary, which I wrote 
 during my service in the army. I heard afterward that the 
 Buckhannon we were after that Sunday night came to our 
 carnp soon after, took the oath of allegiance, and told how he 
 eluded us by changing his attire while the Lieutenant went 
 "up the creek to the next house," borrowing a young child of 
 the Smith family and personifying a young mother and neigh- 
 bor woman. 
 
 RATIONS AT MOCCASIN POINT. 
 
 The following is contributed by Sergeant Charles J. Mil- 
 ler, of Company G : 
 
 I will give a brief account of high life on picket, which 
 will illustrate or show the straits to which we were sometimes 
 driven for something to eat. 
 
 The location was at Moccasin Point. The time was the 
 day the NINETY-SIXTH went four miles down the river to- 
 guard the Pioneers while they were putting a pontoon across 
 the river. That morning I was detailed as Sergeant of the
 
 ' 638 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 guard. As I had nothing with which to get breakfast (as the 
 Irishman would say), it did not take me long to get it, and 
 therefore I was at headquarters on time. The acting Ser- 
 geant Major went through the guard mount in about the 
 usual style. After turning the guard over to me, he told me 
 to wait a moment. Then he went into the Adjutant's tent, 
 soon came out with an armful of corn, and gave each man 
 three ears. Then the men stopped their clamoring for rations, 
 and away we went to the picket line, contented if not happy. 
 That day the Regiment went four miles down the river, and 
 the next morning we were not relieved. It soon became 
 evident that we had to stay on guard another long twenty- 
 four hours, but the great trouble that was constantly be- 
 fore our minds was our empty stomachs and empty haver- 
 sacks. About noon we saw the Sergeant Major coming 
 from Chattanooga (we were on the road to Chattanooga), rid- 
 ing an army mule, with a couple of bushels of corn ia.a coffee- 
 sack. He told us he did not know when we would be relieved. 
 I asked him for some corn ; at first he refused, saying that he 
 had so little for the Regiment he could not spare any. I told 
 -him we belonged to the Regiment, and ought to have our share. 
 Then he gave me three ears of corn, which I shelled. There 
 were twenty-seven spoonsful, and nine men of us. 1 gave 
 each man three spoonsful, as his ration, on which he was to 
 grow strong, and fight for God and native land. Reuben 
 Miller was on the guard of which I have written. At one of 
 our reunions he spoke to me about that experience, and of 
 how much better we fared than the men on the other posts, 
 who dined on acorns. 
 
 COLOE CORPORAL ROBISON 5 S EXPERIENCE. 
 
 Corporal J. A. Robison, of Company F, contributes an 
 article, from which we condense as follows : 
 
 I was detailed as one of the Color Guard shortly after the 
 Regiment entered Kentucky, and served in that capacity until 
 wounded that bloody day at Chickamauga. That battle I 
 need not describe. My position was in the front rank, next
 
 EXPERIENCE IN THE COLOR GUARD. 639 
 
 to the colors, and directly on the left of Color Sergeant Bruner. 
 Of the long hours on the left, the rapid march to the right 
 and the trying experience of getting into position and taking 
 the first fire, others must write. Once in the battle the nerves 
 grew steadier, and we sought to do our duty. Our gun-bar- 
 rels soon became so hot from our rapid loading and firing that 
 we could hardly handle them. The men fell rapidly all about 
 me. A Corporal in Company H was shot, and fell over 
 against me. I saw Walton Reed when he was hit. Appar- 
 ently a bullet struck him squarely in the forehead, and he 
 fairly leaped into the air, falling to the ground to rise no more. 
 He was a tall man, with light hair, so that I readily recog- 
 nized him. 
 
 We soon fell back, and Longstreet's men seemed to think 
 their victory complete, and hardly knew what to make of it 
 when we kept on fighting, rallying and coming up to meet 
 them again. Evidently they were not accustomed to seeing 
 troops act in just that way. They greatly outnumbered us, 
 and we fairly slaughtered them as they swarmed along our 
 front. 
 
 Shortly after the battery had taken position I was wounded. 
 I was in the act of loading my gun, and had the ramrod in my 
 hand, when a ball passed through my right elbow, shattering 
 the bones both above and below the joint. Such was the 
 effect that I could not release my hold of the ramrod, but had 
 to draw it out from between my fingers with my left hand. 
 An instant before I had seen Corporal David Isbell shoot a 
 big Rebel just in our front. I let Isbel] know that I was 
 wounded, and started for the rear. In a few moments he was 
 shot and probably killed, for we never saw him again. 
 
 I made my way to the rear as best I could. I was bleed- 
 ing badly, and felt weak and faint. For a time the bullets 
 fell around me like hail, but I soon got out of range. It has 
 always been a mystery to me how any one escaped. I soon 
 discovered that not all were doing their duty, for there were 
 numerous skulkers in the rear, a few of whom I knew. These 
 cowards, perhaps, served a good purpose, for they riled me so 
 that I almost forgot my wound.
 
 640 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 The sound of the battle seemed to come from every side, 
 and I hardly knew which way to go, but after a time I reached 
 the surgeons, and saw Colonel Clarke on a litter ; also many 
 of my comrades, wounded in every conceivable manner. My 
 wound was hurriedly dressed and bandaged. After waiting in 
 vain for an ambulance, I started toward Eossville just at dusk, 
 going as far as 1 could, and then stopping by a rail fire. 
 Next morning I went on and reached the old camp, where I 
 saw Color Sergeant Bruner sitting on a log, with great ball 
 holes in his right arm and breast. His wounds were being^ 
 dressed, and I then believed he would not long survive, but 
 have been gratified to know that he recovered. I met him at 
 the reunion in Waukegan, in 1875. 
 
 The day following the battle I went to Chattanooga, and 
 crossing the Tennessee river, sat all night by a little fire. 
 Next morning my arm was fearfully swollen and painful. I 
 started for Bridgeport with a wagon train, but could not stand 
 the jolting of riding, and so walked almost the entire distance in 
 two days. After a night at Bridgeport I took the train to 
 Nashville, where I was placed in Hospital No. 16. Orders were 
 issued for all of the severely wounded to go on to Louisville, 
 and we were given no attention. I begged for treatment, and 
 after two days, with only a water dressing, got a surgeon to 
 examine my wound. He found the arm not only badly shat- 
 tered, but considerably mortified, and in a few hours the knife 
 had done the necessary work, the amputation was completed 
 and but a two-inch stump was left. Dr. Seymour and his 
 assistants gave me excellent care, and in three weeks I was 
 walking around. 
 
 I remained in that hospital until the middle of December, 
 with many little incidents and pleasures along with the pains, 
 the relation of which would require too much space, but which 
 will be always remembered. I visited Corporal Taylor, of 
 Company C, who had lost an arm, and who died in a short 
 time. I sometimes walked out to the hospital where Fred 
 Miller, of Company F, was under treatment. His wound wa^ 
 on the side of the right knee, and was not thought to be very 
 serious at first, but erysipelas set in, and finally killed him
 
 WILLIAM G. MORLEY, 
 uoi'ipany C. 
 
 THOMAS B. BRAY, 
 Company I. 
 
 JOHN C. LEE, 
 
 Sergeant Company K. 
 
 ISBON S. GLEASON, 
 Company G. 
 
 CHARLES PHILLIPS, 
 
 Company ('.
 
 THE AMBULANCE CORPS. 641 
 
 after long weeks of suffering. The case was so peculiar, and 
 he lived so long after the disease reached a point where 
 immediate death was expected, that an autopsy was made by 
 the surgeons at the hospital. 
 
 After leaving Nashville I was in an old contract hospital 
 in Chicago for six weeks, arid my recollection of it is both 
 vivid and unpleasant. It stood near the Rush street bridge. 
 At last I was discharged, and reached home, crippled, but 
 with a country and a flag that was soon restored to peace and 
 prosperity. Consider this brief sketch my contribution to the 
 History of the Regiment. 
 
 THE AMBULANCE CORPS. 
 
 Prior to the opening of the Atlanta campaign there had 
 been but little system in the matter of removing wounded 
 men from the battle field during an engagement. As a natural 
 result it frequently happened that where a man was killed or 
 wounded, two or more comrades would leave the ranks and 
 bear him from the battle field. .The result of this was very 
 demoralizing, for not^fti^equehltly ^myacl^, out of their pure 
 kindness of heart and without the least intention of being 
 cowardly, would carry a wounded man for a long distance, 
 and, if a surgeon or ambulance were not readily found, would 
 remain with him, perhaps for hours. Then there were those, 
 in almost every command, who were rather glad than other- 
 wise of an excuse or opportunity for going to the rear in time 
 of action ; consequently the ranks of a company or regiment 
 were often greatly thinned by those who had gone as escorts 
 to wounded companions. 
 
 Just before the opening of the Atlanta campaign, what 
 was known as the "Ambulance Corps " was organized. At 
 this time the NINETY-SIXTH was laying at Cleveland, Tenn. 
 An officer appointed for the purpose visited the Regiment, had 
 the Companies called out, and walking along the line selected 
 six stalwart men to serve in the Ambulance Corps. The six 
 were, Harlow D. Ragan, of Company A ; Edward Hancock, 
 of Company F ; George E. Smith of Company D ; William 
 McDonald of Company I ; John' K. Beck and Joseph Clark, 
 41
 
 64:2 HISTORY OF THE 96xn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 of Company G. In addition, and belonging to this corps^ 
 were two ambulance drivers : O. H. Perry, of Company I, 
 and Morancy Putnam, of Company K. McDonald was 
 classed as a supernumerary, and had partial charge of the 
 outfit. John Harrington, of Company Or, served with this 
 detail in one or two engagements. 
 
 Three canvas stretchers were provided for the use of the 
 detail, and they were given quite minute instructions as to 
 what their work would be. All of these men were of good 
 size, and were chosen as being possessed of considerable 
 strength and good courage. This corps proved useful from 
 the very outset. Their first experience was at Rocky Face 
 Ridge, where, at great personal risk, they carried nearly a 
 score of dead and wounded men from the battle field. From 
 that time forward it was rare for any man to leave the ranks^ 
 to assist a wounded comrade back for a greater distance than a 
 few rods. At Resaca some of them narrowly escaped capture 
 while carrying Stanley, of Company D, to the rear. At 
 Kenesaw Mountain Hancock and Smith were both wounded 
 by the same bullet, the former in the heel, so severely as to 
 disable him for some days ; and the latter on the ankle, but 
 not so badly as to take him away from duty. Perhaps their 
 hardest day's work was June 20, 1864, while the Regiment 
 was engaged at Kenesaw Mountain. Smith and Ragan carried 
 no less than sixteen men to the hospital, a distance of one 
 and one-half miles, traveling probably not less than fifty miles 
 in twenty hours. It was a terrible day's work for them, and 
 they were not unfrequently the target of Rebel sharpshooters. 
 They were so fatigued that when they closed their work at 
 nine o'clock in the evening and lay down for the night, both of 
 them slept until eight or nine o'clock in the morning, notwith- 
 standing that there was heavy firing all about them, and were 
 awakened only by being notified that they were wanted to 
 carry off more wounded men. 
 
 On this line occurred one instance that must not be 
 omitted. A soldier of the Regiment had been wounded on 
 the skirmish line at the point where Sergeant Payne had been 
 mortally wounded the day before. While the stretcher bear-
 
 THE AMBULANCE CORPS. ,643 
 
 ers were removing Payne probably not less than one hundred 
 bullets were fired at them. When this last named man was 
 shot, George Smith remarked to Ragan, ' ' I am going to try a 
 new plan and see whether the Rebels have any honor in them. 
 1 don't believe it will be possible for me to escape being shot, 
 as I did yesterday, should I run out to the line, but I will 
 show them the stretcher and see if they won't, respect it." 
 Ragan was rather opposed to this, and said, "Don't trust 
 them too far." George Smith took the stretcher, held it 
 upright, opened it out to its full width, and deliberately 
 walked through the field to the skirmish line, and was not 
 fired upon until he stooped down and was putting the wounded 
 man upon the stretcher, when a few bullets whizzed uncom- 
 fortably close. However, he was not injured, and when 
 Ragan joined him they lifted the wounded man and walked 
 slowly back across the open field, and although a few bullets 
 passed just to the rear of them, the shots were apparently 
 fired more than half in sport, and with a view of hastening 
 their speed rather than of hitting the stretcher bearers. This 
 experience led to a better understanding between the armies, 
 and a stretcher was seldom fired on afterward. At Lovejoy 
 Station, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville and many other points 
 the work was most trying, but the members of the Ambulance 
 Corps were always on hand willing to take any risks to carry 
 off a wounded man, the wonder being that any of them 
 escaped. The work was especially fatiguing, and often 
 exceedingly dangerous. The men were often sent to assist in 
 carrying from exposed places the wounded of other commands. 
 Ragan, Hancock, Smith and McDonald, who were most con- 
 stantly with the command, gained a wide reputation for their 
 tact and courage, and many a wounded soldier owes his life to 
 their promptness and fidelity.
 
 644 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 
 
 BEFORE THE BATTLE. 
 
 When beneath Mount Lookout's frowning steep, 
 
 In the vale of slumber we lay, 
 Fame whispered thus through the bars of sleep : 
 " Soldiers, awake 1 fresh laurels to reap 
 
 Up ! make a historic day." 
 
 The reveille spoke with a louder tone, 
 
 And the day that perplexed the eye, 
 Seemed the dimmest day that ever shone ; 
 For sky and earth were not two, but one 
 
 A gray bridal of earth and sky. 
 
 At times when the crags of the mountain clove 
 
 Dim rifts in the vapory vail, 
 It seemed like the seat of Olympian Jove, 
 To scale which the Titans once mightily strove, 
 
 But though gods, they could not prevail. 
 
 And thunderbolts leap from yon rocky height, 
 
 Such as Jove never wielded in war : 
 See ! a sulphurous cloud a flash of light 
 And a shell flies shrieking downward to smite 
 
 Like the hammer of angry Thor. 
 
 Short time will suffice for a soldier's needs ; 
 
 And soon, with a mien that was grand, 
 The men of the Line, and the Staff on their steeds, 
 Heroes, ready to utter their manhood in deeds ; 
 
 Stood waiting the word of command. 
 
 Hark, our Leader speaks ! and what does he say 
 
 As he bares his blade to the light ? 
 " Brave boys, we must do great deeds to-day ; 
 We must plant our Flag on yon mountain gray, 
 
 Before the approach of night." 
 
 What might be done we were ready to try ; 
 
 But O, what a rough battle field ! 
 As steep as a roof, mist-drenched, cloud-high ; 
 Volcanic with guns to the verge of the sky 
 
 Will the foe such advantages yield ? 
 
 And see where yon terminal palisade 
 
 Juts out like the end of the world, 
 A trap of death for our feet hath been laid 
 As though Earthquake and Wind on the slope had played- 
 
 Rocks and trees in confusion hurled.
 
 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, 645 
 
 THE BATTLE. 
 
 'Twas thus that the battle was skillfully planned 
 By brave Joseph Hooker, who led the command ; 
 While he, in the teeth of the foe should advance 
 Straight up to the heights, Cruft would hazard the chance 
 To steal southward unseen 'neath the cloudy bank, 
 Climb the Ridge, find the foe, and fall on his flank. 
 
 Our "Iron Brigade" of the noble Fourth Corps, 
 That day had this perilous glory in store : 
 To climb through the clouds to the right of the line ; 
 To clamber through thickets of scrub-oak and pine ; 
 To hug the high rocks on the mountain's flanks, 
 From whose verge leaden hail dropped into our ranks. 
 
 Now glance to the left down our steep-sloping line : 
 This is no Grand Review, nor Dress Parade fine ; 
 But a scramble o'er ground so broken and rough, 
 That to conquer a path seems conquest enough : 
 Here are boulders enough now in open view 
 To hide all the clansmen of Roderick Dhu. 
 
 What a fierce roar of cannon rolls up through the mist ! 
 
 'Tis "Fighting Jo," pounding, with sledge-hammer fist, 
 
 The ribs of the mountain ; and Lookout replies 
 
 Like a pugilist raining blows out of the skies ; 
 
 And this fierce show of fight on their front from below, 
 
 Conceals our advance from the unwary foe. 
 
 Ho, "Iron Brigade !" you may soon write your name 
 'Neath this head-line of rock in letters of flame ; 
 For see ! to the left, and below us appear 
 The works ! we can turn them ! yes, take them in rear ! 
 Don't forget Chickamauga ! close up ! be staunch ! 
 Now sweep down on their flank like an avalanche 1 
 
 Had the skies rained men, or the mountain given birth 
 
 To an army with banners right out of the earth, 
 
 The surprise of the foe could have scarce been more great 
 
 Than it was when our onset decided their fate ; 
 
 For, threatened at once on their front, flank and rear, 
 
 They fly from their works in confusion and fear. 
 
 But so rich in defense is this rough mountain track, 
 That they form a new line, and though still beaten back, 
 Yet they stubbornly cling to each acre of rock, 
 Till we buy it with blood in fierce battle shock ; 
 And invisible foes from the crags overhead 
 Enfilade our steep line with death-dealing lead.
 
 646 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Then He who protected His people of old 
 With vapor and fire, in His cloud-chariot rolled 
 To our aid in that strife so unearthly and weird, 
 And our army in deepening clouds disappeared ; 
 And when we emerged from their shelter near night, 
 On our left, Chattanooga lay in full sight. 
 
 But what single pen the full story can show ? 
 
 How Hooker stormed up from the valley below ? 
 
 How Whittaker clung to the rocks on the right ? 
 
 How Geary and Grose did wonders in fight ? 
 
 How our men, ere they doubled Point Lookout with joy, 
 
 Had to battle like lions, and climb like chamois ? 
 
 At nightfall the mountain was ours, but the foe 
 Still defended the precipice-guarded plateau 
 At the crest of the ridge, and their lofty abode 
 Could only be gained by the Summertown road ; 
 And their force on our front made a final stand 
 As darkness closed in, that road to command. 
 
 THE BIVOUAC. 
 
 That day so dark and bright 
 
 Gave place to gloomy night, 
 And chill November ranged across the rocks ; 
 
 Searching each mountain nook 
 
 With urgent Borean crook, 
 Up-sheparding with haste her cloudland flocks. 
 
 Right in the battle's track 
 
 We went into bivouac, 
 To seek refreshment such as might be found, 
 
 Where Bethel pillows lay 
 
 By thousands, cold and gray, 
 But search revealed no spot of level ground. 
 
 Our camp fires burning clear 
 
 Had double power to cheer, 
 For, from the valley thousands saw their light ; 
 
 Marking our lines along 
 
 Like notes of some high song, 
 A grand Te Deum blazing through the night. 
 
 Disposed in social groups, 
 
 Our tired and hungry troops, 
 Sit round the blazing fires with hands outspread ; 
 
 Happy is he, I ween, 
 
 Who has a full canteen, 
 And may add coffee to his army bread.
 
 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 647 
 
 But who lies here so still ? 
 
 Has sleep o'er powered his will, 
 And weariness weighed down his belted breast ? 
 
 Ah ! 'tis a leaden sleep, 
 
 So cold, and quiet, and deep, 
 That ^Etna's thunders could not break his rest. 
 
 Shot through the heart : Ah me ! 
 
 That bullet, whistling free, 
 Plies northward now a mother's heart to smite ; 
 
 This is her only boy, 
 
 A widow's pride and joy ; 
 And he lies dead on Lookout's breast to-night. 
 
 And here, not far away, 
 
 A soldier clad in gray, 
 Lies stark and still upon a rocky bier ; 
 
 Amid Floridean pines, 
 
 His distant home light shines, 
 Soon to be dimmed, alas ! by sorrow's tear. 
 
 And see ! his pulseless arm, 
 
 Towards the breathless form 
 Of his late foe lies stretched in mute appeal ; 
 
 As though, with his last breath 
 
 He said, "Let mighty death 
 .Unite us now, and our sad quarrel heal." 
 
 War's battle front is grand. 
 
 When fpemen hand to hand, 
 'Contend with courage stout to win the day ; 
 
 But sad it is to see 
 
 The price of victory, 
 Which men with wounds and gory death must pay. 
 
 Such sleep as sealed our eyes, 
 
 Mid rocks and frosty skies, 
 Was gained by dint of downright weariness ; 
 
 And when the morning light 
 
 Won Lookout back from night, 
 We stirred at dawn our vantage ground to press. 
 
 SALUTING THE FLAG. 
 
 The morn was clear and bright, 
 
 And to the sense of sight, 
 Almost at bow shot Chattanooga lay ; 
 
 The winding Tennessee 
 
 From shrouding mist was free, 
 .And Lookout laughed to see so fair a day.
 
 648 HISTORY OF THE 96ra KEGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 But what if yonder height, 
 Where cannon stood last night, 
 
 Should on our unmasked lines pour missiles down ? 
 Then would we wish and pray 
 For the clouds of yesterday, 
 
 And Lookout's laugh would be to us a frown. 
 
 But see ! a little band 
 
 Beneath Point Lookout stand, 
 As though they thought to scale that upright crag; 
 
 O, heroic Fifteen ! 
 
 What does this movement mean, 
 As you upward bear your regimental flag ? 
 
 Now in sight and now unseen 
 They climb the crags between 
 
 Up clefts which mountain goats would wisely shun ;. 
 And we trace their fearful way 
 Up those ramparts cold and gray, 
 
 By the glinting of the light on flag and gun. 
 
 We hold our breath in fear, 
 Lest aching sense should hear, 
 
 Sharp shots come rattling from the rocks o'er head \. 
 And from each stony stair, 
 Where Courage climbs mid-air, 
 
 Should see a gallant soldier dropping dead. 
 
 But still they upward climb, 
 
 And is it not sublime, 
 To see our flag still higher reappear ! 
 
 And new by two and two 
 
 They disappear from view, 
 And leave us tossed about by hope and fear. 
 
 Hurrah ! hurrah ! our Flag 
 
 Waves from yon utmost crag ! 
 Proclaiming Lookout ours from base to crest ; 
 
 Now is the time to shout ! 
 
 Let cheer on cheer ring out ! 
 Rejoice, O East ! be jubilant, O West ! 
 
 Ah ! it was good to hear 
 
 Our war scarred veterans cheer, 
 When that Flag of Freedom blossomed in the sun ^ 
 
 Old Lookout seemed to shout, 
 
 And all the hills about, 
 Tossed back their mighty echoes, one by one.
 
 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 649 
 
 First round the Flag it roared, 
 
 Then down the slope it poured, 
 And leaped the Tennessee without a bridge ; 
 
 From Right to Left it ran, 
 
 Inspiring every man, 
 To prophesy the fall of Mission Ridge. 
 
 O Flag of sunset dyes 
 And azure of the skies ! 
 May the God of nations multiply thy stars ! 
 And may He grant that we 
 Shall evermore be free 
 From civil strife and desolating wars. 
 
 A. R. 
 Galesburg, 111., Oct. 7, 1885.
 
 650 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 A LETTER FROM HOME. 
 
 BY R. 8. THAIN, BRIGADE POSTMASTER, SECOND BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION, 
 FOURTH ARMY CORPS. 
 
 How was the mail brought to the camp, and carried from 
 hence ? For the purpose of answering these questions in a 
 brief way, this chapter is written. 
 
 Each Regiment had its Postmaster, whose duty it was to 
 collect the mail, and carry it each morning to Brigade head- 
 quarters, where it was deposited with the Brigade Postmaster, 
 who placed it in one or two large sacks, according to the 
 quantity received, strapped the sacks to his saddle, mounted 
 his steed, and rode away to the nearest railroad communica- 
 tion, which might be one mile or fifty, and deposit it in the 
 Postoffice established for the purpose ; and receiving the mail 
 for his Brigade from the Division Postmaster, return with it 
 to the camp, distribute it into Regimental piles, when the 
 Brigade bugler would sound the "Mail Call," and the Regi- 
 mental Postmasters would assemble and carry it to their 
 several Regiments, divide it into Company piles, which would 
 be taken by the Orderly Sergeants, and by them delivered to 
 those to whom it was addressed. 
 
 Such are the bare facts connected with the mail service in 
 the field, and with this brief explanation might I fulfill my 
 promise made to the historian of the Regiment to write a 
 chapter upon this subject, were it not for the assurance that 
 somewhat of detail in regard to this branch of the service 
 would prove of interest. 
 
 Let us take, then, the history of one day during the 
 Atlanta campaign. I start for Marietta in the morning with 
 the mail just as the army begins to move forward toward 
 Atlanta. At Marietta I meet my assistant, who goes to the 
 .front the same day with the mail from the north. I remain
 
 How THE MAIL CAME. 651 
 
 m Marietta over night, and on the following day, after receiv- 
 ing the mail from the north, start for the front soon after 
 noon. I meet my assistant between the Chattahoochie and 
 Marietta, and having heard cannonading, inquire, How 
 goes the battle ? but as he left before it had been decided, he 
 could only say that it was "a hot one," and thus we salute 
 and each go our way. 
 
 After crossing the Chattahoochie I must trust to luck and 
 the vague directions of my assistant as to which is the right 
 road to reach my command, and press forward, guided in a 
 general way by the roar of the battle, which, as I approach, 
 and as the day wanes, begins to grow less and less tierce, and 
 I know that victory has come to one side or the other, but to 
 which side I am not able to tell. At length, as darkness 
 begins to overtake me, I reach the rear of our army, and 
 begin to inquire for the Fourth Army Corps, and then for the 
 First Division, and then for the Second Brigade. 
 
 I can learn very little about the battle, except that we are 
 victorious, and that, among others, General McPherson has 
 been killed. I press on, and wonder why I do not see any 
 more troops, but soon the welcome sight of camp fires are 
 seen in the distance, and I urge on my tired, horse, for the 
 journey has been a long one, and the mail is heavier than 
 usual to-day. At last I come to a stream, but the bridge has 
 been burned, and the stringers at each side are still smoul- 
 dering. How shall I cross ? for the banks are steep. I dis- 
 mount, and to the left I find a foot-path leading along the 
 bank. Surely there must be a ford not far off ; so 1 follow 
 the path, which leads me into an abrupt bend in the stream. 
 
 Peering through the darkness, I imagine I see some one 
 on the road on the opposite side, where the stringers of the 
 bridge are smouldering. I am just about to hail him, and ask 
 where 1 can find a crossing, when I see a flash, and am quite 
 sure that I heard the zip of a bullet at almost the same instant 
 as the crack of the rifle. Not yet realizing that I have passed 
 through our lines, and am now only a few yards from the 
 enemy's pickets, I call out, " Hello, boys, what are you shoot- 
 .ing for?" and am answered with an angry "halt!" and a
 
 652 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 shot from the left, from the opposite bank of Peach Tree 
 Creek, and another from the right, admonishes me that thirty- 
 five or forty yards is altogether too close to a "Johnnie Reb," 
 if he is mad and has got his rifle loaded. 
 
 Not daring to go back by the path on which I came, as 1 
 would be exposed to the fire of the pickets while doing this, 
 I attempt to lead my horse through the underbrush and up a 
 hill, straight away from the enemy, but my horse refusing to 
 follow, and the shots from the pickets increasing, I run like a 
 rabbit on all fours up the hill, and when I am out of harm's 
 reach, sit down to plan my escape ; for here I am between 
 the picket lines of the two armies, and as likely to be shot by 
 my friends as by the enemy. 
 
 Taking my bearings from the camp-fires of the enemy, I 
 start back through the timber in the direction which I hope 
 will take me to our lines. Knowing that sometimes our 
 pickets have a way of promptly punctuating their challenge 
 to one approaching their lines from the direction of the enemy 
 with an exclamation point written with powder and lead, I am 
 not careful to approach silently, but blunder on through the 
 underbrush, whistling a lively air to show my indifference. 
 After going on in this way about two hundred yards, I hear 
 the challenge, and it comes in "orthodox" form, 
 
 " Halt ! who comes there ? " 
 
 And now I am in a quandary. Is this friend or foe ? for 
 I am so confused by my recent experience and by the dark- 
 ness that I am uncertain whether I have "approached the* 
 Union or the Rebel lines. But I must say something, and that 
 right quick, and so I say something very unmilitary indeed : 
 
 "Hello! what Regiment do you belong to? And the 
 answer is quite as unmilitary : "' The Eighty-ninth Illinois." 
 " All right ; I belong to the NINETY-SIXTH." 
 
 I had struck a new recruit, and needed no password, and 
 had it not been for that ever-meddlesome mortal, the Corpo- 
 ral of the Guard, I could have passed through the lines safely. 
 But the Corporal was not a new recruit, and insisted on 
 making a prisoner of me, and marching me off to the officers' 
 headquarters, who would not believe my story, and would not
 
 How THE MAIL CAME. 653 
 
 allow me to return and try to rescue the mail, but sent me, 
 under guard, to General Whittaker, to learn if I were indeed 
 the Postmaster of the Second Brigade. Upon being assured 
 by the General that I was what I claimed to be, and when 
 the Corporal who accompanied me inquired of the General 
 what I was doing outside of the lines, and was assured by him 
 that I had a right to go to Atlanta for the mail if I wanted to, 
 I was allowed to go back, and through our lines to search for 
 my horse and the mail, carrying with me General Whittaker's 
 admonition to "be right careful, Dick, and not get a bullet 
 put into you." "And, Corporal, do you find out what fool 
 picket let my Postmaster ride through the lines without halt- 
 ing him, and see that he is placed under arrest for it, sah ! " 
 
 It turned out to be another new recruit of the Eighty-ninth 
 who was stationed on the road down which I went, and his 
 excuse was that he thought I must be the "officer of the 
 day," and I was flattered, and he arrested. 
 
 I followed the same road, down to the burned bridge ; 
 crept softly down the footpath to the point where I had left 
 my horse, and to my joy heard him browsing not many feet 
 from where I had left him ; and to my delight found him 
 unharmed, and, better still, the two mail sacks untouched. 
 
 I doubt not that the rebel pickets thought they had killed 
 me, and were willing to allow my horse to remain until 
 morning, with the hopes of capturing him. I led him away 
 very slowly to what I considered a safe distance, and then 
 mounted and rode into camp, as proud as if I had captured 
 the day's mail of the entire Southern Confederacy, for well I 
 knew that many a comrade would be sadly disappointed if the 
 mail which I carried that day had fallen into the enemy's 
 hands. 
 
 And thus I have given the history of one day of a Brigade 
 Postmaster's life at the front. A rather eventful day much 
 more so than common and yet there were many days 
 equally as eventful. Twice did I find myself inside the 
 enemy's lines, with the mail strapped to my saddle once 
 when a detachment of Rebel Cavalry made a raid in the rear 
 of our lines, when in front of. Atlanta, and once when falling
 
 654: HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 back from Atlanta to Nashville ; and yet I had the good for- 
 tune never to lose a letter, or to be captured. 
 
 And thus the Brigade Postmasters rode back and forth, 
 with authority to go wherever they pleased, and whenever 
 they pleased, to take and bring the mail. And many an 
 errand they had to do for officers and men, such as buying 
 swords, and hats and gloves, and an endless variety of arti- 
 cles. I remember when Colonel Taylor was commanding 
 the Brigade, he called rne to him as I was starting for the 
 rear, and he said : "Dick, I need a new hat" (and he cer- 
 tainly did need one badly) ; "will you buy one for me ? " 
 
 "Certainly, Colonel, with pleasure. Of course you want 
 a dress hat, with a gold cord and an ostrich plume ? " 
 
 "Oh, no, Dick, don't get one of that kind ; the boys 
 would make fun of me if I wore one like that ; get a good 
 black hat ; the gold cord is all right, but don't get any 
 feathers." 
 
 But Captain Temple overheard the conversation, and 
 calling me aside, lie instructed me to get the most stylish hat 
 I could find, and I did, and told the Colonel that they did 
 not have any plain hats in stock, and he shook his head and 
 said, " I know the boys will laugh at me if I wear that hat." 
 
 I was told by Captain Temple that they prevailed upon 
 the Colonel to wear it the next time they rode out, and that 
 some of 'the boys shouted, "Hello, the Corporal has got a 
 new hat ! " and that when he returned to headquarters, he 
 solemnly proceeded to remove the ostrich plume, and never 
 wore it afterward. 
 
 "Hello, Dick, are you going to get a letter for me?" 
 " Hello, Dick, have you got a letter for me ? " Hundreds of 
 times each day did i hear these questions, for I was known to 
 nearly the entire Brigade. Usually the question was put as a 
 pleasant guy, but I have heard it asked many a time in such 
 a tone of earnest questioning that I doubted not that " a letter 
 from home " would be the most welcome thing I could 
 bring, unless, indeed, it should be the one the questioner 
 longed to hear from. 
 
 Sometimes, for days, the trains would not arrive, and
 
 How THE MAIL CAME. 655- 
 
 then the poor Postmaster would be plied with questions from 
 all sides, but usually, considering the difficulties of war time 
 transportation, the mails came with fair regularity, and the 
 soldier who was so fortunate as to have good correspondents,, 
 was often cheered by receiving "a letter from home."
 
 656 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 A CHAPTER OF INCIDENTS. 
 
 BY R. 8. THAIN. 
 
 ALMOST every day in camp witnessed notable incidents, 
 Incidents humorous, ludicrous, pathetic. Should all the inter- 
 esting incidents that transpired in connection with the NINETY- 
 SIXTH be recorded, a volume much larger than this would be 
 required to contain them. Every company had among its 
 members practical jokers, men who were always ready to 
 create fun for their own and their comrade's amusement, and 
 they were real benefactors ; that is, if the jokes they perpe- 
 trated were of the innocent sort, for they helped to season the 
 soldiers' hard fare, and shed pleasant sunshine on many a day 
 which otherwise would have been dreary enough. 
 
 A few of these incidents, which escaped the regular his- 
 torian, are here given. 
 
 THE COVINGTON " CAN-CAN." 
 
 While Companies B, C, D, I, and K were in barracks at 
 Covington, Ky . , two of the boys in Company D, of whom the 
 writer was one, managed to get hold of a couple of old dresses, 
 and in the evening rigged up and promenaded arm-in-arm 
 with two other boys through the barracks, and as only a few 
 of the soldiers were let into the joke, quite a sensation was 
 created. Soon they began a dance of the " can-can "-order, 
 and some of the soldiers reported to Captain Blodgett that the 
 boys had brought two drunken women into the barracks, 
 and were having a " high old time." The Captain came on 
 the scene while the wild dance was at the highest, and after 
 making his way through the crowd which had gathered around 
 the dancers, he gazed with wondering eyes for a time on the 
 mad scene, and then ordered the parties participating placed 
 under arrest ; but when one of the supposed females stepped up
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 THOMAS W. DWTEK. 
 WILLIAM H. WHEELER, 
 
 JOHN G. THRASHEH. 
 
 Serg't EDWARD MALONE. 
 
 JOSEPH DARBY. 
 
 GEORGE M. PHILLIPS. 
 CHRISTIAN KNOPF.
 
 Q3HF 
 t
 
 INCIDENTS. 657 
 
 to him and held out his hand and said, " How are you Cap ? " 
 and the fun-loving Captain took in the situation, he laughed 
 heartily, and said, "Hold on, boys ; just keep this up until I 
 get word to Major Smith." And so, 
 
 " On with the dance, 
 Let joy be unconfined," 
 
 was the order, and by the dim lights of the flickering candles 
 the dancers went at it as madly as the "witches and war- 
 locks," described by Burns in his "Tarn O'Shanter," and just 
 as Tarn gazed at the "unco' sight," so came Major J. C. 
 Smith; but instead of saying, "Well dune, cutty sark." he 
 said: "Men, this is shameful! This must be stopped at 
 once ! and these women and the men who have taken part in 
 this must be placed under arrest." But when the boys all 
 began to laugh, and the dancers came forward and shook 
 hands with their goodnatured Major, he looked very much 
 like a man who had been "knocked down" at a very low 
 price, and made some orthodox remark about his fiiture, and 
 withdrew his forces in good order. ,.opn after, the four boys 
 were summoned to his tejjtv and>4e^an4d?$hem a box of 
 cigars, with the remark that' "he had no objection to their hav- 
 ing a little fun, but they must be careful not to carry it too far. 
 
 ADJUTANT BLODGETT'S BUG. 
 
 It was the general impression among men and officers that 
 Adjutant Blodgett spent the hours that ought to have been 
 devoted to sleep to the invention and manufacture of jokes, 
 and he had a way of perpetrating them that was "all his 
 own." Some of the Adjutant's "hand-sewed" jokes have 
 been used constantly since the close of the war, and show 
 no signs of ripping at this late day. 
 
 One of his cruelest was perpetrated while the Regiment 
 was stationed at Harrodsburg, Ky. It will be remembered 
 by those who ever had a prescription written by Surgeon 
 Evans that his handwriting was unique. He had a sort of a 
 forward-by-left-oblique-fourth-company obstacle ! by-the-right- 
 flank-to-the-rear-into-column-march style, which always gave a 
 person who attempted to read it a sense of " dizzy-headiness." 
 42
 
 658 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 Blodgett accused him of utilizing a tumble-bug as his aman- 
 uensis. 
 
 One day, while the Regiment was stationed at Harrods- 
 burg, Ky., the Adjutant noticed Dr. Evans in his tent wrest- 
 ling with his pen, and he solemnly set to work to perpetrate 
 on him a most cruel joke. Going to an old stump he scraped 
 among the roots and found a beetle, such as only the soil of 
 Kentucky could produce. Having surrounded his bugship 
 and made him a prisoner, he repaired to Colonel Champion's 
 tent and made him a party to the plot. Immediately the 
 Doctor was summoned to the Colonel's tent to answer some 
 important questions in regard to the sanitary condition of the 
 camp, and the Adjutant informed some of the officers that if 
 they wanted to see some fun to drop into Doctor Evans' tent. 
 
 The Doctor had left his unfinished letter on his camp 
 table, and his hat beside it, and the Adjutant, after dipping 
 the bug's feet in ink, placed it on the unfinished page, and 
 putting the Doctor's hat over it, sat down with those he had 
 summoned, and waited the return of the Doctor, who, on 
 entering the tent, .greeted his fellow-officers in his brusque, 
 hearty way, and, after seating himself by his table, lifted his 
 hat to look for his unfinished letter, and the disgusted look 
 that came over his face can better be imagined than described. 
 And the Adjutant said, in his cheery, dress-parade voice, 
 " Hello, Doc ! got your bug at work again, have you ? " And 
 the Doctor made no reply, but his look, being interpreted, 
 meant : " You curly-headed scamp, if ever I get a chance to 
 prescribe ' one every four hours ' for you, the prescription will 
 contain something that will do more than 'keep up a nausea- 
 tion.'" 
 
 TOM SHIRK'S BAD BREAK. 
 
 Tom Shirk was not the liveliest bugler in the Army of 
 the Cumberland, but what he lacked in speed, he made up in 
 strength and clearness of tone. The tones of Tom's good 
 bugle could be heard as far as any. Tom did not believe in 
 slighting any of the notes. While many of the buglers 
 delighted in sounding the reveille in a toot toot-er-oot-toot,
 
 INCIDENTS. 659 
 
 staccato style, Tom loved the to-o-o-o to-o-o-o to to-o-o-o to-o-o-o 
 legato style, and there was this advantage, that the men had 
 the more time to get into line for " roll call" within the pre- 
 scribed time. 
 
 Tom's master piece was the "sick call." When he 
 straightened himself up, and wiped his mouth with the back 
 of his hand, and placed his trusty, battered bugle to his 
 honest lips, and sounded the "quinine call," he'd blow so 
 strong a blast that no sick man in all the camp could fail to 
 hear the invitation ; and the old bugle would seem to be 
 mourning that any of the NINETY-SIXTH boys should be sick 
 while away from home. 
 
 When the Regiment was in camp at Cleveland, Tenn., 
 one day Tom went out to sound the "sick call," and while 
 he was in the middle of one of his best tones, some one 
 who had no " music in his soul," and no sense of the 
 solemnity of the occasion, hit Tom a smart slap on the 
 back, and the majestic to-o-o-o-t of the bugle was cut so short, 
 and ended in such an unmusical blurt, that the entire Regi- 
 ment was out, fearing that Tom had ruptured his diaphragm. 
 But no ; there he stood on the hillside, and, calmly as possi- 
 ble under the circumstances, he placed his bugle to his lips, 
 and finished the call amidst the cheers of his comrades. 
 
 Honest old Tom ! God bless him ! We saw him last 
 summer at the reunion at Galena, and the sight of no other 
 man started such a train of thought as the sight of his happy 
 face. He told us that he could not blow the "good old 
 bugle " any more, on account of having lost his front teeth. 
 
 A HORSE DOWN CELLAR. 
 
 While on Moccasin Point, forage and rations were so 
 scarce that all sutlers' trains and officers' horses were ordered 
 to the rear ; but the order was not strictly complied with. 
 One horse, belonging to an officer in the NINETY-SIXTH, was 
 secreted in an old building near camp, and subsisted for a 
 time upon very scanty fare. The Rebel shell annoyed the 
 camp, and the men sought to protect themselves by building 
 bomb-proofs.
 
 660 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 In looking about for material some of the mem- 
 bers of Company G visited this hovel one night, and con- 
 cluded that the heavy hardwood plank of which the floor was 
 made would serve a good purpose as a covering, and accord- 
 ingly took them up and bore them to camp. When a few 
 planks had been removed the horse was pushed oft into the 
 cellar, which was some three or four feet deep. Next day the- 
 negro groom sought to lead him out, and had succeeded in 
 getting his fore feet over the threshold, when the fog lifted 
 and the sharpshooters from beyond the river began practicing, 
 using the head of the horse as a target. The animal was too- 
 weak from long starvation to raise himself out of the building, 
 and so the groom skedaddled at the first shot. The Rebels 
 soon finished their work, and the horse lay dead across the 
 doorway. 
 
 EAKLY POTATOES. 
 
 A citizen near Triune, Tenn, industriously planted potatoes 
 one afternoon, not a great distance from the picket outpost. 
 Next morning Oscar Rector and Charles Sammons, two of the 
 pickets, had potatoes for breakfast, harvested from the same 
 field, and declared them the earliest variety they had ever 
 known. 
 
 DIDN'T KNOW HIS SON. 
 
 John Shatswell, of Company C, had a somewhat peculiar 
 experience in the spring of 1865. He had been transferred 
 to the Mississippi Marine Brigade, and after the strife had 
 been transferred from the great rivers, he, with others of hi& 
 command, were employed in driving Ambulances. In April 
 the ambulances were sent out from Vicksburg toward Jackson 
 to meet a large body of prisoners who had been paroled and 
 were on the way to the Mississippi to secure transportation 
 northward. John was driving along the road when the col- 
 umn was met, under orders to go to Jackson to take the 
 weaker soldiers who had been unable to march. Suddenly 
 he spied a familiar face, and called out to the soldier : 
 ' k Hello ! I believe you are my father ! " The man accosted 
 looked up. and, supposing the remark to have been made
 
 INCIDENTS. 661 
 
 simply because of his advanced age, replied, "I guess so," 
 and marched along. A younger pair of eyes were close beside 
 the escaped prisoner, however, and they detected familiar 
 features in the face of the boy teamster, and recognized him as 
 indeed the son of the man first addressed. There was a halt, 
 .and in a moment John was greeting his father and two 
 brothers, all members of the 15th Illinois V. Y. I., who had 
 been prisoners at Andersonville for more than six months. 
 All were greatly rejoiced at the unexpected meeting, and their 
 pleasure was shared by the large group who witnessed the 
 family reunion. Just then a Surgeon rode up and directed 
 John to turn around and drive back to the Big Black River for 
 a medicine chest. 
 
 That four miles' ride was greatly enjoyed, for the driver 
 had as company those whom he loved dearly, and whom he 
 had not expected to ever see again. A mere stripling when 
 they parted, John had grown to manhood, and it is not to be 
 wondered that his father did not recognize him when they 
 came together in so unexpected a manner. 
 
 COKPORAL MALONE'S SALUTE. 
 
 At the storming of Lookout Mountain two men were miss- 
 ing from the ranks, having disappeared while the Regiment 
 was clambering through the thickets and among the towering 
 rocks. Corporal Ed. Malone was sent for the truants, and 
 returned with them after the Regiment had advanced quite a 
 distance and when it was under a galling fire. The Corporal 
 proudly marched in the men, brought his own gun to a 
 shoulder and saluted before seeking cover, remarking : "Here 
 they are, Captain ; the d d hospital buzzards. They have to 
 shed their feathers twice before they can fly away from this 
 child." 
 
 HERE RING ! 
 
 When Hooker was expected to arrive from the East, in 
 the autumn of 1863, Whittaker's Brigade was sent across the 
 Tennessee River, at Brown's Ferry, to meet them. The 
 NINETY-SIXTH had the lead, and the advance guard was cau-
 
 662 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 tioned not to fire upon any troops they might see, unless 
 certain they were Rebels. Arrived at a farm-house, the 
 column halted, and soon the expected reinforcement was seen 
 approaching. The NINETY-SIXTH had broken ranks at the 
 command to halt. They were without knapsacks or other 
 impediments, except their guns and ammunition ; ragged to- 
 the last degree, for the teams could not bring half rations of 
 food, to say nothing of clothing. Some were bare-foot, and 
 many almost bare-headed. Colonel Champion had gone into 
 the farm-house, and the soldiers were eagerly crowding around 
 a corn-crib, tilling their haversacks with the highly prized 
 golden ears, when the troops, fresh from the Potomac y 
 marched up, halted, dressed their lines, stacked arms, unslung 
 knapsacks, and received the order, "In place, rest!" An 
 elegantly-mounted and stylishly-attired field officer rode up y 
 and in loud tones ordered the soldiers to cease their "pil- 
 laging," as he termed the filling of their haversacks. Hear- 
 ing the boisterous order, the Colonel of the NINETY-SIXTH 
 came out from the house, and started toward the outbuildings. 
 Instantly the Potomac officer turned toward him and repeated 
 the command in tones of thunder. "Who are you, sir?" 
 
 demanded Colonel Champion. "I am Col. , of New 
 
 York, commanding Brigade, and I command this pillag- 
 ing to stoj) ! " responded the angry officer. "And I am 
 Colonel Champion, commanding the NINETY-SIXTH Illinois, 
 and no d d New York Colonel can drive my men away from 
 a corn-crib ! men, fill your haversacks ! " was the reply. The 
 New York Colonel sought to frame an answer, but his voice 
 was drowned in a chorus of shouts from the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 In a moment, with a loyalty to their respective commanders 
 characteristic of the true soldier, the men had taken sides. 
 The eastern troops called out "Ragamuffins," "Corn-crack- 
 ers." and kindred names. The western boys responded with 
 whistles, as if calling a dog, and cries of "Here, Ring!" 
 "Here, Ring ! " which referred to the white collars worn by 
 the newly arrived force. There was much jesting regarding 
 the two armies, the matter of foraging, and the fighting qual- 
 ities of the troops, with allusions to " Chancellorsville," and
 
 INCIDENTS. 663 
 
 responses intended to be equally cutting. The big knapsacks 
 of the eastern men were denominated " hospital packs," and 
 "peddlers' packs," and they were asked if they drew soft 
 bread and cheese every day, or every other day, and how 
 often they changed their "boiled shirts,'' how frequently they 
 obtained furloughs, and how much a pair their white gloves 
 were. 
 
 All of this may have been unfortunate, but it was, at 
 all events, very ludicrous, or would have been if it had been 
 less in earnest. The men almost came to blows, and occa- 
 sionally afterward there were personal collisions between indi- 
 viduals. And all of this seems to have had its origin in the 
 difference in the practice of the Eastern and Western armies, 
 at that time of the war, regarding the matter of foraging in 
 an enemy's country, and the over-zealous regard for "prop- 
 erty " on the part of a New York Colonel. 
 
 LIEUTENANT EARLE's " PLUMP GIRL." 
 
 While the Regiment was in camp at Cleveland, Tenn., 
 Lieutenant C. W. Earle, who had escaped from Libby prison, 
 returned to the Regiment, and was given quite an ovation ; 
 and, in imitation of the custom of Oriental festivities, the 
 affair was prolonged for several days. On the evening of 
 one of these days, the festive sons of Mars invited in some of 
 the fair Southern belles in order to have a "hop," and Charley, 
 being the hero of the occasion, after having swung a buxom 
 lass through the "giddy maze," was seated by her side, and 
 essayed to engage her in conversation ; but she seemed shy, 
 and responded only in monosyllabic words. In vain did the 
 gallant young Lieutenant try to touch upon some theme which 
 should meet with a more hearty response from this rural 
 Southern damsel. At last he resorted to flattery, and her 
 lips were unsealed. He said : "Well, now, you are a nice, 
 plump specimen of a Southern girl. Do you live near Cleve- 
 land ? " And the blushing fair one answered : " Well, now ! 
 Do yo all think I'm plump ? Sakesy alive ! yo ought to 
 hev seen-a-me before I lied the diaree ! "
 
 664 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 From this moment the Lieutenant decided if he ever 
 returned North to study for the medical profession. 
 
 NED MALONE AND " AB " CHANDLER. 
 
 Among the wounded in one of the reconnoissances before 
 Atlanta was Ned Malone, of Company G, who received a 
 bullet in the leg. As he limped to the rear Gen. Stanley 
 observed him, and remarked, "Well, Corporal, I hope you 
 are not badly wounded;" to which Ned replied: "If I 
 thought I had been pecking away at them all these years and 
 hadn't hurted them worse than they've hurted me I'd go hang 
 mesel' ! " and then, looking his commander square in the 
 face, he added, "I say Gineral, have yez ary drap of whisky 
 wid yez ? " Ned was promptly handed a flask, and Gen. 
 Stanley never tired of repeating the story of the Irish Cor- 
 poral in the NINETY-SIXTH who asked him for whisky. It 
 should, perhaps, be added, that Ned was not addicted to drink, 
 at least not during the latter years of his life. 
 
 While the Regiment was in front of Kenesaw Mountain. 
 Company D, Lieutenant Eaiie commanding, occupied, for the 
 day, the skirmish line. The firing at times was very sharp, 
 but the men held their position and did excellent service in 
 pushing the enemy back toward their main line. Just before 
 the 21st Kentucky relieved the skirmish line, preparatory to 
 making the charge by which the enemy's rifle pits were cap- 
 tured, an exclamation from one of the men was heard : 
 " Oh ! I'm shot ! I'm killed ! I'm shot in the belly ! " and 
 then he coolly added: "Never mind, boys, I gave them 
 sixty rounds first." It was "Ab " Chandler, who had received 
 a bullet in his abdomen, and, true to the tradition, thought 
 that inasmuch as the bullet had probably lodged in his 
 abdominal walls it must necessarily be fatal. Fortunately it 
 proved to be only a flesh wound, from which he speedily 
 recovered.
 
 TRANSFERRED TO THE TWENTY-FIRST ILLINOIS. 665 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 'The Twenty-First Illinois Experiences of the Transferred Men Down 
 the Tennessee and Mississippi The Camp at New Orleans Across 
 the Gulf Sea-sick Soldiers A Fearful March Scarcity *. f Water 
 Victoria and San Antonio Mustered Out. 
 
 As stated in Chapter XXIX, the order for the muster-out 
 of the NINETY-SIXTH was accompanied by directions to trans- 
 fer all men whose terms of service did not expire before Octo- 
 ber 1, 1865, to the TWENTY-FIRST Regiment Illinois Veteran 
 Volunteer Infantry. The men to be transferred felt honored 
 at being assigned to the Regiment with which Gen. Grant 
 entered the service as a Colonel, and which during the long 
 years of its service had never failed to reflect honor upon its 
 first commander. The formal transfer was made June 9, 1865. 
 About 190 were carried upon the rolls, a number of whom 
 were absent in hospitals, and never reported to the TWENTY- 
 FIRST, but were discharged for disability. 
 
 About the middle of June the command took the train at 
 Nashville, going by rail to Johnson ville, Tenn., where they 
 embarked on transports. An uneventful trip down the Ten- 
 nessee and Mississippi rivers followed, and near the close of 
 the month the command went into camp on the old Chalmette 
 battle-ground, near the city of New Orleans. Two weeks 
 later they went by steamer across the gulf to Matagorda Bay. 
 The passage occupied but two or three days, but a terrific 
 storm raged, and it was nearly a week before the " lighters " 
 could venture out to convey the men to the shore. With few 
 exceptions the soldiers were terribly sea-sick, and all were 
 glad when once more on land. They were in poor condition 
 to make a long and rapid march, after a week or more of 
 almost continuous sea-sickness ; but, as there was no water 
 suitable for drinking purposes on the coast, they were ordered 
 to move at once to Green Lake, a distance of twenty or twenty- 
 five miles. Unacclimated and weakened as they were, it was 
 deemed imprudent to march under the burning July sun, and
 
 666 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 a night trip was undertaken. The men struggled bravely for- 
 ward, but with many the broad prairies seemed to have par- 
 taken of the motion of the vessel, and only the stronger and 
 more resolute reached the camp before the heat of the morn- 
 ing sun had become almost unbearable. Hundreds straggled, 
 and rescuing parties, with wagons, had to be sent to bring 
 them in. A few died beside the road or after reaching camp. 
 Even the veterans agreed that the march from Indianola to 
 Green Lake was the most trying in their experience, for the 
 most frugal were without water after the first few miles were 
 passed, and all suffered intensely from thirst. 
 
 A good story is told of Gen. Willich, commanding a Bri- 
 gade in the Fourth Corps at this time. Before starting upon 
 this march, he issued strict orders that, there should be no 
 straggling, and no entering of houses. As it proved, there 
 was not a house on the entire line of march, and the latter 
 clause of the order, to which he had given especial emphasis, 
 was obeyed to the letter. 
 
 From Green Lake the command moved to Victoria, camp- 
 ing three miles outside the town, on the river bank. The 
 duties were light, as the troops merely served as an "army of 
 observation," and were only required to hold themselves in 
 readiness for active service should the threatened trouble with 
 Mexico prove serious. No trouble came, however, and, 
 beyond the necessary work of caring for the camp, the men 
 were idle. 
 
 From time to time a few men were discharged for disa- 
 bility, or on special orders from the War Department. Early 
 in October the terms of service of nearly one-half of those who 
 had been transferred from the NINETY-SIXTH expired, and 
 these men were sent to Springfield, 111., under charge of Cap- 
 tain Harrison Black, now of Marshall, 111. They marched 
 from Victoria to Lavaca, and went thence by boat across the- 
 Gulf, and up the Mississippi to Alton, 111., and by rail to 
 Springfield, when, early in the month of November, they 
 received their final pay and discharge. 
 
 In October, the remainder of the Regiment, with other 
 troops, marched to San Antonio, where they remained in
 
 TRANSFERRED TO THE TWENTY-FIRST ILLINOIS. 66T 
 
 comparative idleness until their final muster out, December 
 16, 1865. Their trip northward was uneventful and tedious. 
 They arrived at Camp Butler, Springfield, 111., January 18, 
 1866, for final payment and discharge. 
 
 Of the entire number, six are reported to have died while 
 members of the TWENTY-FIRST, as follows : Frederick Dryer, 
 July 24 ; James Delaney. August 2 ; Albert T. Higley, August 
 21 ; James Diehl, September 2 ; George Woodward, October 
 16 ; Henry W. Mitchell, December 7. A half dozen were 
 promoted to the rank of Corporal or Sergeant. The men felt 
 themselves thoroughly at home in the TWENTY-FIRST from the 
 outset, and received generous and soldierly treatment from 
 their associates and commanders. Although not called upon 
 to engage in battle, or in active campaigning, save the forced 
 march from the coast, they were nevertheless subject to many 
 trying experiences incident to an extreme change of climate- 
 at a season of the year that was exceptionally unfavorable, 
 and it is a matter of congratulation that the fatalities were not 
 more numerous. So far as they can be gathered, the personal 
 experiences of the men are given in the sketches which follow 
 the several Company histories.
 
 -668 HISTORY OF THE 96-rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Personal Sketches The Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers Who 
 they were and What they Did Whereabouts and Occupations of 
 the Survivors Shoulder Straps and Chevrons. 
 
 IN Chapter II will be found the Roster of the Field and 
 Staff of the NINETY-SIXTH, as originally made up, together 
 with a statement as to the manner in which the Regiment was 
 organized. Other chapters give the changes among the com- 
 missioned officers as they occurred. It is therefore necessary, 
 in this connection, to merely give personal sketches of 
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Colonel Thomas E. Champion was born in Palmyra, Wayne County, 
 New York, August 3, 1825. At twelve years of age his parents removed 
 to the West, settling in Michigan, where he assisted his father in the 
 work of the farm until he was sixteen years of age. He then entered a 
 printing office, where he remained several years, during which time his 
 leisure hours were employed in the study of medicine. He subsequently 
 graduated from the University of Michigan, and was admitted to practice 
 in 1847. In 1848 he married Miss Mary E. Deane, who still survives him. 
 He removed to Freeport, 111., in 1850, and to Warren, Jo Daviess County, 
 in J851, practicing medicine in each place with marked success ; but, 
 having a natural taste for law, he studied the usual text books, and was 
 admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court, at Ottawa, 111., in June, 1855. 
 In 1856 he commenced the practice of law, entering upon his work with 
 enthusiasm, and achieving more than local fame. At the same time he 
 began to take an active and prominent part in the discussion of the excit- 
 ing political topics of the day, and was recognized as an able and impres- 
 sive speaker. 
 
 He assisted in recruiting what afterward became Company K, and at 
 the organization of the Company was elected its Captain. At the organi- 
 zation of the Regiment he was chosen Colonel. In a surprisingly short 
 time, and without previous military experience, he mastered the intrica- 
 cies of military text books. Of commanding appearance, and possessed 
 of an admirable voice, he became an excellent drill master, and speedily 
 gained the confidence of his men. At Chickamauga he had two horses 
 shot under him, and rode the third from the battlefield ; his clothing was
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 669' 
 
 pierced with bullets, and more than one-half of his command were killed 
 or wounded. At a critical period in the battle he commanded the Brigade 
 for a considerable time, and was especially commended for meritorious 
 conduct by his superior officers. At Lookout Mountain he was a con- 
 spicuous figure, and by his rare militar} T skill saved at least a temporary 
 disaster to the Brigade, if not to the army. In the earlier engagement* 
 of the Atlanta campaign he was chosen to make numerous important and 
 difficult movements, and iir every engagement bore a distinguished part. 
 At Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, while defending some newly 
 captured works from the repeated and desperate assaults of the enemy, 
 he was struck by a bullet, which penetrated his face, injuring the bone 
 and causing a painful wound. His system was enervated by the long 
 and arduous labors and the constant anxiety of the campaign, so that the 
 injuries prostrated him and made the wound slow in healing. He 
 returned to the Regiment in the September following, but was still in- 
 poor health, and unable to remain for many weeks. He was afterward 
 with the Regiment, but only for a brief period, not being able for active 
 field duty. He commanded the Brigade at several periods and always 
 ably. No officer ever enjoyed more fully the confidence of his men, and 
 few so fully merited it. He was urgently recommended by his superior 
 officers for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, but never sought 
 advancement himself. The lists being full he was given merely a brevet 
 commission. He resigned after hostilities ceased, and left the service 
 about simultaneously with the muster-out of the command. Removing^ 
 at once to Knoxville, Tenn., he resumed the practice of law, winning 
 high distinction at the bar. His health was broken by the wounds and 
 exposure incident to h'is army life, and he died from consumption, June 
 13, 1873, leaving a wife, three sons and one daughter, all of whom are 
 living at Knoxville, Tenn. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Isaac L. Clarke was born in Williamstown, Orange 
 County, Vermont, February 29, 1824, and graduated at Dartmouth Col- 
 lege in 1848. In the following September he settled at Waukegan, Lake 
 County, Illinois, as principal of the academy in that city, a position in 
 which he labored for several years with great success. In May, 1853, he 
 was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Illinois, where, by rea- 
 son of his recognized ability and success, , he soon commanded a large and 
 lucrative practice. He married Miss Lemira M. Dean, at Waukegan, 
 November 1, 1853, who still survives, and resides in Grafton, Vt. Their 
 union was blessed with one child, a son, who now resides in Waukegan, 
 111. He was a leader in all public matters, and in his later years took 
 an active part in politics, warmly supporting Abraham Lincoln for Presi- 
 dent in the campaign of 1860 When the call came for "Three hundred 
 thousand more," he left his office and extensive practice to serve his 
 country, and by his own exertions he soon raised a company of Volun- 
 teers, of which he was made Captain. On the formation of the Regi- 
 ment he was unanimously elected Lieutenant Colonel. As a soldier fear- 
 less and brave, Colonel Clarke was the peer of anyone, and as a discipli-
 
 670 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 narian he had few equals. Loved and honored as were few of his rank, 
 he fell mortally wounded, with his face to the foe, in one of those fierce 
 charges on that ever memorable Sabbath at Ohickamauga. He was ten- 
 derly carried from the field, but survived only a few hours, dying as he 
 had lived, a true Christian, a courteous gentleman, and a brave soldier. 
 His remains were taken to Waukegan, 111., for interment. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel John C. Smith was born in Philadelphia, February 
 13, 1832, and continued to reside in that city and its vicinity until arriving 
 at the age of twenty one years Having served an apprenticeship to the 
 carpenter and joiner trade, and become master of the same, he spent one 
 year in superintending the construction of prominent buildings in New 
 Jersey and New York. In May, 1854, he removed to Chicago, and in the 
 following September to Galena, where he continued to reside until the 
 time of enlistment. He married Miss Charlotte A. Gallaher, the daughter 
 of a prominent official of Galena, March 24, 1856. Their union has been 
 blessed with five children, four of whom are living. In 1860-1 he was 
 engaged as assistant superintendent in the construction of the U. S. Cus- 
 tom House, at Dubuque. Iowa. Surrendering several heavy contracts at 
 a great loss, he enlisted as a private soldier in what became Company I, 
 and was elected Captain at the organization of the Company, and Major 
 at the organization of the Regiment. At the battle of Chickamauga he 
 did gallant service upon the Staff of Gen. Steedman, receiving compli- 
 mentary mention in the official reports of his superior officers. Following 
 the battle he was promoted to the position made vacant by the death of 
 Lieutenant Colonel Clarke. He subsequently commanded the Regiment 
 at various periods, and always creditably. In the action at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, June 20, 1867, he was severely wounded in the shoulder, and 
 so disabled as to unfit him for field service for many months. During 
 the latter part of the war he served as president of a military commis- 
 sion at Nashville, returning to the command of the Regiment shortly 
 before its muster-out. At the battle of Nashville he served as a volun- 
 teer Aide on the Staff of Gen. Steedman, his former commander. He was 
 Breveted Colonel by President Lincoln in February, 1865 ; end made 
 Brevet Brigadier General by President Johnson, a few months later. 
 Patriotism seemed to be a family trait, for the General's father and both 
 of his brothers were in the army, one brother, Lieutenant Smith, of Com- 
 pany I, being fatally wounded at Resaca, and the ether, Robert, who was 
 a member of the 7th Ohio Cavalry, being killed at Duck River, Tenn., 
 shortly before the battle of Franklin. Since the war General Smith has 
 been almost constantly in the service of the public. In the Internal Rev- 
 enue Department, as Chief Grain Inspector in Chicago, as State Treasurer 
 for two terms, and later as Lieutenant Governor, he has filled every 
 place with credit to himself, and is to-day one of the most widely known 
 and most universally esteemed men in the State of Illinois. To a degree 
 that, perhaps, has few parallels he enjoys the confidence and high regard 
 of the men whom he commanded, a feeling that is reciprocated, as has 
 been demonstrated during the years intervening since the war closed.
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 671 
 
 Major George Hicks was born at Ludlow, Massachusetts, February 
 .1835. He was educated in the common schools of Galena, Illinois, 
 the Galena Academy (under Dr. Magoun), and Beloit College, leaving 
 college in his sophomore years. At college he took the initiative in 
 establishing the Beloit College Monthly, which has since been continued 
 by the students. In 1855 he was assistant editor of the Milwaukee Daily 
 Wisconsin, and edited the Galena Gazette in the presidential campaign of 
 1856. He studied law in the office of Hon. R. H. McClellan, at Galena, 
 and was admitted to practice in 1858. In the same year he was elected 
 School Commissioner of the County of Jo Daviess, and was re-elected in 
 1860. He carried an enthusiasm into this work that was productive of 
 great good to the public schools of this county. In 1862 he enlisted a com- 
 pany of volunteers a little prior to the organization of the other portions 
 of his Regiment, and his command was accorded the position of Com- 
 pany A, of which Company he was chosen Captain. After the battle of 
 Chickamauga, where he earned especial distinction, he was promoted to 
 be Major. Toward the close of the war he was brevetted Lieutenant 
 Colonel, and just before the Regiment was mustered out was brevetted 
 Colonel. He was engaged with the Regiment in all its battles, except 
 that during the first night of the battles in front of Kenesaw Mountain, 
 he was, by order of the doctor, in the field hospital, taking medicine. 
 That night the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel were brought into the hos- 
 pital, wounded, and in the morning Major Hicks left the hospital and 
 took command of the Regiment, and was in command during most of 
 the further battles of the Atlanta campaign. From his enlistment he 
 was continuously on duty with the Regiment, except that at intervals 
 when the Regiment was in quarters, he acted as Judge Advocate of the 
 Division ; and except also that a furlough (granted him just before the 
 grand army reconnoissance on Rocky Face Ridge, and used after the 
 return of the Regiment to camp), gave him a brief visit north, to settle 
 the affairs connected with his office as School Commissioner. Following 
 his return home at the close of the war he organized the movement which 
 resulted in the erection of an elegant monument, at Galena, in memory 
 of the deceased soldiers and sailors of Jo Daviess County. After prac- 
 ticing law in Freeport and Mount Carroll, and his health breaking down, 
 consequent upon the exposure of campaign life, he removed to a south- 
 ern State, and became editor of the Kansas City Journal. His health 
 still failing, he went, in 1870, to the Island of Jamaica, in the West 
 Indies, and, after a three years' sojourn, came back to 'Missouri, first 
 visiting England and the Continent of Europe. His health again failing, 
 he returned to Jamaica in 1875, to make that island his future home, He 
 became a citizen of Jamaica, and accepted the post, which was offered 
 him on his first visit, of Assistant Inspector of Schools, which office he 
 continues to hold. 
 
 While in Jamaica he has published a number of lectures and essays, 
 among which are : Abraham Lincoln ; Better Homes for the People ; 
 Missing Rounds in the Educational Ladder ; Plans for Organizing
 
 672 HISTORY OF THE 96TH KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Teachers' Associations ; Reading for the People. His essay upon Edu- 
 cational Progress in Jamaica is included in the volume recently published 
 by the Bureau of Education, containing the papers read at the Inter- 
 national Congress of Educators held at New Orleans. Upon plans sug- 
 gested and advocated by him the government has established a Female 
 Teachers' Training College, and he has caused the organization of several 
 teachers' associations and the establishing of many reading clubs. On 
 the 18th of May, 1886, he was married to Miss Susette Walder, of Zurich, 
 Switzerland, who, for several years, had been Principal of the Moravian 
 Training College for Female Teachers in Jamaica. 
 
 Adjutant Edward A. Blodgett was born in Will County, Illinois, 
 September 1, 1835. At the outbreak of the war he was farming at 
 Downer's Grove, DuPage County, Illinois. He enlisted at once, being 
 the second man in the county to sign the muster roll, but when the Com- 
 pany was organized he was rejected, although most of the men who 
 enlisted at that time became members of the 13th Illinois. A little later 
 he entered the service with the 37th Illinois, and at the organization of 
 the Regiment was appointed Quartermaster Sergeant. He participated 
 with that command in the battle of Pea Ridge, and earned a promotion, 
 which came in the form of a commission as First Lieutenant and Adju- 
 tant of the 74th Illinois. He joined that Regiment at Rockford, Illinois. 
 When the NINETY-SIXTH was organized, Anton Nieman, who had pre- 
 viously held a like position in the 37th Illinois, was commissioned Adju- 
 tant, and the two exchanged places, each being formally transferred. 
 One of the reasons that led to this was the fact that Adjutant Blodgett 
 desired to be with his brother, Captain A. Z. Blodgett, of Company D ; 
 the further fact that he had at one time lived in Waukegan, and had 
 many acquaintances in the Regiment also had to do with the transfer 
 His previous military experience had fitted him admirably for the place, 
 and he proved of great service to the command, acting as drill master 
 often during the early months of their experience. At Lookout Moun- 
 tain Adjutant Blodgett was wounded in the hand. He participated in all 
 of the engagements of the Atlanta campaign until Keuesaw Mountain 
 was reached, when he was prostrated by sickness. Partially recovering 
 he a&ain joined the Regiment, but was in poor health. On the march up 
 the Chattahoochie River, July 10, 1864, he sustained a sunstroke, which 
 compelled him to go to hospital. Returning to the Regiment he partici- 
 pated in the battles of Franklin and Nashville, and at the latter engage- 
 ment was especially conspicuous for his gallantry, and received personal 
 favorable mention in the official reports. He was always a popular officer 
 in the Regiment, and served with it until the close of the war. After his 
 return he married Miss Julia E. Wygant, of Chicago, and engaged in 
 business as a druggist at Warrensburg, Mo. In 1875 he returned to Chi- 
 cago and accepted a position as purchasing agent for the West Division 
 Street Railway Company. He has been twice elected a member of the 
 State Board of Equalization, and is an acknowledged leader in Chicago- 
 politics. He resides at 109 South Peoria street.
 
 First Ass't Surgeon MOSKS EVANS. 
 Second Ass't Surgeon F. W. BYERS. 
 
 Surgeon CHARLES MAKTIN. Second Ass't Surgeon D. A. SHEFFIELD. 
 Surgeon BYRON G. PIERCE. Quarter Master GEORGE W. MOORE. 
 Quarter Master STEPHEN JKFFERS.
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 673 
 
 Quarter Master Stephen Jeffers was born in Broome County, New 
 York, and was forty-two years of age at the time of his enlistment. He 
 assisted in recruiting Company F, and upon the organization of the 
 Regiment left his farm at Hanover, Jo Daviess County, and was appointed 
 Quartermaster, with the rank of First Lieutenant. He served in that 
 capacity until April 6, 1864, when, upon the recommendation of Gen. 
 Grant, whom he personally knew, he was appointed Commissary of Sub- 
 sistence in the regular army, with the rank of Captain, and assigned to 
 duty at Chattanooga. March 13, 1865, he was brevetted Major. He was 
 mustered out at Nashville, Tenn. Since the war he has been engaged in 
 farming at Hanover, 111., where he still resides. He has represented his 
 township as Supervisor repeatedly, and is a successful and respected 
 business man. 
 
 Quarter Master George W. Moore was born in Ireland, and was 
 twenty-five years of age when he entered the service. Prior to his enlist- 
 ment he was a farmer, and resided at Hanover, 111. He was appointed 
 Second Lieutenant of Company I at the organization of the Regiment, 
 and was promoted to First Lieutenant October 6, 1863. At the battle of 
 Lookout Mountain he was severely wounded in the leg, and disabled for 
 some weeks. In the spring of 1864 he was assigned to duty as Regimental 
 Quartermaster, and served in that capacity until the close of the war. 
 He is now a large farmer and stock-raiser at "Essex, Page County, Iowa. 
 
 Surgeon Charles Martin, t|K^stjSfe"q3r.r'\Rgiment, was born 
 near Norristown, the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 
 in January, 1812. His father was a physician, as was his grandfather 
 the latter a Prussian who came to this country about the middle of the 
 last century. Five of his father's brothers were also physicians. His 
 father had three sons, all of whom studied medicine, and graduated at the 
 University of Pennsylvania. The subject of this sketch graduated and 
 received his degree in March, 1833, practiced medicine a short time in his 
 native county, and afterward at Mechanicsburg, Pa. In 1834 he laid down 
 the lancet, studied theology, and was engaged in the duties of the min- 
 istry until 1856, when he entered upon educational work. In 1859 he 
 located in Warren, Jo Daviess County, 111., and resumed the practice of 
 medicine, being associated with the late Dr. B. G. Pierce, who succeeded 
 him as Surgeon of the Regiment. At the commencement of the civil war 
 he went to Philadelphia, attended another full course of lectures in the 
 University of Pennsylvania, and in 1862 returned to Warren, and was 
 again associated with Dr. Pierce. In September, 1862, he was appointed 
 Surgeon of the Regiment, with the rank of Major, and served in that 
 capacity until January, 1863. Army diarrhosa and hemorrhage from the 
 bowels compelled him to resign and return home. His resignation was 
 accepted February 6, 1863. Following his return from the service he 
 practiced medicine for a time, but for some years past has successfully 
 conducted the "Young Ladies' Institute" at St. Joseph, Mo. 
 
 43
 
 674 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 Surgeon Byron G. Pierce was born in Rochester, N. Y., August 13, 
 1825. When six years old he removed to Ohio, where he grew to man- 
 hood. He received his medical education at the University of Michigan 
 and in Rush Medical College, Chicago. In June, 1853, he married Miss 
 Marilla E. Allen, who died in 1857, leaving one child, Miss Ida. In 1858 
 he married Miss Alicia Gilmore, who died shortly after the close of the 
 war, leaving three children Miss Emma V., Byron and John. Byron 
 died at the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., a few months before 
 graduating. In the summer of 1854, Dr. Pierce came to Warren, 111., 
 where he practiced medicine until commissioned Surgeon of the NINETY- 
 SIXTH, being associated for a time with Dr. Charles Martin, whom he 
 succeeded in the field in February, 1863. He joined the command at 
 Franklin, Tenn., and was with it almost continuously until its muster-out 
 at the close of the war. His labors with the Regiment were arduous in 
 the extreme, but during that trying first summer in the field, when at 
 times a large proportion of the command were almost prostrate from 
 disease, and in the after-days when battles came thick and fast, and days 
 and nights were blended into an almost unceasing round of surgical 
 labor, he was ever a patient, painstaking, kindly physician and surgeon, 
 retaining the confidence and regard of both officers and men to a degree 
 unusual in the experience of army surgeons. Returning home at the 
 close of the war he remained at Warren until his death, which resulted 
 from consumption November 27, 1884. During his life he retained the 
 respect, goodwill and confidence of the people who were his neighbors, 
 and held the position of County Coroner at the time of his death. He 
 was an honored member of the Masonic brotherhood, including the order 
 of Knights Templar. His mortal remains were laid to rest by Galena 
 Commandery of Knights Templar, Warren Post of the Grand Army of 
 the Republic acting as escort, and many comrades from the Regiment 
 being present as sincere mourners. 
 
 First Assistant Surgeon Moses Evans, First Assistant Surgeon of the 
 Regiment from its organization until its muster-out, was born in Frye- 
 burg, Oxford County, Maine, January 1, 1820, and worked upon his 
 father's farm during his early life. At eighteen he began the study of 
 medicine, and at twenty took his final course of lectures at Dartmouth 
 College. In 1840 he marched under the banner of "Log Cabin and Hard 
 Cider," and cast his first vote for "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too." In the 
 autumn of 1843 he completed his studies and received his diploma of 
 "M.D." In 1844 he removed to Waukegan (then Little Fort), Illinois, 
 and was associated with Dr. David Cory until the death of the latter, 
 from cholera, in 1854. In 1843 he married Miss Ann Sanford, who was 
 his companion for thirty-eight years, and who died in 1885. He practiced 
 medicine continuously, and, in the spring of 1862, in company with Hon. 
 H. W. Blodgett, visited the battle-field of Pea Ridge to look after the 
 sick and wounded Lake County soldiers in the 37th Illinois, remaining 
 thqre and doing excellent service for a fortnight or more, and on the 
 return trip having in charge Lieut. Huntley, who was seriously wounded.
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 675 
 
 The following summer he assisted in recruiting the NINETY-SIXTH, and 
 at its organization was mustered as Surgeon of the Regiment, but imme- 
 diately resigned, and was appointed and mustered as First Assistant Sur- 
 geon. He was with the Regiment on the march, in the camp and in the 
 trenches. At Kenesaw Mountain his services in caring for the wounded 
 were of a character to call for special mention in the reports of the battle. 
 After the terrible battle of Chickamauga, where he made almost super- 
 human efforts in caring for the unfortunate, he was sent to Stevenson, 
 Ala., in charge of an ambulance train of wounded. The route lay along 
 the Tennessee River at one point, and in passing an exposed position the 
 train was fired upon from the opposite bank, the Doctor receiving a flesh 
 wound in the calf of one leg. After the battle of Jonesboro he was placed 
 in charge of an ambulance train of wounded and sent to Atlanta. A 
 souvenir of that trip he still wears and prizes as a cherished relic ; it is a 
 gold ring, presented him by a soldier who died soon after reaching camp, 
 and who thus sought to testify his high regard for the tender care given 
 to himself and other comrades by the Doctor. Returning to Waukegan 
 the Doctor resumed the practice of his profession, serving the public for 
 a time as Postmaster and also as a County Coroner. Suffering from 
 asthma he went to California, residing two years at Monterey. Securing 
 partial relief he again returned to Waukegan. but was soon warned by a 
 return of his old complaint that he must make a permanent change of 
 climate, and he removed, with his family, to San Francisco, California, 
 his present address being No. 10 Market street. Just before leaving for 
 California he was tendered a banquet by his former comrades residing 
 near Waukegan, which was largely attended, and served to show the high 
 esteem in which he is held by his old army associates. 
 
 Second Assistant Surgeon Daniel A. Sheffield, who served as Second 
 Assistant Surgeon of the Regiment from its organization until February 
 6, 1863, was born in Jcwett's City, Conn., August 29, 1836, being the sixth 
 of a family of nine children. He removed to Gilbertsville, Otsego County, 
 N. Y., with his parents in 1845, and in 1856, with an older brother, set- 
 tled at Dixon, 111., and began the study of medicine in the office of the 
 late Dr. N. W. Abbott. He began the practice of medicine at Ogle (now 
 Ashtoii), Lee County, 111., in 1859, but in December of the same year re- 
 moved to Apple River, Jo Daviess County, 111., where he has continued 
 in his chosen calling, and where he still resides. He received his literary 
 education at the Gilbertsville Academy and Collegiate Institute, and 
 graduated in medicine in Rush Medical College, Chicago, in 1859, and at 
 the Chicago Medical College in 1867. The Doctor married Miss May N. 
 Brookner, of Dixon, 111., December 1, 1859, who has borne him ten chil- 
 dren, only three of whom are living. While on detached service, at Hick- 
 man Bridge, Ky., in December, 1862, the Doctor was taken seriously ill, 
 and after being removed to Danville, Ky., he seemingly hovered between 
 life and death for a period of six weeks. Partially recovering, he 
 resigned, and, being ordered before a medical board, he was pronounced 
 to be dying of tuberculosis, and his resignation was accepted. He subse-
 
 676 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 quently recovered, and is apparently in robust health. He has been- 
 repeatedly chosen as a member of the Board of Education of his village, 
 and was elected to the General Assembly of the State of Illinois in 1884, 
 serving creditably as a member of the House. He was President of the 
 Alumni Association of the Chicago Medical College for the year 1883-4. 
 He has made quite a reputation as a fluent and forcible speaker, and is 
 an acknowledged leader in political and social matters in his county and 
 district. 
 
 Second Assistant Surgeon Frederick W. Byers, who was Second 
 Assistant Surgeon of the Regiment from May 7, 1863, until the close of 
 the war, was born in Shippensville, Pa., February 10, 1837, his boyhood 
 being passed on a farm in Pine Grove Township, Chenango County, Pa. 
 By his own exertions he secured an academic, partial collegiate, and a 
 medical education. He came to Illinois in 1857, teaching school and 
 prosecuting his studies, residing in Stephenson and Jo Daviess Counties 
 during the period intervening until his muster-in as Assistant Surgeon. 
 He joined the command at Franklin, Tenn., accompanying it until July, 
 1863, when he was placed on detached duty at Duck River and Normandy. 
 He was soon taken sick and sent to the Regiment. When the command 
 marched to Chattanooga he accompanied it as far as Stevenson and was 
 then sent back to Nashville, where, improved in health, he was assigned 
 to duty in the general hospitals of the city. He reported to the Regi- 
 ment for duty in May, 1864, near Resaca, Ga., served with the command 
 during the trying experiences of the Atlanta campaign until August, 
 when he was detailed Chief Surgeon of the Artillery Brigade of the 
 Fourth Corps. After the capture of Atlanta he was ordered to duty in 
 the field hospitals of the Fourth Army Corps, remaining on this duty 
 until the muster-out of the Regiment. Without disparagement to others, 
 it may be said that he was always the most jovial and popular member of 
 the medical staff, and held the affections of the entire command to a 
 degree that was certainly exceptional. At the close of the war he located 
 at Lena, 111., and practiced medicine, and removed from there to Monroe, 
 Wis., in 1877, where he now resides. Dr. Byers has been U. S. Examining 
 Surgeon for Pensions since : March, 1880, and is Medical Director of the 
 Grand Army of the Republic for the Department of Wisconsin. He was 
 commissioned a Captain in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1882, and is 
 now Surgeon of the 1st Regiment W. N. G. He was a member of the 
 Wisconsin Assembly for 1885-6, and as such was Chairman of the Com- 
 mittee on Militia, and served on the Committee on Medical Societies. He 
 was selected a delegate to represent Wisconsin at the obsequies of Gen. 
 Grant, in New York City, and attended that imposing funeral in company 
 with Gov. Rusk and his military staff. Present address, Monroe, Wis. 
 
 Chaplain J. M. Clendenning was born in McHenry, 111., and was 
 twenty-two years of tage at the time of enlistment. He joined Company 
 K as a private soldier, and when the Regiment was organized was 
 appointed Chaplain, with the rank of Captain. He served in that capacity
 
 THE FIELD AND STAFF. 677 
 
 -several months, but resigned January 20, 1863. He subsequently enlisted 
 in Company F, 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was promoted to be 
 Captain of his Company. He is now preaching in the M. E. Church at 
 Rockford, 111. 
 
 Chaplain Horace G. Woodworth succeeded Kev. J. M. Clendenning, 
 and joined the Regiment at Franklin, Tenn., in April, 1863. He was a 
 Baptist, and a man of marked ability. He remained with the command 
 but two months, resigning his commission June 16, 1863. On the petition 
 of the officers of the Regiment he was again commissioned, in the spring 
 of 1864, but some delay occurred in the receipt of the official notice of his 
 appointment, and when it finally reached him he had accepted a pastorate 
 which prevented him from joining the command. He has since preached 
 at various points in the West, and is now a resident of Minneapolis, Minn. 
 
 Sergeant Major Francis P. Quinn, appointed from Company I at the 
 organization of the Regiment, was desperately wounded at Chickamauga 
 and fell into the hands of the enemy, but was paroled ten days later, and 
 went home on furlough ; starting to return to the Regiment, he was acci- 
 dentally drowned in Chicago River, February 19, 1864. (See Roster of 
 Company I.) 
 
 Sergeant Major Charles A. Partridge; appointed from Company C, 
 May 1, 1864 ; served in that capacity until the close of the war ; commis- 
 sioned Second Lieutenant of Company C June 8, 1865 ; resides at Wauke- 
 gan, 111. (See Roster of Company C.) 
 
 NOTE. Sergeant Wallace Tear, of Company K, acted as Sergeant 
 Major from September 20, 1863, until promoted to Lieutenant November 
 9, 1863, and Sergeant F. A. Weir, of Company A, until promoted to First 
 Sergeant in March, 1864, when Sergeant C. A. Partridge, of Company C, 
 was detailed to fill the position. It was not known until April that Ser- 
 geant Major Quinn was dead. 
 
 Quarter Master Sergeant William S. Bean ; appointed from Com- 
 pany A at the organization of the Regiment ; served in that capacity until 
 the battle of Chickamauga, where he was killed while bravely encourag- 
 ing his comrades in the desperate hours of that bloody conflict. (See 
 Roster of Company A.) 
 
 Quarter Master Sergeant George Jeffers ; appointed from Company 
 F, September 26, 1863 ; was a son of the Quarter Master ; returned to 
 Company roll to allow him to accept a detail with his father upon the 
 promotion of the latter as a Quarter Master in the Regular Army ; resides 
 at Hanover, 111. (See Roster of Company F ) 
 
 Quarter Master Sergeant Benjamin F. Shepard; appointed from Com- 
 pany G in April, 1864 ; served in that capacity until the close of the war, 
 except when absent because of wounds received at Chickamauga ; resides 
 at Gurnee, 111. (See Roster of Company G.) 
 
 NOTE. Thomas J. Moore, of Company I, acted as Quarter Master 
 Sergeant of the Regiment for a time in 1864.
 
 678 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Commissary Sergeant Morris S. Hill ; appointed from Company B at 
 the organization of the Regiment, and served until discharged for dis- 
 ability January 26, 1863 ; resides at Wauconda, 111. (See Roster of Com- 
 pany B.) 
 
 Commissary Sergeant James Edward James ; appointed from Com- 
 pany A, in 1863, and served until the close of the war ; died at Galena, 
 111., in 1879. (See Roster of Company A.) 
 
 Hospital Steward Harvillah Cooley ; appointed from Company C at 
 the organization of the Regiment, and discharged for disability Decem- 
 ber 31, 1862 ; died at Lament, Mich., September 7, 1876. (See Roster of 
 Company C.) 
 
 Hospital Steward George G. Ferguson ; appointed from Company D 
 in April, 1863, serving in that capacity until promoted to First Lieuten- 
 ant of Company H, in the autumn of 1864 ; resides at Waukegan, 111. 
 (See Roster of Companies D and H.) 
 
 Hospital Steward Royal J. Cooper ; appointed from Company E 
 October 1, 1864, and served in that capacity until the close of the war - r 
 resides at Nora, 111. (See Roster of Company E.) 
 
 Principal Musician Niles Carver ; appointed from Company H at the 
 organization of the Regiment, leading the band as Fife Major until dis- 
 charged January 20, 1863 ; resides at Blanchard, Iowa. (See Roster of 
 Company H.) 
 
 Principal Musician Frank Carver ; appointed from Company H, and 
 served as Drum Major from early in 1863 until the close of the war ; 
 resides at Blanchard, Iowa. (See Roster of Company H.) 
 
 Principal Musician Wallace B. Gage ; appointed from Company D, 
 and served as Fife Major for about six months in 1863 ; was subsequently 
 returned to the roll of his Company ; resides in Menominee, Mich. (See 
 Roster of Company D.) 
 
 Principal Musician Hiram Weatherly ; appointed from Company B 
 July 1, 1863, and discharged for disability February 6, 1865 ; served as- 
 Fife Major,. except when absent sick in hospital. (See Roster of Com- 
 pany B.) 
 
 Principal Musician Charles O. Biddlecom ; appointed from Company 
 G, February 6, 1865, and served as Fife Major until the close of the war; 
 had acted in that capacity at various times prior to his appointment ; 
 resides at Wadsworth, Lake County, 111. (See Roster of Company G.) 
 
 NOTE. Freeman James, of Company G, served as Drum Major most 
 of the time until his death, which occurred at Danville, Ky., January 18, 
 1863. George James, of Company G, and Adrian R. Douglas, of Com- 
 pany D, each acted as Fife Major for a time.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY A. 679 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 BY C. H. BERG. 
 
 The First Company Nearly Filled in July Officers Elected Swords 
 Presented The First to Reach Camp Fuller Early Experiences 
 Again in Galena Good-by Again Final Move to Rockford The 
 Letter "A " Detached at Harrodsburg On the Skirmish Line at 
 Triune The First Anniversary The Battle Casualties A Long List 
 of Killed and Wounded Present Whereabouts of the Survivors 
 Sketches of the Officers and Men. 
 
 SOON after the call of President Lincoln^ in July, 1862, 
 for 300,000 more volunteers, George Hicks, John G. Schaefer, 
 William Vincent, and others, opened a recruiting office in a 
 vacant store on Main street, in Galena, for the purpose of 
 raising a company. Recruiting was activety commenced about 
 the twenty-fifth. The. different townships of the county were 
 visited, rolls were circulated, and signatures obtained. On the 
 thirtieth quite a number of young men from the city enlisted, 
 so that by the first of August the Company was nearly filled, 
 upward of eighty names being on the rolls. While the recruit- 
 ing was progressing, the men were permitted to remain at 
 home, for the purpose of settling up their business affairs. 
 Those who had come from the country to enlist were quar- 
 tered at the different hotels and boarding-houses. August 7, 
 nearly all of the members of the Company being present, the 
 election of commissioned officers took place, with the follow- 
 ing result : George Hicks, Captain ; William Vincent, First 
 Lieutenant ; Robert Pool, Second Lieutenant. Although dis- 
 appointment was depicted upon the countenances of some who 
 had aspired to the Second Lieutenancy, good feeling predom- 
 inated, and congratulations were in order. The selection of 
 non-commissioned officers was deferred for the time being, 
 John G. Schaefer, however, acting as Orderly. On the fol- 
 lowing day the Company was drawn up in line in front of the
 
 680 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 De Soto House and sworn into the service by a Regular Army 
 officer. 
 
 After the organization of the Company, a sword was pre- 
 sented to Captain George Hicks by the school teachers of Jo 
 Daviess County. A sword was also presented to First Lieu- 
 tenant William Vincent by his friends. Second Lieutenant 
 Robert Pool was also the recipient of a sword, presented to 
 him by members of the Company and other Galena friends, 
 with the names of the donors engraved upon it. J. E. James 
 and C. H. Berg were each presented with a fine Colt's revolver 
 by D. W. Scott, Esq. Indeed, nearly every man was the 
 recipient of some token of friendship from near and dear 
 friends. 
 
 Early on the morning of August 9, the Company took the 
 cars for Rockford, reaching that city at noon, and marching to 
 the Holland House for dinner. After dinner the men were 
 permitted to go around the city, but ordered to report at the 
 hotel for supper. After supper the Company was ordered to 
 "fall in." and took up a line of march out of the city about 
 two miles, and came to a halt on the banks of Rock River, 
 being the first troops on that memorable camping ground. 
 Here bundles were thrown down, and the men put at work in 
 various ways, some being detailed for guard and others for 
 " fatigue" duty ; every man had some duty to perform. For 
 the first time the boys realized that to be soldiers meant 
 work. The boys always remembered what a pleasant time 
 they had in putting up their first tents, the Sibley. At mid- 
 night straw arrived, and the men retired to rest. Next morn- 
 ing the Company was aroused early, and again marched to 
 the hotel for breakfast ; and then marched back to camp. At 
 3 P. M. dinner was served for the first time in camp. It was 
 now learned that the camp was to be called "Camp Fuller," 
 although the boys always called it "Dead Horse Camp," on 
 account of the dead horses that were found upon the ground, 
 and either buried or hauled away from there by the members 
 of the Company. 
 
 On Monday morning other companies arrived, and took
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY A. 681 
 
 up their quarters near by, each company pitching five Sibley 
 tents. 
 
 The non-commissioned officers were here appointed by the 
 Captain, as follows : First Sergeant. John G. Schaefer ; Ser- 
 geants John L. Pringle, David Rogers, Frank A. Weir, 
 William 8. Holmes; Corporals William S. Bean, C. H. 
 Berg, John Vincent, William Price, John R. Taylor, Henry 
 Peeper, J. E. Shipton, Jason B. Isbell. There had been a 
 list prepared prior to this, but owing to the rejection of sev- 
 eral men on account of physical disability, it was revised as 
 above. 
 
 The Compan} 7 remained in camp at Rockford, drilling 
 twice a day, and doing such other duties as fell to the lot 
 of soldiers in camp, until the evening of August 18, when 
 they marched to the depot and took the cars for Galena, 
 arriving home on the morning of August 19, on furlough, 
 with a view of being mustered into a Regiment, which it was 
 thought at the time might be made up entirely of Jo Daviess 
 County men. The Company was warmly received by the 
 citizens, and during the two days they remained in the city 
 were entertained most royally. On the morning of August 
 22 the Company formed on Main street, and marched to the 
 Fair Grounds, then called Camp Washburne. Here were two 
 other Companies, composed of men from Galena and the 
 immediate vicinity. While at this camp the boys had rare 
 sport, many amusing incidents occurring. The Company was 
 quartered in the cattle-sheds, partitioned off so that four, six, 
 or more, were in one apartment. These were fixed up accord- 
 ing to the taste and means at the command of the occupants. 
 Notwithstanding the vigilance of the sentinels and the Cor- 
 poral of the Guard, every night most of the boys would be 
 out of their quarters, but back in the morning for roll-call. 
 
 This happy state of affairs continued until the morning of 
 September 3, when the three Companies marched to the depot, 
 where an immense crowd had assembled, every available 
 space being occupied. Here occurred the saddest event of all 
 up to this time, the leave-taking from wives, mothers, fathers, 
 sisters, brothers and sweethearts, alas, in too many cases, for-
 
 682 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 ever ! But the train was soon seen coining over the bridge, 
 and halted at the depot ; then, while the bands were playing 
 inspiring music, amid loud cheering and the low whisper of 
 many a mother's " God bless you, my son ! " the train moved 
 slowly away. At Warren three additional Companies took 
 passage on the train, making six Companies from Jo Daviess 
 County. 
 
 The train arrived at. Rockford at noon. The Company 
 disembarked, formed in line and marched to Camp Fuller. 
 How changed ! Long lines of barracks had been erected, and 
 instead of a few companies occupying the grounds, there 
 were now as many regiments. The Company was assigned 
 quarters, and made as comfortable as circumstances would 
 admit. September 5 the Company, with the other Jo Daviess 
 and four Lake County companies, were organized as the 
 NLNETY-SIXTH Regiment. 
 
 Although it was known prior to this that the Company 
 would have the letter "A," the importance of the position 
 was not generally understood. That night, after roll-call, 
 Captain Hicks fully explained what would be required of them 
 in their position on the right of the Regiment, saying that it 
 would be the duty of this Company to become proficient in 
 the skirmish drill, the bayonet exercise, and all other drills ;. 
 in fact, he wanted it to be what the letter A indicated, the 
 first Company of the Regiment. The remarks of the Captain 
 were assented to with hearty cheers. How well the men 
 kept this promise, their subsequent history as a Company has 
 amply proven. Whether in camp, on the march, on the 
 skirmish-line, or in line-of-battle, Company A always did its 
 full duty. For proficiency in the various drills, it was excelled 
 by none ; every member felt a pride in its appearance and 
 conduct. The Company was only once detached from the 
 Regiment, when, with Company E, it did provost duty at Har- 
 rodsburg, Ky., in November, 1862, being quartered in the 
 barracks and having a pleasant time. 
 
 On the 9th of June, 1863, when Wheeler's Cavalry at- 
 tacked the camp at Triune, Tenn., Company A was thrown 
 out as skirmishers in front of the Regiment, in a peaclt
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY A. 
 
 orchard, and for the first time met the enemy. Only a few 
 shots were fired, when the enemy drew oif. Several of the 
 men were hit in their clothing, but no one was injured. 
 
 Saturday, September 5, 1803, being the first anniversary 
 of the muster in of the Regiment, the members of Company 
 A had a celebration. The* command was then lying at Estell 
 Springs. To provide for the event, permission was obtained 
 to go outside the lines, and the day before a volunteer party, 
 under the lead of Lieutenant Vincent, took a four-mule team 
 and army wagon into the country, returning with an abundant 
 supply of sweet potatoes, pickles, peanuts and other articles. 
 The potatoes and peanuts were dug from the fields where 
 they were growing. The Regimental sutler was patronized 
 quite freely, and between the Quarter Master, the sutler and 
 the foragers, an elaborate banquet was spread. Captain Hicks 
 presided and made appropriate remarks, and the day passed 
 most pleasantly. 
 
 At Chickamauga, September 20, 1863, the Company suf- 
 fered severely. The casualties in this battle were as follows : 
 First Sergeant John G. Schaefer was shot in the neck and 
 almost instantly killed. William S. Bean, Quarter Master 
 Sergeant of the Regiment, but always claimed as a member of 
 the Company, was killed. Corporal William Price was killed. 
 Corporal David Isbell, detailed with the Color Guard, was 
 first shot in the arm, but, going forward with the Regiment 
 again, was struck in the breast, mortally wounded, and the 
 last seen of him was on a stretcher, probably dead. The 
 killed all fell into the hands of the enemy. John H. Witman 
 was mortally wounded in the breast, and died October 30. 
 Christian Kaufman was wounded in the wrist and arm, and 
 died four days after the battle. First Lieutenant William 
 Vincent was severely wounded in the left leg, below and back 
 of the knee. Sergeant Frank A. Weir was wounded in the 
 wrist. Corporal Jason B. Isbell was hit in the right shoulder, 
 fracturing the collar-bone. Private John W. Connor was hit 
 in the side, the ball passing through his body. He fell into 
 the hands of the enemy, but was afterward paroled and sent 
 into our lines. Gottlieb Beck was struck under the chin, the
 
 684 HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ball passing through the throat and inflicting an ugly gash, 
 but he was not long disabled. John Einsweiler was severely 
 wounded in the thigh. Milton Glover was shot in the head, 
 and severely hurt. Joseph D. Young was wounded in the 
 leg. Edward Simpson received a severe sabre cut on the 
 head, while on the skirmish line on Saturday. Josephus 
 Metcalf was wounded in the head and rendered temporarily 
 unconscious, being left on the field for dead ; but, recovering, 
 found himself inside the Rebel lines, and was a prisoner of 
 war for nearly a year. Edward Reubeno had a finger shot 
 off. Nearly every man in the Company was struck somewhere 
 about his clothing and accoutrements. 
 
 In the movement to the right, on Sunday, thirteen prison- 
 ers were taken by the Company, and safely delivered at corps 
 headquarters by a Sergeant and first four men from the right. 
 These men had a great deal of trouble in getting the prisoners 
 safely to headquarters, owing to the constant changing of the 
 lines of the respective armies ; and if it had not been for 
 Gen. Garfield, who, with several orderlies, was passing and 
 gave them instructions how to proceed, they would, doubtless, 
 have been captured. 
 
 Soon after this battle Captain Hicks was promoted to 
 Major, and First Lieutenant Vincent to Captain, but, being 
 absent on account of his wound, Lieutenant Pool, who was 
 promoted to First Lieutenant, took command of the Company. 
 Sergeanf Pringle was promoted to First Sergeant, in which 
 capacity he acted until March, 1864. 
 
 While at Moccasin Point, opposite Lookout Mountain, the 
 Company was small, and fared very badly, for want of food 
 and clothing. At the battle of Lookout Mountain, November 
 24, 1863, Lieutenant Pool was slightly wounded in the head. 
 Sergeant John Vincent was severely wounded, a ball entering 
 just below the right eye, passing through his head and coming 
 out back of left ear. Harlow D. Ragan was wounded in the 
 hand, Nicholas Wearmouth was wounded in the side, and 
 some others were struck, but none so severely that they left 
 the command. After we had possession, and while on the 
 mountain, a heavy wind storm blew down a tree on the right
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY A. 685 
 
 of the Company, breaking Lieutenant Pool's leg, and also 
 injuring Corporal W. H. Richards and several others. Lieu- 
 tenant Pool never recovered sufficiently to be able to join the 
 Company, but was detailed as Military Conductor on the 
 Chattanooga & Knoxville Railroad. 
 
 At Buzzard Roost, February 26, 1864, Francis J. Robin- 
 son was slightly wounded in the foot, and Harrison Menzemer 
 and Charles Menzemer were captured. The latter died in 
 prison. Harrison's experience is given in another chapter. 
 
 At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, Joseph E. Consalus 
 was wounded in the face ; C. H. Berg received a flesh wound 
 in the calf of the left leg ; Francis J. Robinson received a 
 slight wound in the left foot ; and Corporal Jason B. Isbell 
 in the right hand. 
 
 At Resaca, May 14, Gottlieb Weber was wounded in the 
 face, and John A. Binninger in the face and shoulder. At 
 Dallas, Francis J. Robinson was wounded in the neck, and 
 Francis Johnson in the foot. 
 
 At Kenesaw Mountain, June 21, 1864, Sergeant F. A. 
 Weir was wounded in the face ; Sergeant C. H. Berg, right 
 arm ; Francis J. Robinson, three balls in left leg, severe ;. 
 Theodore Hopp, left hand, severe. July 10, Joseph D. Young 
 was wounded in the left leg while going out to the skirmish 
 line, near the Chattahoochie River. At Atlanta, August 19, 
 William Lewis was killed, being shot through the head ; 
 Ebenezer Tate received a painful wound in the head ; First 
 Sergeant F. A. Weir was wounded in the right arm. At 
 Lovejoy's Station, Septembers, Andrew Disch, Jr., was killed, 
 a ball striking him in the neck. At Franklin, Tenn., Novem- 
 ber 30, 1864, John H. Holden, was wounded in the head. 
 At Nashville, December 16, Eugene Langdon was severely 
 wounded in the leg. 
 
 In the autumn and early winter of 1864, the following 
 named men joined the Company : John Abel, Philip Allen- 
 dorf, John Bryson, N. H. Davis, James Delaney, August 
 Hiller, Christian Kuntz, David Reed, Nathaniel Tutin, Robert 
 Virtue, John S. Weir, Robert G. Willson, John Wheeldin, 
 I. M. Wilcox, Henry Way man, Fred Waemers, Matt Youtz,
 
 686 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 all of whom participated in the battle of Nashville and the 
 pursuit of the enemy to the Tennessee River. 
 
 At Russellville, East Tennessee, in April, 1865, the Com- 
 pany was again increased by forty new members (whose 
 names appear in the roster), all of whom were transferred to 
 Company B, 21st Illinois Infantry, at muster-out of the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, except I. M. Wilcox, who died at Russellville, 
 and Thomas Bray, Thomas Metcalf, James Richards and 
 Nicholas Tippett, who died at Nashville. 
 
 During the three years' service, six of the original Com- 
 pany were killed in battle ; two died from wounds ; five died 
 of disease ; one died in prison ; one was discharged by order 
 of the Secretary of War ; one on account of wounds ; twenty 
 for disability ; two deserted, and five were transferred to 
 other commands. Fifty-five recruits joined the Company, five 
 of whom died of disease, six were mustered out with the Regi- 
 ment, and forty -four were transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois Infantry. 
 
 It is due to the Company to say that it ever maintained 
 high discipline, and bore its full share, in making the history 
 of the Regiment illustrious. 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain George Hicks. Age 27 ; born in Ludlow, Mass. ; lawyer and 
 County School Commissioner ; also associate editor of the Galena Gazette ; 
 unlisted from Galena ; elected Captain at the organization of the Com- 
 pany. Was the senior Captain of the Regiment ; promoted to Major 
 September 20, 1863 ; brevetted Lieutenant Colonel near the close of the 
 war ; brevetted Colonel at the close of the war. Participated in all the 
 engagements of the command ; m. o. with Regiment. Is now Assistant 
 Inspector of Schools in the Island of Jamaica. Postoffice address, 
 Kingston, Jamaica. (See Roster of Field and Staff.) 
 
 Captain William Vincent. Age 33 ; born in Cornwall, England ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Galena. Was elected First Lieutenant at organ- 
 ization of Company; promoted to Captain September 20, 1863. Was 
 severely wounded in the leg at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863 ; absent from 
 command four months ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a prosperous farmer 
 near Galena ; has filled the office of County Coroner, Supervisor, Assessor 
 und Collector. Postoffice address, Galena, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant Robert Pool. Age 22 ; born in England ; clerk ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; elected Second Lieutenant at organization of Com-
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 687 
 
 pany ; promotedt o First Lieutenant Sept. 20, 1863. Was struck at Chick- 
 amauga, carrying away his blouse pocket, with hard-tack in it ; also re- 
 ceived slight wound in the head at Lookout Mountain ; severely injured 
 after the command had possession of the Mountain by a tree falling on 
 him, causing a fracture of the right leg, disabling him for six months ; 
 when able for duty was appointed military railroad conductor, and 
 served till m. o. with Regiment. Has been Sheriff of Jo Daviess County 
 two years. Now resides at Ashland, Oregon ; is disabled for manual 
 labor by reason of the fracture of his leg. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Frank A. Weir. Age 23 ; born in Mercer County, 
 Pa. ; school teacher ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; appointed Sergeant at 
 organization of Company ; promoted to First Sergeant in March, 1864 ; 
 to Second Lieutenant May 19, 1865. Wounded in wrist at Chickamauga 
 Sept. 20, 1863 ; in face, thigh and leg at Kenesaw (face and thigh by 
 bullets, leg by piece of shell); by bullet through right arm at Atlanta, 
 Aug. 19, 1864 ; disabled from duty by reason of last wound twenty-six 
 days. Is now a physician and surgeon, and holds the office of Railroad 
 Surgeon for the 111. C. R. R Residence, Jesup, Iowa. 
 
 First Sergeant John G. Schaefer. Age 21 ; born in South Germany, 
 but came with his parents to Galena when 9 years old (1849); enlisted 
 from Galena ; school teacher and law student ; appointed First Sergeant 
 at organization of Company. Was killed while charging the enemy at 
 Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863. Had passed a successful examination 
 before a military board at Nashville some weeks previous to the battle of 
 Chickamauga for promotion to the rank of Captain in another branch of 
 1 the service. Was an ambitious, hard-working student. At an early age 
 he worked at printing and book-binding, studying evenings until quali- 
 fied to teach school ; then commenced studying law, teaching evenings. 
 
 First Sergeant John L. Pringle. Age 21 ; born at Owingsville, Ky. ; 
 school teacher ; enlisted from Galena ; appointed Sergeant at organiza- 
 tion of Company; promoted to First Sergeant after battle of Chickamauga 
 by Captain Hicks ; reduced to Sergeant afterward by Captain Vincent, 
 owing to some misunderstanding. Participated in all engagements, with- 
 out being wounded, and was mustered out with Regiment. Was in hos- 
 pital once at Nashville, February, 1863, with catarrhal fever; did not 
 remain long. Had previously served four months in the 12th 111. Vols. 
 (three months' service), and was then taken home, reduced to a skeleton 
 by typhoid fever ; recovered and enlisted in Company A at its organiza- 
 tion. Is a fruit-grower at Brooklyn, Ind. 
 
 First Sergeant Christopher H. Berg. Age 21 ; born in Pittsburgh, 
 Pa. ; printer ; enlisted from Galena ; appointed Corporal at organization 
 of Company ; promoted to Sergeant April (5, 1863, and subsequently to 
 First Sergeant. Received flesh wound in calf of left leg at Rocky Face 
 Ridge, May 9, 1864 ; struck in breast at Resaca, May 14, ball passing 
 through eagle, strap and memoranda book, cutting skin ; right arm by 
 piece of shell at Kenesaw Mountain, June 21, 1864 ; m. o. with Regiment.
 
 688 HISTORY or THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 Since 1867, has been a member of the firm of Palmer, Winall & Co., print- 
 ers and blank book manufacturers, Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
 Sergeant David Rogers. Age 39 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Derinda ; appointed Sergeant at organization of Company ; 
 was taken sick in Kentucky, and discharged from hospital April 6, 1863, 
 and died some time after the close of the war. 
 
 Sergeant William S. Holmes. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County 
 111. ; clerk ; enlisted from Galena ; was appointed Sergeant at organiza- 
 tion of Company. Participated in all the engagements of the Regiment, 
 but escaped severe wounds ; was struck in foot by piece of shell at Chick- 
 amauga, Sept. 20, 1863 ; m. o. with Regiment. Since the war has been 
 engaged in mercantile business at La Crosse, Wis. Is now part proprietor 
 of a hotel at Beatrice, Nebraska. 
 
 Sergeant John Vincent. Age 22 ; born in Galena, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Galena ; appointed Corporal at organization of Company ; 
 promoted to Sergeant and Color Sergeant. At the battle of Chickamauga 
 a ball passed through boot top and pants just below knee ; at Lookout 
 Mountain, Nov. 24, 1863, was severely wounded by ball entering just 
 below his right eye, passing through his head and coming out below aud 
 back of his left ear, between the two main arteries, causing the loss of 
 sight of right eye ; was taken to hospital, but rejoined the Company in 
 a few weeks and served as Color Sergeant until mustered out with Regi- 
 ment. Was in the grocery business at Galena for a time, but is now farm- 
 ing in Franklin County, Iowa. Postoffice address, Hampton, Iowa. 
 
 Sergeant Jason B. Isbell. Age 22 ; born in Guilf ord, 111. ; miner of 
 lead ore ; enlisted from Guilford ; appointed Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant in June, 1864. At Chickamauga, 
 Sept. 20, 1863, was wounded in right shoulder, collar bone fractured ; dis- 
 abled eight days : also bullets through cap-box, five balls through blouse ; 
 also had gun stock broken by bullet while in his hands, all at Chicka- 
 mauga. At Rocky Face Ridge was wounded in right hand. Was in every 
 engagement of the command, and mustered out with the Regiment. 
 Present occupation, solicitor for portrait orders. Postoffice address, 
 Winnebago, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Ernest Barthold. Age 21 ; born in Germany, but came 
 with his parents to Galena when quite young ; clerk ; enlisted from 
 Galena. Was promoted to Corporal, afterward Sergeant. With com- 
 mand all the time, participating in all the engagements, but escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Since the war has been merchandizing 
 at Marshalltown, Iowa ; is now Postmaster at Sheridan, Pennington 
 County, Dakota, and is also engaged in mining operations there. 
 
 Corporal William S. Bean. Age 24 ; born in Bridgeworth, Shrop- 
 shire, England ; clerk in dry goods store ; enlisted from Galena ; ap- 
 pointed Corporal at organization of Company ; promoted to Quarter 
 Master Sergeant at mustering-in of Regiment ; served in that capacity to
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 First Serg't C. II. BERG 
 Serg't JOHN VINCENT. 
 OTTO J. BUCK 
 
 Capt. WM. VINCENT. 
 Q. M. Sersi't WM. S. BEAN. 
 
 Com. Sersi't J. E. JAMBA. 
 Kiii.NKZEii TATK. 
 Ki>WAi:i> SIMPSON.
 
 **** 
 Hi
 
 ROSTEK OF COMPANY A. 689 
 
 the satisfaction of all concerned until killed at the battle of Chickamauga 
 while charging with the Regiment. (See Roster of Field and Staff.) 
 
 Corporal William Price. Age 31 ; born in Fulton, 111. ; engineer ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; appointed Corporal at organization of Company ; 
 detailed with color guard much of the time, and was killed at battle of 
 Chickamauga. He left a family who reside at Sun River, Montana 
 
 Corporal John R. Taylor. Age 23 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Guilford ; appointed Corporal at organization ; 
 detailed as Mail Messenger, and served in that capacity much of the time ; 
 m. o. with the Regiment, At last accounts resided at Palatka, Fla. 
 
 Corporal Henry Peeper. Age 24 ; born in Germany ; carpenter ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; appointed Corporal at organization of Company. 
 Detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and transferred to 1st Regiment 
 U. S. Veteran Engineers August, 1864 ; m. o. of that command June 30, 
 1865. Is a carpenter at East Dubuque, 111. 
 
 Corporal J. E. Shipton. Age 20; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 farmer; enlisted from Derinda ; promoted to Corporal. Discharged from 
 hospital at Cincinnati, Feb. 13, 1863, for disability. After the war went 
 to California, and was accidentally killed. 
 
 Corporal David Isbell. Age 25 ; born in town of Guilford, Jo Daviess 
 County, 111. ; miner ; enlisted from Guilford ; was appointed Corporal at 
 organization of Company ; was defiled as .colat,. guard. At Chicka- 
 mauga, Sept. 20, 1863, as tl^C^e^foaienl W^s-'fafling' Track to re-form after 
 the second charge, he was struck in the right elbow, shattering the bone ; 
 although ordered to the rear, he went with the Regiment on the third 
 charge, and the last seen of him he was being carried back, to all appear- 
 ance dead, a ball having struck him in the left breast. He was never 
 heard of afterward. 
 
 Corporal William H. Richards. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 
 111.; farmer ; enlisted from Weston ; promoted to Corporal ; left leg in- 
 jured on Lookout Mountain by falling of a tree ; at Kenesaw a ball 
 passed through his knapsack, and the lock of his gun was cut away by 
 another ball ; at the battle of Nashville a ball passed through his coffee 
 bucket, but he escaped wounds ; mustered out with Regiment. Is now 
 comfortably located on a 320-acre farm near Hampton, Franklin County, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Edwin Rogers. Age 38 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Woodbine; promoted to Corporal Feb. 27, 1863; was never 
 wounded, but participated in all the engagements of the Regiment ; at 
 Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, received the print of a bullet on the stock 
 of his gun while in his hands ; m. o. with regiment. Since the war has 
 been engaged in farming. Is now the owner of a fine farm of 160 acres 
 of land in Turner County, Dak. Has a family ; children all grown and 
 married. P. O. address, Parker, Turner County, Dak. 
 44
 
 690 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Corporal Harrison Menzemer. Age 22 ; born in Galena, 111. ; machin- 
 ist ; enlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal October, 1863 ; knocked 
 down at Chickamauga by spent ball striking him in the ear ; slightly 
 wounded at Lookout Mountain ; captured at Buzzard Roost, Georgia, in 
 February, 1864 ; was taken to Andersonville, where he spent six months ; 
 while there tried to make his escape three times twice by tunnelling, 
 and the third time by taking the guard's gun, and succeeded in getting 
 away, but was recaptured by blood hounds, taken back and manacled, 
 wearing the chains until the flesh had swollen over the shackles before 
 they were taken off. Was then sent to Florence, S. C., where, with other 
 prisoners, he was corralled in an open field for three months, when he 
 made his escape ; rejoined the Company, and was mustered out with 
 Regiment. Is now proprietor of the Shawneetown Foundry and Machine 
 Shops, at Shawneetown, 111. 
 
 Corporal Josephus Metcalf. Age 26 ; born in Pecatonica, 111. ; en- 
 gineer ; enlisted from Galena ; wounded at Chickamauga, and fell into 
 the enemy's hands. Was taken to Richmond, Va., where he remained 
 two months ; then taken to Danville, where he was kept five months and 
 ten days, and then exchanged. Returning to the Regiment, he was left 
 at Chattanooga to guard supplies, and when on his way to join Regi- 
 ment at Pulaski, he fell off the cars and sprained an ankle ; sent to hos- 
 pital at Nashville, and from there to St. Louis. Returned to Company, 
 and was promoted to Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment. Before enlisting 
 in Company A he was with the 3d Missouri Cavalry. Is a stationary 
 engineer at White Oak Springs, Wis. 
 
 Corporal Edward J. Godat. Age 19 ; born in Galena, 111. ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal in January, 1864 ; always 
 with command, but escaped wounds ; at Chickamauga, a ball passed 
 through haversack and clothing ; mustered out with Regiment. Is en- 
 gaged in silver mining in Colorado. Postoffice address, Soda Springs, 
 Lake County, Col. 
 
 Corporal W. H. H. Willard. Age 22 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 
 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from Guilford ; promoted to Corporal May 31, 1865 ; 
 participated in all the engagements of the Regiment, but escaped wounds. 
 Since the war has been an officer in the Wisconsin State Militia. Is now 
 a carpenter and builder. Resides at 917 Chicago street, La Crosse, Wis. 
 
 Corporal William J. Virtue. Age 20 ; born in Galena, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from the town of Rice ; always with the Regiment. At Chicka- 
 mauga a ball was shot through his canteen and clothing. Promoted to 
 Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Galena, 111. 
 
 Corporal Conrad Hesse. Age 26 ; born in Germany ; carpenter ; en 
 listed from Galena ; company bugler for skirmish drill ; promoted to 
 Corporal. Participated with the command in every engagement, and was 
 mustered out with Regiment. Is a contractor and builder at Galena, 111.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 691 
 
 Musician Benjamin F. Fox. Age 14 ; born in Prairie du Chien, Wis.; 
 laborer and school-boy ; enlisted from Dunleith as musician. Was dis- 
 abled at Moccasin Point while cutting timber, having split left knee-cap ; 
 was off duty two weeks ; was struck on the right elbow by bullet at 
 Kenesaw Mountain, June 27. Always with the regimental band. The 
 youngest man in the Company ; mustered out with Regiment. Is now 
 one of the trusted locomotive engineers on the Iowa Division of the 
 111. Cen. R. R. Postoffice address, Waterloo, Iowa. 
 
 Wagoner John Strong. Age 31 ; born in Portsmouth, Ohio ; miner; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth, as wagoner ; served in that capacity until dis- 
 charged for disability at Bridgeport, Ala., Sept. 13, 1863. Is mining at 
 Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Anderson M. Allison. Age 29 ; born in Vermilion, 111.; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Elizabeth ; served with Company until its muster-out, partici- 
 pating in all the engagements of the command ; escaped wounds ; resides 
 at Scotland, Edgar County, 111. 
 
 John A. Bininger. Age 27 ; born in Vienna, Austria ; located at Pilot 
 Knob, near Galena, in 1838 ; miner ; enlisted from Galena. Was cook at 
 regimental headquarters most of the time during his service, but partici- 
 pated in a number of engagements with his command. At Resaca was 
 wounded in right shoulder, face and right side of head, severely ; was 
 absent from command until recovered, and returning served until 
 mustered out with Regiment at Nashville. Since the war has resided at 
 Galena, his occupation being that of a gardener. P. O. address, Galena, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Gottlieb Beck. Age 35; born in Wurtemberg, Germany; shoemaker; 
 enlisted from Dunleith, 111. ; was severely wounded at Chickamauga Sept. 
 20, 1863, by gun-shot, ball entering under chin, passing through throat, 
 cutting some of the arteries, the effects of which have impaired his eye- 
 sight ; was absent from command only while disabled from this wound, 
 and participated in all the engagements of the command ; was m. o. with 
 Regiment. Since the war has been serving as stationary engineer, and is 
 now living at East Dubuque, 111. 
 
 John Buys. Age 39 ; born in Wayne, N. Y. ; enlisted from Galena. 
 Discharged at Danville, Ky., Jan. 25, 1863, for disability. Died after 
 the war. 
 
 James M. Beall. Age 20 ; born in Fulton, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; died at Danville, Ky., Feb. 1, 1863, the first death in the 
 Company. 
 
 Josiah Beall. Age 24 ; born near Ellisville, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; was taken sick, and died at Nashville, Tenn., April 11, 
 1863, being the second death in the Company. Was a noble young man, 
 beloved by all his comrades. Is buried in Nashville National Cemetery.
 
 692 HISTOKY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Charles Barrett. Age, 25 ; born in Jefferson, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Derinda ; discharged for disability at Nashville, April 3, 1863, and 
 sent home. Resides near Warren, 111. 
 
 Otto J. Buck. Age 25 ; born in Maryland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Derinda. Participated in all the movements of the command until dis- 
 charged for disability at Nickajack Cove, Dec. 22, 1863. Is still a sufferer 
 from disease contracted while in service. Is farming at Westminster, 
 Los Angeles County, Cal. 
 
 John Bastian. Age 38 ; born in Yorkshire, England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Elizabeth. Was with the Company all of the time until its 
 muster-out, except when detailed to be with the Regimental Pioneers. 
 Has a family of children, all grown up. Lives at Apple River, Jo Daviess 
 County, 111. 
 
 Alfred Burgess. Age 30 ; born in Allegheny, N. Y. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Scales Mound. Served with his Company until its muster- 
 out, participating in all the engagements ; escaped wounds. When last 
 heard from was farming in Illinois. 
 
 David R. P. Ball. Age 21 ; born in Erie, Pa. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Stockton ; served with Battery most of time. Discharged at Blue 
 Springs, Tenn., in February, 1864, for disability. 
 
 George Bowman. Age 18 ; born in Iowa City, Iowa ; lead miner ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth, 111., as musician, but preferred to serve in the 
 ranks. At Resaca a ball passed through the corner of his knapsack ; also 
 had boot-heel ut in two ; at Kenesaw, June 27, ball passed through his 
 cartridge box ; at Dallas was buried with wood and earth, when a shell 
 struck in front of the Company, splintering the head-log and knocking 
 down part of earth-works. Participated in all the engagements of the 
 command. Mustered out with Regiment. Was with Company C, 27th 
 Illinois, as Captain's boy in the three months' service for a time, but was 
 not regularly enlisted, and went home after the battle of Belmont. Since 
 the war his occupation has been that of master builder. Residence, 
 4446 Cottage Grove avenue, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Harrison M. Campbell. Age 25 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Woodbine ; deserted in Kentucky January 29, 1863. 
 
 Joseph E. Consalus. Age 21 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Nora ; received wound in face at Rocky Face 
 Ridge, May 9, 1864, while skirmishing with sharp-shooters ; though pain- 
 ful, did not leave the command ; was taken prisoner only once, at Big 
 Shanty, and that by our own men, for foraging, but soon released. 
 Participated in all the engagements of the command, and was mustered 
 out with Regiment. His occupation since the close of the war has been 
 that of a railroad conductor, for a long time on the Illinois Central, but 
 is now running between Buffalo and New York City. Postoffice address, 
 Bradford, Pa.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 693 
 
 John W. Connor. Age 20 ; born in New Brunswick ; printer ; en- 
 listed from Galena. Was severely wounded at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 
 1863, a ball passing through his body ; fell into the enemy's hands, and 
 was afterward sent into our lines and taken to hospital. Finally recov- 
 ered sufficiently to be discharged from hospital ; reported to the Company, 
 and served until m. o. with Regiment. Since the war has traveled over 
 the country, and worked as a journeyman printer. His last known 
 address was Augusta, Ga. 
 
 Peter D. Campbell. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Stockton Center ; detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and trans- 
 ferred to 1st Regiment U. S. Veteran Engineers in August, 1864, serving 
 with that command until the close of the war. Resides at Rockwell City, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Andrew Disch, Sr. Age 48 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted 
 from Galena. Discharged for disability Jan. 25, 1863. Returned to 
 Galena, where he still resides. 
 
 Andrew Disch, Jr. Age 19 ; of German parentage; teamster; enlisted 
 from Galena ; always with the Company, participating in all the engage- 
 ments of the Regiment until killed at Lovejoy's Station, on Friday after- 
 noon, September 2, 1864. charging the enemy, the ball entering his neck, 
 killing him instantly. He was a true Christian, and a brave and faithful 
 soldier beloved and mourned by all his comrades. We buried him not 
 far from where he fell ; but his remains were subsequently reinterred in 
 the National Cemetery at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 M. R. Einhart. Age 23; born in Marion, 111.; farmer; enlisted from 
 Hanover, 111.; was discharged at Danville, Ky., January 25, 1863, for 
 disability. 
 
 John Einsweiler. Age 23 ; born in Germany ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Galena; severely wounded in thigh at battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 
 1863, and disabled for several weeks ; returning, served with Company 
 until mustered out with Regiment. Since the war has been mining ; is 
 now engaged in farming at Hazel Green, Wis. 
 
 R. L. Erskine. Age 30 ; born at Lincoln, Me.; farmer; enlisted from 
 Guilford ; discharged at Chicago, Jan. 19, 1863, for disability. 
 
 James C. Fletcher. Age 30 ; born in Sangamon County, Illinois ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Guilford. Discharged, on Surgeon's certificate of 
 disability, at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 16, 1863. Is a public -spirited citizen, 
 and has been School Director for ten years in different districts. Present 
 occupation, farmer. Postoflice address, Loup City, Sherman County, Neb. 
 
 Charles B. Flick. Age 20 ; born in Philadelphia, Pa. ; chairmaker ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; participated in all the movements of the Regiment 
 until after the battle of Lookout Mountain. Not being strong, he con- 
 tracted a severe cold, which resulted in consumption ; was discharged 
 Dec. 2, 1863, at Louisville, Ky. ; returned home, but, thinking it beneficial
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 to his health, he moved to Louisiana, Mo., where he died at the age of 
 28 years, leaving a wife and one child. 
 
 Adam Funstan. Age 24 ; born in Ireland; farmer; enlisted from the 
 town of Rice ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps Sept. 25, 1863. Died 
 near Galena since the war. 
 
 John Greenwald. Age 19 ; born in France ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Menominee, 111.; was with Company until discharged for disability, 
 at Nashville, Feb. 13, 1863. Went home, got well, and re-enlisted in 
 Company F, 12th Illinois. Was severely wounded while with that Com- 
 pany at Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864, having one ball in head, one 
 in breast, lodging in right shoulder, from which it has never been 
 extracted ; also wounded in right leg, shell wound across left leg ; also 
 bayonet wound in left hand, disfiguring it badly; in fact, was shot all to> 
 pieces. Is living on a farm, and, with the aid of his sons and a pension, 
 manages to make a living. Postoffice address, East Dubuque, 111. 
 
 Samuel C. Gault. Age 23 ; born in Mercer, Pa. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Derinda. Mustered out May 16, 1865. Postoffice address, Lanark 
 Illinois. 
 
 William L. Gayetty. Age 28 ; born in Venango County, Pa. ; farmer;, 
 enlisted from Derinda. Contracted a severe cold while afflicted with 
 measles in Kentucky, which resulted in injury to spine ; was discharged 
 for disability at Nashville, Feb. 3, 1863 ; re-enlisted in the same Com- 
 pany, April 13, 1865 ; reported to command, and was transferred to Com- 
 pany B, 21st Illinois ; promoted to Corporal, and served with that com- 
 mand until mustered out in December, 1865. Is a carpenter at Savanna, 
 Illinois. 
 
 William Geyer. Age 31 ; born in Germany ; forester ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; was with Company during entire term of service. Participated 
 in all the engagements of Regiment, but escaped wounds ; was m. o. with 
 Regiment. Died in Chicago soon after the war. 
 
 Louis C. G. Goatiea. Age 26 ; born in Gratiot, Wis. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Menominee Township, Jo Daviess County, 111. Participated 
 in all movements of the Regiment until he was taken sick ; died at Cleve- 
 land, Tenn., April 12, 1864. 
 
 Milton Glover. Age 41 ; born in Phelps, Ontario County, N. Y.; 
 miner ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; wounded in the head at Chickamauga, 
 Sept. 20, 1863 ; had a ball shot through haversack at Kenesaw Mountain 
 June 27, 1864 ; was with Regimental Pioneers part of the time. Always 
 with command, and m. o. with Regiment. Is mining at Apple River, Jo 
 Daviess Co., 111. 
 
 Theodore Hopp. Age 20 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Guilford. Was wounded in left hand at Kenesaw Mountain, June 21, 
 1864 ; was with command all the time, and a good soldier ; m. o. with. 
 Regiment. Is farming at Houghton, Jo Daviess County, 111.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 695 
 
 John H. Holden ; born in Alton, 111., May 1, 1843, of English parents ; 
 his mother died when he was five years old ; at fifteen he was left wholly 
 alone. He battled through the years, working at farming and the butcher 
 business and serving an apprenticeship at the cooper's trade, which he 
 had just completed at the time of entering the service ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; declined an appointment as Corporal, and served through the 
 war as a private, never missing a day's duty, an engagement, or but one 
 roll-call, and that by only five minutes ; never reported to the doctors ; 
 was a model soldier. At the battle of Franklin was struck in the head by 
 a bullet and quite seriously wounded, but with commendable pluck re- 
 mained with the command ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides in San Fran- 
 cisco, Cal., where he has a well established business as an employing 
 cooper, at 105 Clay Street ; has a wife, two sons and two daughters, and 
 is a highly respected business man. 
 
 John Hoch. Age 24 ; born in Wurtemberg, Germany ; shoemaker ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; participated in all the engagements of the Regi- 
 ment without receiving any wounds, although frequently struck in his 
 clothing ; had his haversack shot away at Chickamauga. Served with the 
 Regiment until its muster out. Has been engaged in the boot and shoe 
 business since the war, part of the time at Sherrill's Mound, Dubuque 
 County, Iowa. Present Postoffice address, Galena, 111. 
 
 J. Edward James. Age 19 ; born in Liverpool, England ; printer ; en- 
 listed from Galena ; served in the ranks until after battle of Chicka- 
 mauga, when he was promoted to Commissary Sergeant of the Regiment, 
 in which capacity he served until mustered out with Regiment. Return- 
 ing to Galena, he engaged in the photograph business, and prospered. 
 Died in Galena in April, 1878, of tuberculosis, aged 35 years, leaving a 
 family. 
 
 Francis Johnson. Age 18 ; born in St. Joseph, Mo. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Fairplay, Wis. ; was severely wounded in the foot at Dallas, Ga. 
 Was absent sick at muster-out of Regiment, and was discharged at 
 
 Quincy, 111.; was last heard from at Salida, Chafffee County, Colorado. 
 * 
 
 John Johnson. Age 20 ; American ; enlisted from Galena. Deserted 
 while on the march from Danville to Louisville, Ky.. Jan. 30, 1863. 
 
 Franz J. Keiburz. Age 26 ; born in Switzerland ; pastry cook ; en- 
 listed from Galena ; was company cook until discharged for disability at 
 Nashville, Tenn., March 10, 1863. Died since the war. 
 
 Christian Kaufman. Age 23 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; was a good, faithful soldier ; always with command until 
 wounded at Chickamauga. Sept. 20, 1863, from the effects of which he 
 died four days later. 
 
 Clemens Kuntz. Age 19 ; born in France ; enlisted from Galena. 
 Served with Company until discharged at Wartrace, Tenn., June 17, 
 1863, by order of Secretary of War. Residence, Galena, 111.
 
 696 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Eugene B. Langdon. Age 19; born in Columbia, N. Y. ; farmer; 
 enlisted from Galena ; was with command in nearly all the engagements 
 of the Regiment. Severely wounded at battle of Chickamauga, and again 
 at Nashville, Dec. 16, 1864 ; was discharged on account of wounds at 
 St. Louis, Mo., April 7, 1865. 
 
 William Lewis. Age 21 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena. Killed at Atlanta, Ga., August 19, 1864, in a charge made by 
 the Regiment on the Rebel works. His body was recovered late in the 
 evening, and the next day he was buried with military honors by his 
 comrades. His remains now rest in the Marietta cemetery. 
 
 James McCann. Age 22 ; born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ; 
 miner ; enlisted from White Oak Springs, Wis. Was with the Company 
 in every engagement, but, with the exception of a broken rib, escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with the Regiment. Is farming at Shullsburg, Wis. 
 
 William B. McMaster. Age 18; born in Galena, 111.; school boy; 
 enlisted from Galena ; sprained his knee while in service ; was Regi- 
 mental Postmaster for some time ; balance of time served with the Com- 
 pany ; was previously in Company F, 12th Illinois, for three-months 
 service. Discharged from Company A for promotion in 7th Kentucky 
 Heavy Artillery, December, 1864 ; was transferred to colored regiment 
 and stationed at Memphis, Tenn., until three months after close of the 
 war, when he was mustered out at the latter place. Since the war he 
 has been mining in Colorado. 
 
 Samuel R. Marsden. Age 22; born in Jefferson County, Mo. ; miner; 
 enlisted from Galena; served in the Company until discharged for disa- 
 bility at Bridgeport, Ala., Sept. 18, 1863. Since the war has been Captain 
 and Engineer of steamboat; now operating the ferry between Savanna, 
 Illinois, and Sabula, Iowa, on the Mississippi River. Postofflce address, 
 Sabula, Iowa. 
 
 Richard K. Miller. Aged 18 ; born in Galena, 111. ; school boy ; 
 enlisted from Galena. Participated in every engagement of the Regi 
 ment, and, although he had many close calls, escaped being wounded ; 
 was m. o. with the Regiment. Since the war has served five years in the 
 Regular Army, as Sergeant. Is now a prosperous farmer and stock- 
 raiser at Clay Center, Clay County, Kansas, 
 
 Charles C. Menzemer. Age 18 ; born in Galena ; school boy and 
 miner ; enlisted from Galena. Participated in all engagements of the 
 Regiment until captured, near Buzzard Roost, Ga., Feb. 26, 1864 ; was 
 taken to Andersonville Prison, where he died from being vaccinated with 
 impure virus, June 16, 1864. No. of grave, 2,049. 
 
 John J. McKinley. Age 38 ; born in Cumberland County, Pa. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Derinda. Discharged at Nashville, Tenn., April 
 5, 1863, for disability ; re-enlisted, in 1865, in 21st Illinois, and m. o. in 
 December of same year at San Antonio, Texas. After his return home 
 he moved to Kansas, where he held the office of Justice of the Peace ;
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 697 
 
 from Kansas he moved to Jackson County, Mo., where he died Oct. 1, 
 1885, of nervous prostration. 
 
 Robert Neal. Age 19 ; horn in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Woodbine. Died at Franklin, Tenn., March 22, 1863. 
 
 Harlow D. Ragan. Age 21; born in Meigs, Ohio; carpenter; enlisted 
 from Logan County ; received a slight wound in hand at Lookout Moun- 
 tain, Nov. 24, 1863 ; served with Ambulance Corps during last fourteen 
 months ; was in three months' service at beginning of war in some Illi- 
 nois regiment ; was m. o. with Regiment, and, immediately after being 
 paid off at Chicago, went to Columbia, Tenn., where he was shot dead a 
 few months later. 
 
 Francis J. Robinson. Age 17 ; born in New York City ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; was in the battle of Lookout Mountain and all of 
 the engagements that followed until Kenesaw Mountain ; at the Buzzard 
 Roost reconnoissance, Feb. 25, 1864, was slightly wounded in foot ; at 
 Dallas, Ga., was wounded in the neck, and at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., 
 June 21, 1864, was three times hit in the left leg by bullets, one of which 
 he still carries in the limb ; he afterward narrowly escaped death from 
 gangrene, and was not again able for duty until the Regiment had 
 reached Huntsville ; m. o. with Regiment. Afterward graduated from 
 the State Normal School, and was for some years engaged in teaching ; 
 is now book-keeper for the printing house of A. M. Wood & Co., 184 
 and 186 Monroe Street, Chicago. Residence at River Park, Cook County, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Christian Rausch. Age 50 ; born in Germany ; contractor ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; remained with the Company until Feb. 20, 1863, when he 
 was discharged for disability, at Nashville. Resides at Galena, Illinois. 
 
 Edward Reubeno. Age 23 ; born in Galena ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; participated in all the engagements of the Regiment, and had a 
 finger shot off at the battle of Chickamauga ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 a large and prosperous farmer and stock-raiser near Galena, Illinois. 
 
 William Saulsbury. Age 18; born in Harrison, Virginia ; farmer; 
 enlisted from Galena ; most of the time driving a Division team, but par- 
 ticipated in several battles ; escaped wounds. Died at Camp Douglas, 
 Chicago, Jan. 9, 1865. Is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery. 
 
 Edward Simpson. Age 27 ; born in Ireland ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Dunleith, 111. ; always with Company, except when in hospital on account 
 of severe sabre wound in head, received at battle of Chickamauga; mus- 
 tered out with Regiment. Is a laborer on railroad, at Waverly, Iowa. 
 
 Calvin Turner. Age 24 ; born in Adair County, Kentucky ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena.; was one of the Company cooks first eight months ; 
 was discharged for disability at Nashville, April 5, 1803 ; has never been 
 able to do manual labor since ; has been a canvasser for the last eight 
 years. Postoffice address, Savanna, Carroll County, 111.
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Theodore Treftz. Age 33 ; born in Germany ; accountant and clerk r 
 enlisted from Galena ; served with Company until m. o. with reghnent, 
 participating in all the engagements. Died in Galena after the war from 
 disease contracted in service. 
 
 Ebenezer Tate. Age 26 ; born in Erie, Pa. ; carpenter ; enlisted; 
 from Galena. At Chickamauga his clothing was riddled with bullets, 
 but no injury to body; at Atlanta received' a slight but painful wound 
 on the head ; was with the command all the time until m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Since the close of the war has been farming in Iowa; is now 
 engaged in that business in Kansas. Postoffice address, Cheney, Sedg- 
 wick County, Kan. 
 
 Frederick Utrecht. Age 53 ; born in Prussia ; enlisted from Galena ; 
 discharged for disability, April 4, 1863. Died at Galena, 111., November 
 2, 1883. 
 
 Thomas Vickers. Age 32 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Vinegar Hill ; was with command all the time, except when sick with 
 small-pox at Nashville, Tenn. ; m. o. with Regiment. Postoffice address, 
 New Diggings, Wis. 
 
 Nicholas Wearmouth. Age 26 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted 
 from Vinegar Hill. At Chickamauga bullet passed through coat and 
 haversack ; at Lookout Mountain was hit in left side ; at Resaca rim of 
 hat was taken off by bullet. Was with Company until its muster out. 
 Is mining at Mill Bridge, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 John H. Witman. Age 20 ; born in Illinois, of German parentage ; 
 druggist ; enlisted from Galena. Served faithfully with Company until 
 mortally wounded at Chickamauga, and died Oct. 30, 1863. Is buried in 
 the National Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Gottlieb Weber. Age 33 ; born in Wurtemberg, Germany ; gardener ; 
 enlisted from Dunleith, 111.; severely wounded in face by gun-shot, at 
 Resaca, May 14, 1864 ; with command all the time, participating in nearly 
 all the engagements of the Regiment ; was m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 mining and gardening. Postoffice address, Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
 Harvey G. Wilson. Age 25 : born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth. Discharged July 23, 1863, for disability. Residence, Aspiu, 
 Colorado. 
 
 Joseph D. Young. Age 18 ; born in Holland ; laborer; enlisted from 
 Menominee, Jo Daviess County; was wounded in leg at Chickamauga, 
 also in left leg near Atlanta, July 10, 1864 ; was absent for short time 
 only ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at New Richland, Waseca 
 County, Minn.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 699 
 
 RECRUITS TO COMPANY A. 
 
 John A. Abel. Age 21 ; born in Oldenburg, Germany ; clerk ; en- 
 listed from Galena, Oct. 3, 1864 ; was with the Company at the battle of 
 Nashville, and in the pursuit of Hood ; had hemorrhage of lungs, caused 
 by exposure in that campaign, and was sick for some time ; at m. o. of 
 Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; finally m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 15, 1865. Present occupation, laborer and gardener. 
 Postoffice address, 537 Lawson Street, St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 Philip Allendorf. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County ; miner ; en- 
 listed from Galena, Sept. 19, 1864 ; joined the Company at Nashville ; 
 participated in the battle and the campaign following ; m o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is mining at Galena, 111. 
 
 John Bryson. Age 45; born in Ireland ; farmer; enlisted from Wood- 
 bine, Oct. 1, 1864 ; joined the Company in time to participate in battle of 
 Nashville and pursuit of Hood ; was m. o. with Regiment. Died in 
 Galena, Feb. 6, 1868, from white swelling and dropsy. He left a family, 
 who reside at Cheever, Dickinson County, Kan. 
 
 Thomas Bray. Age 24 ; born in Elk Grove, Wis. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena, March 2, 1865 ; joined the Company at Russellville, and 
 died at Nashville, Tenn., April 26, 1865, of typhoid fever. 
 
 Robert Bryson. Age 36 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth, March 3, 1865 ; joined Company at Russellville, and at in. o. 
 of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st 111. ; date of final m. o , 
 Dec. 16, 1865. Died June 17, 1869, at Elizabeth, 111., where his family 
 still reside. 
 
 Elisha R. Bennett. Age 32 ; born in Cayuga, N. Y. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Council Hill, March 13, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. Sept. 4, 1865, at Prairie du Chien, Wis. 
 
 George Bingham. Age 32 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena, March 24, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; m. o. 
 Dec. 16, 1865. Died in 1883. 
 
 William H. Collins. Age 19 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena, March 16, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 2lst Illinois ; 
 m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Noah N. Davis. Age 43 ; born in Green, Indiana ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Woodbine, Sept. 21, 1864 ; was in the battle of Nashville ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at Pleasant Valley, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 James Delaney. Age 39 ; born in Ireland ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Galena, Oct. 14. 1864 ; was in the battle of Nashville ; at m. o. of Regi- 
 ment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois, and died Aug. 2, 1865, 
 at Green Lake, Texas.
 
 700 HISTOBY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 Henry A. Davis. Age 21 ; born in Delaware, Ohio ; cooper ; enlisted 
 from Halleck, Peoria County, 111., Jan. 24, 1865 ; transferred to Company 
 B, 21st Illinois ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Charles Eby. Age 44 ; born in Baden, Germany; dyer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth, March 3, 1865 ; joined Company in East Tennessee ; at m. o. 
 of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; finally dis- 
 charged Dec. 16, 1865. Is now operating the Elizabeth Woolen Mills. 
 Postofflce address, Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 John Hefty. Age 37 ; born in Switzerland ; farmer ; enlisted March 
 3, 1865, from Elizabeth ; was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois, at 
 m. o. of Regiment ; finally m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. Died after the war at 
 Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Baalam Hull. Age 27 ; born in Hanover, 111. ; farmer; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth March 3, 1865 ; was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois, at 
 m. o. of Regiment ; finally m. o. Dec. 16, 1865, at San Antonio, Texas. 
 Since the war has been Postmaster two years ; is disabled for labor. 
 Postoffice address, Hanover, 111. 
 
 Albert F. Higley. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena, March 13, 1865 ; joined Company at Russellville, 
 Tenn. Was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois, at m. o. of Regi- 
 ment, and died Aug. 21, 1865, at New Orleans, La. 
 
 William Hilderbrandt. Age 30 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rice township, March 2, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. Resides at Woodbine, 111. 
 
 August Hiller. Age 19; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; cooper; 
 enlisted from Galena, Sept. 27, 1864. Was with command at battle of 
 Nashville, and the pursuit of Hood ; m. o. with Regiment. It is under- 
 stood that he died a few years since at St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 Christian Kuntz. Age 29 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena, Oct. 8, 1864 ; joined the Regiment at Nashville, and participated 
 in the battle and campaign following. Transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. Oct. 15, 1865, at Victoria, Tex. Resides at Galena, 111. 
 
 Thomas Metcalf. Age 24 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Benton, Wis., March 2, 1865 ; joined Company at Russellville, Tenn. 
 Was taken sick, and died at Nashville, May 16, 1865. 
 
 Leonard Metcalf. Age 30 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 the town of Benton, Wis., March 2, 1865 ; joined Company at Russell- 
 ville, Tenn. At m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. at San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 16, 1865. Died in August, 1871. 
 
 Christopher Metcalf. Age 21 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted 
 from Benton, Wis., March 2, 1865; joined the Company at Russellville, 
 Tenn. At m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illi- 
 nois Regiment ; served with that command until m. o. at San Antonio, 
 Tex., Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming at Centre Grove, Dubuque County, Iowa.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 701 
 
 James Metcalf. Age 22 ; born in Glimerside, England ; miner ; en- 
 listed from Benton, Wis., March 2, 1865 ; joined Company at Russellville, 
 Tenn. At m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois; 
 served with that command until m. o. at San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 16, 
 1865. Is now a druggist at Benton, La Lafayette County, Wis. 
 
 John Metcalf. Age 23 ; born in England ; butcher ; enlisted from 
 Benton, Wis., March 2, 1865 ; joined Company at Russellville. At m. o. 
 of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; served with 
 that command until m. o. at San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 16, 1865. Is a 
 banker at Paulina, O'Brien County, Iowa. 
 
 James H. McAllister. Age 20 ; born in Philadelphia, Pa. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Hanover, Feb. 24, 1865. At m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to Company B, 21st Illinois; finally mustered out Dec. 16, 1865. 
 Is farming at Freeman, Hutchinson County, Dak. 
 
 John McCoy. Age 34 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth, 111., March 3, 1865 ; joined the Company at Russellville, and 
 at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; finally 
 m. o. at San Antonio, Dec. 16, 1865. Postoffice address, Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Christopher Menzemer. Age 16; born in Galena, 111.; farmer; en- 
 listed from Galena, March 2, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. Is mining at Idaho Springs, Colorado. 
 
 John Martin. Age 18 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Council Hill, March 2, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; 
 mustered out Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Robert B. Mallor. Age 22 ; born in Livingston County, Ky. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena, March 24, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; mustered out Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 James Nicholas. Age 25 ; born in Cleveland, Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Mt. Carroll, 111.; joined Company at Russellville, Tenn.; at m. o. 
 of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; finally m. o. 
 at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming at Cuba City, Wis. 
 
 William R. Oliver. Age 18 ; born in Carroll County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Derinda, April 13, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 James Richards. Age 17 ; born in Hazel Green, Wis. ; school-boy ; 
 enlisted from Galena, March 2, 1865 ; died at Nashville, Tenn., May 9, 1865. 
 
 David Reed. Age 38 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from Rice, 
 Oct. 14, 1864 ; was with command at Nashville and in the pursuit of 
 Hood. At m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; was absent on furlough when that Regiment was mustered out. 
 Died near Galena after the war. 
 
 Henry Rosenthal. Age 37 ; born in Prussia ; physician ; enlisted 
 from Galena, March 2, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ;
 
 702 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 absent sick at muster out of that Regiment ; resides at Dickey ville, Grant 
 County, Wis. 
 
 Joseph Rubado. Age 19 ; born in Grant County, Wis. ; smelter ; 
 enlisted from Hazel Green, Wis., March 11, 1865 ; transferred to Company 
 B, 21st Illinois ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Harmon Redeke. Age 37 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Derinda, April 13, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; m. o. 
 Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 John Sausen. Age 44 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Rice Township, March 2, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; 
 m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Chas. W. Skemp. Age 20 ; born in England ; clerk ; enlisted from 
 Galena, March 20, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois, but 
 never reported to that command. 
 
 Nathaniel Tutin. Age 34 ; born in England ; currier ; enlisted from 
 Galena, Sept. 27, 1864 ; was with command at Franklin and Nashville, 
 and in the pursuit of Hood ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at 
 Bartlett, Wheeler County, Nebraska. 
 
 Nicholas Tippit. Age 26 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 <ralena, March 20, 1865 ; joined the Company at Russellville. Died at 
 Nashville, Tenn., May 3, 1865, of typhoid fever. 
 
 William H. Tippit. Age 29 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena, March 20, 1865 ; joined the Company at Russellville, Tenn. 
 At muster-out of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois. 
 Was sick in hospital at New Orleans two months with chronic diarrhoea ; 
 finally discharged at Springfield, 111., Jan. 22, 1866. Is farming at Galena, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Corporal Chapman Thistlewait. Age 34 ; born in England ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; had served three years in 19th Illinois Volunteers ; 
 was mustered out of that Regiment at Atlanta, as Corporal. At muster- 
 out of NINETY- SIXTH was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois, and 
 appointed Corporal. Finally mustered out at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 
 16, 1865. Is mining at Cuba City, Grant County, Wis. 
 
 Robert Virtue. Age 26 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from the 
 town of Rice, Oct. 14, 1864 ; joined the Company at Nashville, and par- 
 ticipated in the battle and the campaign following. At muster-out of 
 Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; finally m. o. Oct. 
 15, 1865, at Victoria, Texas. Died Dec. 6, 1865, of chronic diarrhoea. 
 
 John Wheeldin. Age 27 ; born in England ; miner : enlisted from 
 Galena, Sept. 27, 1864. Participated in the battle of Nashville and in the 
 pursuit of Hood. A bullet struck his frying-pan, which saved him from 
 injury ; was injured at Huntsville, in hauling wood ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment ; resides at Galena, 111.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY A. 
 
 John S. Weir. Age 30 ; born in Mercer County, Pa.; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Woodbine, Oct. 8, 1864 ; was with Company at the battles of Frank- 
 lin and Nashville ; detailed as clerk of Division Court Martial, at Hunts- 
 ville, Ala., January, 1865. Since the war has been engaged in the grocery 
 business ; is now farming and stock-raising at Pauline, Kansas. 
 
 Isaac M. Wilcox. Age 17 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Galena, Oct. 14, 1864 ; joined Company in time to partici- 
 pate in battle of Nashville and pursuit of Hood. Died at Russellville, 
 Tenn., April 16, 1865. 
 
 Robert R. Willson. Age 20 ; born in Niagara, Ontario ; clerk ; en- 
 listed from Hanover, Oct. 8, 1864 ; joined the Company at Nashville, 
 before the battle, and was with the Regiment in the campaign following. 
 At muster out of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; 
 m. o. at Springfield, 111., Oct. 15, 1865. Is a prosperous merchant at 
 Hanover, 111. 
 
 Henry Wayman. Age 16 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from the town of Derinda, Oct. 15, 1864 ; was with Company in 
 battle of Nashville ; transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; m. o. Oct. 
 15, 1865. Died at Westminster, Los Angeles County, Cal., Feb. 19, 1888, 
 leaving alamily. 
 
 Frederick Wiemers. Age 40 ; born in Germany ; tailor ; enlisted 
 from Galena, Oct. 14, 1864 ; was with command at Nashville and pursuit 
 of Hood ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; absent sick at final m. o. ; is a tailor at Galena, 111. 
 
 George Woodward. Age 37 ; born in England ; mason ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth, March 3, 1865 ; was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois ; 
 promoted to Corporal ; died Oct. 16, 1865, at Victoria, Texas. 
 
 Henry Willy. Age 34 ; born in England ; sailor ; enlisted from 
 Council Hill, 111., March 2, 1865 ; joined the Company at Russellville, and 
 at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company B, 21st Illinois. Date 
 of final m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming at Cuba City, Wis. 
 
 Frederick Wolford. Age 33 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena, March 29, 1865 ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Com- 
 pany B, 21st Illinois ; finally m. o Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming at Galena, 111. 
 
 Gregory Weitzenaker. Age 40 ; born in Switzerland ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Galena, March 24, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 21st 
 Illinois ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Corporal Thomas Winters. Age 32 ; born in Warren, N. Y. ; carpen- 
 ter ; enlisted from Galena, April 10, 1865 ; transferred to Company B, 
 21st Illinois ; promoted to Corporal June 16, 1865 ; m. o. Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Mathias Yontz. Age 39; born in Germany; miller; enlisted from 
 Galena, Sept. 27, 1864 ; was with command at Franklin and Nashville, 
 and in the pursuit of Hood ; m. o. with Regiment. Died in Galena, 111., 
 in 1885.
 
 704 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 XLII. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 BY GEORGE WAIT. 
 
 How the Company was Recruited The Organization at Hainesville 
 Three Times Sworn In Incidents in the Early Days Man Afruid of 
 His Knapsack Fort Mitchell Promotions Ante-Battle Losses 
 Casualties at Chickamauga Subsequent Losses " Gus " Bollen- 
 back's Capture and Escape Company Statistics A Proud Record 
 The Complete Roster. 
 
 DURING the spring and early summer of 1862, although 
 opposing armies were in the field and at the seat of war, the 
 rank-and-file were over-taxed with duty and the Generals com- 
 manding put to their wits' end to know just whaj to do. 
 Farther to the north, and more remote from those accom- 
 panying scenes of carnage and bloodshed, comparative quiet 
 seemed to reign, and a hope that the worst was past seemed 
 to pervade every neighborhood and fireside. But what a 
 change soon passed over the country ! Fresh disasters to our 
 armies set the wires in motion, bearing to the extreme por- 
 tions of the North the call of our "Father Abraham " for' 
 300,000, and shortly afterward for 300,000 more, making in 
 round numbers 600,000 men. In obedience to these calls, 
 I. L. Clarke, Esq., of Waukegan, and Dr. David Salisbury, of 
 Hainesville, started out in July to recruit and organize a 
 Company, believing that, with the united efforts of the peo- 
 ple, Lake County could raise her quota of that mighty host, 
 and that, too, without a draft. In every town and village the 
 sound of the mustering drum was heard. Patriotic men left 
 the store, the workshop and the farm, eager to place their 
 names upon the rolls, believing the time had come when the 
 preservation of the Union depended upon the united efforts 
 of the people of the North. 
 
 Hardly had Messrs. Clarke and Salisbury made the effort 
 to recruit one Company, ere they found they had upon their
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 
 
 Serg't ARTHUR COOK. 
 DIGHTON GRANGER. 
 
 HENRY DOMBSKI. 
 
 Second Lieut. GEO. WAIT. 
 
 Corp'l HAMILTON C. WHITNEY. 
 
 Serg't WARREN E. POWERS. 
 OSCAR E. WHITCOMB.

 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY B. 705 
 
 rolls names enough to make nearly two, and so by mutual 
 consent they parted. About twenty men who had signed a 
 roll in the village of Wauconda joined Dr. Saulsbury, and a 
 Company was organized at Hainesville, 111., on Saturday, 
 August 10, with David Saulsbury as Captain, Rollin H. 
 Trumbull, of Wauconda, as First Lieutenant, and Allen B. 
 Whitney, of Avon, as Second Lieutenant, with a total of one 
 hundred men, varying in age, with a few exceptions, from 
 seventeen to thirty-five, and in appearance and power of en- 
 durance equal to the heroes of the 15th and 37th Regiments, 
 or, in fact, to the men of any other organization that had pre- 
 viously left Lake County. When formed in line, as they 
 were upon one or two occasions, they gave the little village 
 of Hainesville quite a military appearance. 
 
 Shortly after the organization of the Company, and after 
 swords had been presented to the officers by the patriotic citi- 
 zens of Avon and Wauconda, the Company was disbanded 
 for a time, the men being allowed to return to their homes, 
 gather up their effects and provi4e for the future of their fam- 
 ilies (such of them as had, families), as besj they could, previ- 
 ous to entering campy September 1. As the men, or boys as 
 most of them were, were about to start for Waukegan, en 
 route for Rockford, 111., where they were to enter camp, who 
 can describe the feelings of father and mother, of brother and 
 sister, of wife and children, as they parted with their loved 
 ones, many of them never to meet again this side of the 
 River of Death ! The writer remembers one instance where 
 friends gathered around a young man who, when a lad of four 
 or five years, was left an orphan, and, without so much as a 
 brother or sister, had made the journey of life to manhood 
 alone, a neighboring farmer took Him by the hand, and, 
 when he could trust his voice to speak, he said : "If the time 
 ever comes, in the future, that you need money, a home, or a 
 friend, come or send to me." 
 
 September 3 found the members of the Company all to- 
 gether again in Waukegan. The Company was formed on 
 the Court House Square, and again sworn into the service, 
 although it had previously been sworn in, at Hainesville, by 
 45
 
 706 HISTOKY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 Esquire Marvin. During the Company's brief stay in Wau- 
 kegan some of the men were quartered at the Sherman House, 
 some at the Waukegan House, and others at the City Hotel. 
 
 The morning of September 5 found the men taking leave 
 of the friends who had remained in town to see them off. 
 Then, tendering their thanks to the patriotic ladies of Wau- 
 kegan, who had presented each member of the Company 
 with a nicely arranged pin and needle cushion, the Company 
 marched down to the depot, and, with the other three Com- 
 panies from Lake County, was soon on board the train. 
 Hardly had the train got under motion over the up-grade, 
 when it came to a station, then called Rockland, where there 
 was standing what was, no doubt, a truly loyal and patriotic- 
 citizen, waving his handkerchief. Hanging upon his arm was 
 a basket containing a nice roast of beef. A white-haired 
 youth of Company B, believing that, to be good soldier, one 
 should begin early and learn easy, slipped his foot through 
 the handle of the basket, and, as the boys used to say, "took 
 it in." This was the first indulgence in what afterward be- 
 came a prominent feature of the War, namely, foraging. 
 
 The train made but a short stop at Chicago, and was soon 
 moving on its way, a few hours' run bringing it to Rockford, 
 where the four Companies disembarked and marched through 
 the city to Camp Fuller. When the men were ordered to break 
 ranks, each one made a rush for the barracks to secure a 
 bunk ; the next thing in order being refreshments. Hardly 
 had the fires been kindled, and the dinner, or supper, as it 
 might be called, got under way, when the order was given to 
 fall in, and Company B, with the other Companies, marched 
 out and was mustered in as a Regiment. This being the third 
 time Company B had been sworn into the service, the muster- 
 ing officer no doubt thought it would do, so the men were 
 marched back to camp to finish the meal already cooking. 
 The coffee was again warmed up, the meat given another 
 turn in the skillets, and when the men were gathered around 
 that rude table which contained meat, soft bread and molasses, 
 the expression upon each one's countenance seemed to say,
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY B. 707 
 
 <"I am not dining at mother's table, but at Uncle Sam's 
 Hotel." 
 
 After finishing their meal the men took a stroll around 
 camp for a short time previous to entering the barracks, where 
 they spent the evening in singing songs and telling stories, 
 and if any gloomy thoughts were entertained of home, they 
 were not expressed, but each one seemed to do his part to 
 pass off the first evening in camp as pleasantly as possible. 
 When the hour for retiring came, most of the boys had their 
 first experience in making up beds, which consisted of straw 
 without a tick, pillows without a feather, and the soft side of 
 A pine board for a mattress, that would not let them sleep 
 long enough to have any sweet dreams of home without wak- 
 ing them up and causing them to turn over. The next morn- 
 ing the men came out of their quarters seemingly refreshed, 
 and ready for any duty that might be assigned them. 
 
 Captain Saulsbury, the previous evening, having drawn 
 the second letter in the list, the Company was ever after 
 known as Company B. The list of non-commissioned officers 
 was announced, as follows : Sergeants, E. J. Gillmore, Morris 
 S. Hill, George H. Burnett, Orskine Ferrand and Henry 
 Annis ; Corporals, Ambrose A. Bangs, George Wait, William 
 D. Whitmore, John D. Fulsom, Daniel Osman, Samuel H. 
 Lindsay, Arthur Cook and Willard Whitney. The men were 
 arranged in the Company according to size or height, and the 
 commissioned and non-commissioned officers assigned to their 
 places. The Company daily went out for Company drill, 
 usually under command of Lieut. O. S. Johnston, of Wauke- 
 gan, who had seen service in the 51st Illinois, and was a good 
 drill-master. When the Regiment went out for battalion drill 
 Company B took its place upon the left of the Regiment, next 
 to Company G, a position that ever afterward, when on the 
 march, the order being right in front, gave it the rear, and if 
 left in front, the advance of the Regiment. Few things of 
 interest transpired while the Regiment was in camp at Rock- 
 ford. The drawing of arms and accoutrements was a matter 
 of curiosity as well as interest. The men looked with equal 
 curiosity upon the knapsack, in which they were to carry their
 
 708 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 clothing and everything pertaining to the comfort of the outer 
 man ; the haversack, in which they were to carry their food 
 to strengthen the inner man ; the canteen, from which they 
 were to slake their thirst ; the cartridge-box, in which they 
 were to carry their supply of ammunition ; and their gun, 
 with which they were to help whip into subjection those who' 
 dared to raise their arm against the Constitution and the Flag 
 of our country. 
 
 An incident occurred when the outfit was drawn that 
 brought a smile upon the faces of all. George Rix, of Com- 
 pany B, after packing his knapsack with his personal effects, 
 and strapping his overcoat and blanket upon the top, found it 
 to be a healthy looking object and a burden not easily borne. 
 Being full of pluck and nerve, he placed it upon his back and 
 made secure the fastenings ; then, straightening up, he looked 
 at his shadow to see what kind of an appearance he made ;. 
 then looking over his shoulder, and acting as if scared at the 
 object he saw, he went prancing around the camp like a wild 
 colt loose upon the prairie, with a rider strapped to his back. 
 Little did his comrades think then that within four short 
 months, through the deep muds of Kentucky, keeping step 
 to the sound of the muffled drum, they would be following 
 him to his last resting place. 
 
 October 8 found the Regiment under orders for Cincin- 
 nati, and the members of Company B hurrying to their place 
 on the left of the Regiment. The command of Colonel 
 Champion was repeated by the Captains along the line, 
 u Right, face ! " t; Forward, march ! " and the NINETY-SIXTH 
 was marched to the city, boarded the train, and was soon on 
 its way to the front. While the Regiment was in barracks at 
 Covington, Ky., a portion of the Company, under command 
 of Sergeant Ambrose A. Bangs, was detailed to guard Fort 
 Mitchell. When the Regiment started for Lexington, Ky., 
 Company B was one of the five Companies under Colonel 
 Champion, marching via Williamstown and Georgetown. 
 When Lexington was nearly reached the Regiment came to a 
 halt, and the men of Company B, tired of their long march, 
 stood leaning upon their guns. Dighton Granger, a lad of
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY B. 709 
 
 twenty years, with no matrimonial prospects, so far as any one 
 knew, gave his knapsack a nudge, and, turning to his file- 
 mate, said : u My ! we will help put down this Rebellion, but 
 if there is ever another war, our children will have to go to 
 the front." 
 
 At Harrodsburg Company B received notice of the death 
 of Hiram W. Hollister, at Lexington, November 25, his 
 being the first death in the Company. While at Danville the 
 -Company received notice of the resignation of First Lieuten- 
 ant Rollin H. Trumbull, who had been sent to hospital at 
 Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon the receipt of this notice Allen B. 
 Whitney was promoted from Second to First Lieutenant, and 
 an election was called to choose a Second Lieutenant. The 
 election was an interesting though friendly one, and resulted 
 in a tie between Corporals John D. Fulsom and George Wait, 
 and, consequently, no choice was made. A few days later the 
 Company officers, to make good a promise given by them at 
 the organization of the Company, when it was thought Cap- 
 tain Salisbury would be made a member of the Medical Staff, 
 sent the name of First Sergeant E. J. Gillmore to Governor 
 Yates, and requested that he be promoted to Second Lieu- 
 tenant, which was done. 
 
 Company B was detailed, December 29, 1862. to guard 
 the Hickman Bridge across the Kentucky River, on the Lex- 
 ington and Danville pike, but rejoined the Regiment Janu- 
 ary 3, 1863. After the return of the Regiment to Danville 
 from the Lebanon march, through a torrent of rain, nearly 
 one-half of the men in the Company were sick, three of the 
 number, George Rix, James Brown and Alfred Collins, 
 dying within a short period. During the last day's march 
 from Danville to Louisville, William S. Skinner deserted ; 
 and while ascending the Cumberland River by transport, Cor- 
 poral John D. Fulsom and Lafayette Collins deserted. While 
 the Regiment was in camp at Nashville, Tenn., Captain David 
 Saulsbury resigned, and Allen B. Whitney was promoted from 
 First Lieutenant to Captain, E. J. Gillmore from Second to 
 First Lieutenant, and George H. Burnett from First Sergeant 
 to Second Lieutenant.
 
 710 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 During the first year, and previous to the battle of Chick- 
 amauga, the losses of the Company were twenty seven, as 
 follows : Captain David Saulsbury and Lieutenant Trumbull, 
 resigned ; Morris S. Hill, William Bottom, William S. Clark, 
 Hiram Boogar, John H. Crosby, George H. Day, Whitman 
 O. Fisher and James Young were discharged ; James Brown, 
 James Bottom, Alfred Collins, Eleazer Graves, Hiram W. 
 Hollister, James O'Connel, John J. Price and George Rix 
 died ; Corporal John D. Fulsom and Privates William S. 
 Skinner and Lafayette Collins deserted ; Isaac Barrus and 
 Alfred Castle were detached, and J. W. Devoe was transferred. 
 
 The survivors of Company B, like those of many other 
 organizations, will never forget the terrible battle of Chicka- 
 mauga and the tempest of shot and shell of the enemy passing 
 through their ranks, like a whirlwind of death, leaving upon 
 the field to die many of their bravest and best men, while 
 others were borne to the rear, many of them crippled and! 
 maimed for life. The Company went into the battle with less 
 than forty men. Of these, four were killed or left dying upon 
 the field, nine were wounded, one was taken prisoner, and 
 nearly one-half of the remainder had their clothing pierced 
 by bullets. After reaching the right, the Regiment had hardly 
 halted and come to a front, when Charles N. Fox was struck 
 in the breast by a ball and instantly killed. When the Regi- 
 ment had advanced up the hill a few rods, Thomas Potter was 
 shot in the bowels. He returned to within a few feet of where 
 Charles Fox fell, and lay down and died. When the line had 
 fallen back and re-formed, it was found that William Kimball 
 was missing, having doubtless been killed, although no one 
 saw him fall. The Regiment had advanced a second time but a 
 short distance, when Emery Dart was missed, and is supposed 
 to have been killed outright. In the first charge John H. 
 Cruver was wounded in the right elbow so severely that he 
 afterward suffered three operations, having portions of the 
 elbow and five inches of the bone above taken out, and being 
 compelled to carry his arm in a sling three years. Henry 
 Annis was wounded in the left leg, below the knee, and also 
 received a scalp wound. Corporal Hamilton C. Whitney was
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY B. 71.1. 
 
 shot in the side, the ball passing through and coming out the 
 other side. When taken from the field eight days later, under 
 a flag of truce, his wound was filled with maggots. John 
 Cashman received a severe wound in the foot, and never 
 afterward rejoined the Company. Sergeant William I). Whit- 
 more was wounded severely in the shoulder, Caleb Whitney 
 slightly in the heel, William W. Tower severely in the right 
 leg below the knee, and Charles McCusker in the shoulder. 
 Near evening First Sergeant Ambrose A. Bangs received a 
 slight scalp wound. Soon afterward he and Arthur Cook, 
 both of whom had remained too long at the front, differed as 
 to the direction the Regiment had taken in a retrograde 
 movement, each taking his own way ; Cook quickly rejoined 
 his comrades, and Bangs soon found himself in the enemy's 
 lines and a prisoner. The total loss to the Company in killed, 
 wounded and missing at Chickamauga was fourteen. 
 
 When the Regiment was drawn up in line at the foot of 
 Lookout Mountain on the morning of November 24, 1863, a 
 thoughtful expression was upon the face of every man. when 
 Charles McCusker stepped out in front, and, facing the Com- 
 pany, said : "Well, boys, it is a hard fight that no one gets 
 through to tell the story ! " The spell was broken, the order 
 given to advance, and soon all were on the move. When the 
 Regiment was swinging around the point of the mountain, 
 near the white house, Esau Rich was killed, and James Lit- 
 wiler and Valentine Traut were slightly wounded. A singu- 
 lar circumstance happened during this battle. While Valen- 
 tine Traut and Gustavus Bollenback were passing a plug of 
 tobacco from one to the other, it was struck by a ball, leaving 
 a portion in each of their hands. 
 
 From the battle of Lookout Mountain to the opening of 
 the Atlanta campaign, few things of importance transpired in 
 Company B. The Company took part in the Dalton reconnois- 
 sance, but without loss. The service the men had seen in the 
 past gave them a foretaste of what the future had in store for 
 them, and, to say the least, nearly every man was a hero, 
 ready to stand by his comrades in battle and by the flag of 
 his country at any hazard. In the sharp engagement that
 
 712 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 followed the first meeting of the enemy at Rocky Face Ridge, 
 May 9, 1864, Fred Brainard was struck in the top of his 
 shoulder, the ball passing downward and causing instant 
 death. Corporal Warren E. Powers was severely wounded 
 in the right arm, and Erastus Cleveland in the left ankle. At 
 Resaca, May 14, while the Company was on the skirmish-line, 
 Herman Hoogstraat was killed, and it was thought by mem- 
 bers of the Company that Malcolm McMillen killed the man 
 who shot Hoogstraat. Near evening, after the Company had 
 rejoined the Regiment, James Litwiler was struck by a ball 
 and instantly killed. June 3, Carlisle Druse, while on the 
 skirmish-line in front of the enemy, was killed by a falling 
 tree. June 19, near Kenesaw Mountain, Orskine Ferrand 
 was wounded in the left hand. June 20, at the battle of 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Captain E. J. Gillmore was mortally 
 wounded, being shot three times, and dying three days later. 
 Sergeant William D. Whitmore was struck by a ball, and 
 almost instantly killed. David Wells was severely wounded 
 in the left hand. Erastus Cleveland was also wounded in the 
 left hand. August 3, near Atlanta, Myron Gillmore was 
 wounded severely in the left leg, and was never after able to 
 join the Company. August 19, while the Regiment was 
 advancing on the enemy's skirmish-line, William W. Tower 
 was wounded in the neck and shoulder, and died five days 
 later. 
 
 Just previous to the battle of Nashville, Tenn., December 
 15 and 16, eleven recruits came to Company B, as follows : 
 Herman W. Hall, Ami Lovejoy, William J. Lindsay, John 
 T. Mitchell, Stanislaw Mattax, Walter E. Stone, Volney 
 Washburn, Myron A. Bryant, Owen Dady, Joel Gove and 
 Allen B. Whitney, the latter being Company B's former Cap- 
 tain. At the battle of Nashville, December 16, 1864, while 
 charging the enemy's works, John Washburn was instantly 
 killed by a ball which struck him in the breast ; Orskine Fer 
 rand was wounded in the left hand ; and, after the Company 
 had entered the enemy's works, Corporal John McCusker was 
 severely wounded in the foot. At the close of the battle 
 Company B was detailed on picket, and was relieved the next
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY B. 713 
 
 morning, drenched with rain, only to find that the Regiment 
 had, nearly two hours previously, taken up its line of march 
 for Franklin. Upon rejoining the Regiment in the evening, 
 Company B received especial commendation from the com- 
 mander of the Regiment, Major Hicks, for its gallant service. 
 
 While the Regiment was in camp at Huntsville, Ala., 
 Gustavus Bollenback went out with a foraging party, and was 
 taken prisoner; but, being one who made the best of every- 
 thing, and an expert at any kind of a game, he was frequently 
 -called upon by his captors to join them in a game of cards, 
 and gaining their confidence, they soon permitted him to help 
 gather wood for the fire. Going out one evening, he got a 
 little in advance and failed to "gather," but, striking out 
 across the country a distance of thirty miles, he rejoined his 
 Company the next evening, somewhat thinner than when he 
 left it twelve days before, and his growing appetite and fre- 
 quent visits from tent to tent during the evening made it 
 necessary for the Company to draw rations next morning. 
 
 While the Regiment was in camp at Russellville, Tenn., 
 in the spring of 1865, Ambrose A. Bangs, who had been 
 taken prisoner at Chickamauga, rejoined the Company, and 
 was mustered as First Lieutenant. 
 
 During the three years' service, thirty of the Company 
 were struck by bullets or shell in battle. Twenty-three died 
 or were killed before the close of the war. Of this number, 
 thirteen were killed or mortally wounded in battle, ten died 
 of disease, nearly all during the first year. Those dying 
 from disease were James Brown, James Bottom, Alfred Col- 
 lins, George T. Cooper, Eleazer Graves, Hiram W. Hollister, 
 Nelson Huson, John J. Price, George Rix and Corporal 
 James O'Connel. Sixteen men were discharged for disabil- 
 ity, caused by wounds or disease. Two commissioned officers 
 resigned, six men were transferred, three men deserted, and 
 two Morris Hill and Hiram Weatherly were promoted to 
 the non-commissioned staff. Twenty-two different men were 
 non-commissioned officers in the Company. Of the commis- 
 sioned officers, Captain David Salisbury resigned, First Lreu- 
 .tenant Rollin H. Trumbull resigned, Allen B. Whitney was
 
 7M HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 promoted from Second Lieutenant to Captain, and resigned ; 
 E. J. Gillmore was promoted from First Sergeant to Captain, 
 and was mortally wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., dying 
 three days later, greatly regretted by his command ; George 
 H. Burnett was promoted from Third Sergeant to Captain, 
 and remained with the Company until the close of the war ; 
 Ambrose A. Bangs was promoted from First Corporal to First 
 Lieutenant, and George Wait from Second Corporal to Second 
 Lieutenant. The non-commissioned officers at the close of 
 the war were as follows : Sergeants Daniel Osman, Samuel 
 H. Lindsay, Arthur Cook and Willard Whitney ; Corporals 
 Charles McCusker, Orville P. Barron, Jerome Burnett, 
 Warren E. Powers, Henry Annis, John McCusker, Caleb 
 Whitney and Major H. Cleveland. Just previous to the 
 Regiment's leaving Nashville for Chicago, the eleven recruits 
 were transferred to the 2ist Illinois. At the tinal muster-out 
 of the Company, only forty of the original members were 
 present. 
 
 During the three years' service, Company B was never 
 found wanting when called for, and never failed to do its full 
 duty ; and now, at the end of more than twenty years, its 
 survivors look with pride upon the results of the war, that 
 they, in their feeble way, helped to bring about, namely, a 
 happy, united and prosperous nation. The following is 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain David Saulsbury. Age 27 ; born in New York ; enlisted from 
 Avon, where he had been a physician in regular practice for several years ; 
 was elected Captain at the organization of the Company ; was detailed as 
 Acting Surgeon for a few weeks ; his health failing, he resigned at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., Feb. 17, 1863, and returned home. Nov. 11, 1864, he was 
 made Assistant Surgeon in the 128th Indiana Volunteers at Salisbury, 
 N. C., and remained there and at Morgantown until April, 1865. Died at 
 Salem, Wis., of typhoid pneumonia, April 18, 1872. 
 
 Captain Allen B. Whitney. Age 28 ; born in Willoughby, Ohio : 
 sailor ; enlisted from Avon ; was elected Second Lieutenant at the organ- 
 ization of the Company ; promoted to First Lieutenant Jan. 6, 1863, and 
 to Captain Feb. 17, 1863 ; resigned Jan. 8, 1864, on account of ill health : 
 recovering, he re-enlisted as a private Oct. 10, 1864, and rejoined the 
 Regiment at Nashville, Tenn., just prior to the battle of December 15
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY B. 715 
 
 and 16, in which he participated ; returned home with Regiment ; died in 
 Chicago, Feb. 19, 1879. 
 
 Captain Evangelist J. Gillmore. Age 26 ; born in New York ; farmer 
 and teacher ; enlisted from Avon ; appointed First Sergeant at the organ- 
 ization of the Company ; promoted to Second Lieutenant Jan. 6, 1863, 
 and to First Lieutenant Feb. 17, 1863, and to Captain Jan. 8, 18(14 ; at the 
 battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 20, 1864, he was mortally 
 wounded while attempting to retake the breastworks from which the 35th 
 Indiana had been driven, being shot three times, and dying three days 
 later, beloved and regretted by his associates of whatever rank. His 
 body was, by special order of the Department Commander, taken to his 
 former home at Avon Center, Lake County, 111., for interment. 
 
 Captain George H. Burnett. Age 27 ; born in Lyons, Wayne County,. 
 N. Y. ; gun and locksmith ; enlisted from Avon ; appointed Third Ser- 
 geant at the organization of the Company ; promoted to First Sergeant 
 Jan. 6, 1863 ; to Second Lieutenant Feb. 17, 1863 ; to First Lieutenant 
 Jan. 8, 1864 ; and to Captain June 25, 1864 ; was slightly wounded at 
 Lookoiit Mountain ; was in charge of the Regimental Pioneers on the 
 Atlanta campaign until Captain Gillmore was wounded at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, when he asked to be relieved, and immediately took command 
 of the Company, participating in the subsequent engagements of the At- 
 lanta campaign and at Franklin ; mustered out with Regiment. Has been 
 Supervisor, Collector and Alderman several terms, and is engaged in 
 business and a prominent and influential citizen at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant Rollin H. Trumbull. Age 29 ; born in Castleton, 
 Vermont ; teacher ; enlisted from Wauconda ; elected First Lieutenant 
 at the organization of the Company ; was seriously ill soon after the 
 Regiment went to Kentucky, and went to a hospital at Cincinnati, where 
 he continued ill for some months ; resigned on account of ill health Jan. 
 6, 1863. Is a large stockholder and an official in the Marinette Iron. 
 Works, with office and salesroom on Lake Street, Chicago ; residence, 
 Evanston, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant Ambrose A. Bangs. Age 30 ; born in Stanford, Ben- 
 nington County, Vt ; farmer ; enlisted from Wauconda. Was appointed 
 first Corporal at organization of Company ; promoted to First Sergeant 
 in January, 1863 ; was taken prisoner at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863 
 was in prison at Richmond, Danville and Andersonville. Was commis- 
 sioned First Lieutenant July 22, 1864, while a prisoner. Was exchanged 
 Nov. 20, 1864, and, being sick, returned home, where he remained until 
 March, 1865, when he rejoined his Company, and was mustered as First 
 Lieutenant, April 9, 1865. Mustered out with Regiment. Was elected 
 Collector for the town of Wauconda in 1869, and was Assessor for city 
 of Odebolt, Iowa, in 1885 and 1886. Is a stock-dealer at Odebolt, Sac 
 County, Iowa. 
 
 Second Lieutenant George Wait. Age 21 ; born in Cuyahoga County, 
 Ohio ; farmer; enlisted f rom Goodale (now Grant); was appointed Second
 
 716 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Corporal at the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; 
 then to First Sergeant ; commissioned Second Lieutenant in June, 1865. 
 Was never absent from the command for more than a few hours, except 
 once on furlough, and participated in every engagement except the night 
 fight at Kenesaw Mountain, June 20, 1864, at which time he was ill and 
 sent to the rear, but rejoined the command next morning. Was never 
 wounded, but had his clothing penetrated by bullets at Chickamauga. 
 Was Acting First Sergeant during all of the time that Sergeant Bangs 
 was a prisoner. Commanded the Company at the battle of Nashville, 
 Dec. 15 and 16, 1864, and during the subsequent march to Huntsville, 
 Ala., receiving special commendation from the commander of the Regi- 
 ment at the close of the campaign ; m. o. with Regiment. Has been a 
 prominent and influential citizen ever since the war ; was Chairman of 
 the Board of Supervisors of Lake County for several years ; was elected 
 to the Legislature in 1886 ; resides on a farm in the township of Grant. 
 Postofflce address, Volo, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Morris S. Hill. Age 29 ; born in New York ; merchant ; 
 enlisted from Wauconda ; appointed Second Sergeant at the organization 
 of the Company ; promoted to Commissary Sergeant at the organization 
 of the Regiment. Resides at Wauconda, 111. (See Roster of Field and 
 Staff.) 
 
 Sergeant Orskine Ferrand. Age 21 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Avon ; appointed Sergeant at organization of Company ; 
 accidentally wounded in left hand at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga. ; wounded 
 in left hand at Nashville, Tenn. ; m. o. June 8, 1865. Is proprietor of a 
 hotel at Fayette, Iowa. 
 
 Sergeant Henry Annis. Age 31 ; born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Wauconda ; was wounded in leg and on the head 
 at Chickamauga, but was not long absent from the Regiment ; had 
 bullets through clothing and accoutrements in other engagements ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is a veterinary surgeon at Columbus, Wis. 
 
 Sergeant William D. Whitmore. Age 26 ; born in Seneca County, 
 Ohio ; farmer and teacher : enlisted from Avon ; appointed Third Cor- 
 poral at the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; at 
 Chickamauga was severely wounded in the shoulder, but recovered and 
 rejoined the command in about four months ; at the battle of Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, was killed in the attempt to re- take the 
 breastworks from which the left of the Brigade had been driven. A 
 favorite in the Company and Regiment, his death was a source of great 
 sorrow to his friends and associates. 
 
 Sergeant Samuel H. Lindsay. Age 31 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farm- 
 er ; enlisted from Avon ; appointed Fifth Corporal at organization of the 
 Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 
 Sergeant Arthur Cook. Age 22 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; appointed Sixth Corporal at the organization of the
 
 UOSTER OF COMPANY B. 717 
 
 Company ; promoted to Sergeant. Was never absent from the Regi- 
 ment, participating in every engagement, and was one of the favorites of 
 the Company ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a large farmer and stock- 
 grower, and a leading citizen at Wauconda, 111. Has several times been 
 elected Township Assessor and Collector. 
 
 Sergeant Willard Whitney. Age 31 ; born in Seneca County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from the township of Warren ; appointed Seventh Cor- 
 poral at the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; par- 
 ticipated in numerous engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is understood to be in Indian Territory. 
 
 Sergeant Daniel Osman. Age 26 ; born in New York : farmer ; en- 
 listed from Wauconda ; appointed Eighth Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; served as Color Corporal for several months ; was pro- 
 moted to Sergeant in February, 1863 ; participated in almost every skir- 
 mish and battle in which the Regiment was engaged, but escaped 
 wounds ; was always conspicuous for his cool courage ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is a farmer at Tenhassen, Minnesota. 
 
 Corporal John D. Fulsom. Age 35 ; born in Jefferson County, N. Y. : 
 sailor ; enlisted from the town of Cuba ; appointed Fourth Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company : deserted Feb. 7, 1863. 
 
 Corporal James O'Connel. Age 22 ; born in New York ; blacksmith : 
 enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal ; was taken with typhoid 
 fever while the Regiment was at Wartrace, Tenn., and sent to hospital at 
 Nashville, Tenn., where he died Aug. 24, 1863. 
 
 Corporal Hamilton C. Whitney. Age 25 ; born in Michigan ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from the township of Warren ; promoted to Corporal, and served 
 with Color Guard ; at Chickamauga was desperately wounded in the left 
 side, the bullet passing through and coming out on the opposite side, 
 completely disabling him ; he was reported as killed at the time, and 
 there was both surprise and rejoicing when he was brought inside the 
 lines eight days later, having been paroled. During the time that he lay 
 inside the enemy's lines his wound became maggoty, and he suffered ex- 
 ceedingly. The wound so thoroughly disabled him as to unfit him for 
 duty and cause his discharge from hospital at Chicago, 111., July 28, 1864. 
 Is a resident of Templeton, San Louis Obispo County, Cal. 
 
 Corporal Charles McCusker. Age 21 ; born in New York City : 
 farmer ; enlisted from Wauconda ; promoted to Corporal, and served as 
 Color Corporal ; participated in nearly every skirmish and battle in which 
 the command was engaged, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is supposed to be residing in California or Washington Territory. 
 
 Corporal Orville P. Barron. Age 24 ; born in Geauga County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal in February, 1863 -. 
 participated in all of the battles of the Atlanta campaign and the en- 
 gagements at Franklin and Nashville, and on the Atlanta line had bis gun
 
 718 HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 shattered in his hands by a Rebel bullet ; was m. o. with Regiment. Is a 
 prosperous farmer in Avon. Postoffice address, Hainesville, 111. 
 
 Corporal Jerome Burnett. Age 20 ; born in Lyons, Wayne County, 
 N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal. Was with 
 the Regiment in nearly every battle and skirmish, but escaped wounds ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Has since held several township offices. Is a 
 brother of Capt. G. H. Burnett. Is a prosperous farmer and influential 
 citizen at Lake Villa, Lake County, 111. 
 
 Corporal Warren E. Powers. Age 25 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Fremont ; promoted to Corporal ; at Rocky Face Ridge, 
 May 9, 1864, was severely wounded in right arm, but rejoined the Regi- 
 ment in a few weeks, and participated in several subsequent engage- 
 ments ; at the battle of Nashville had his haversack strap cut by a ball ; 
 m. o. with Regiment; is a good citizen and a prosperous farmer at 
 Wauconda, 111. 
 
 Corporal John McCusker. Age 20 ; born in New York City ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Wauconda ; promoted to Corporal ; was in nearly every 
 engagement, and was severely wounded in the foot at the battle of Nash- 
 ville, Dec. 16, 1864, and never rejoined the command, but was discharged 
 from hospital at the close of the war ; was especially commended for 
 bravery by his commanding officers. Is a farmer at Wauconda, 111. 
 
 Corporal Caleb Whitney. Age 37 ; born in Seneca County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from the town of Warren ; promoted to Corporal ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; died in Kansas, a few years since. 
 
 Corporal Major H. Cleveland. Age 26 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal ; participated in every en- 
 gagement, and was once slightly wounded in the foot ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is a prosperous farmer and trusted township official at Garnett, 
 Anderson County, Kansas. 
 
 Isaac Butterfield. Age 38 ; born in New York ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; was never absent from Regiment, except for thirty days on 
 furlough, and participated in numerous battles and skirmishes, but 
 escaped wounds. Is at work at his trade as a carpenter in Waukegan, 
 Illinois. 
 
 George A. Bangs. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; was in the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and 
 the engagements of the Atlanta campaign ; was struck by spent ball at 
 Chickamauga, and also at Dallas ; sustained a partial sunstroke near 
 Dalton, Ga., in May, 1864, but continued with the Company until some- 
 time during its last year's service, when he was detailed as Orderly at 
 Corps Headquarters ; was Orderly for Gen. Wood at the battle of Nash- 
 ville ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a broker and lumber dealer at Wymore, 
 Nebraska. 
 
 James Brown. Age 44 ; born in Genesee, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; died at Danville, Ky., Jan. 25, 1863.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY B. 719 
 
 Harrison I. Bangs. Age 21; born in Wauconda, 111.; farmer; en 
 listed from Wauconda ; was with the Regiment in every battle and skir- 
 mish, but escaped wounds ; never reported to the Surgeon ; was m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is a blacksmith, and also runs a feed mill at Mulberry 
 Grove, Kansas. 
 
 James A. Beck. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon ; was with the Regiment all of the time during its three years' ser- 
 vice ; had a ball through hat at Chickamauga ; one through both trousers 
 legs at Resaca, and at the same time (May 14, 1864,) a ball struck his gun 
 while he was putting on a cap ; escaped wounds, and was m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is a successful farmer at Gurnee, Lake County, 111. 
 
 George Barth. Age 18 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Fremont ; was in every engagement with the Regiment, and had a ball 
 through his coat on the right shoulder at Kenesaw Mountain ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is in business as a merchant at Crawford, Cook County, 111. 
 
 Isaac A. Barrus. Age 33 ; born in New York ; carpenter and joiner ; 
 enlisted from the town of Goodale (now Grant); detailed in Pioneer Corps, 
 April 7, 1863, and transferred to First U. S. Veteran Engineers, July 29, 
 1864, serving with that, organization until the close of the war, and hav- 
 ing command of his Company for a time. Is a contractor and builder 
 at Volo, 111. 
 
 William Bottom. Age 20; born in Cambridge, England; farmer; 
 enlisted from Fremont ; taken sick soon after entering service, and dis- 
 charged April 6, 1863. Present postoffice address, Havensville, Pottawat- 
 omie County, Kansas. 
 
 Fred Brainard. Age 22 ; born in Gill, Mass. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Fremont; killed at Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., May 9, 1864. 
 
 James Bottom. Age 22 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Fremont ; died at Estell Springs, Tenn., Aug. 23, 1863. 
 
 Henry Boogar. Age 85 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 the township of Cuba ; discharged for disability, at Nashville, Tenn., 
 May 13, 1863. Was a soldier in Switzerland from 1843 to 1853, and was 
 in four heavy engagements in 1848. Is farming at Orchard, Iowa. 
 
 Gustavus Bollenback. Age 19 ; born in France ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Fremont ; was with the Company nearly all the time during its 
 three years' service, and though looked upon as one of the "boys" of the 
 Company, was also called one of its best soldiers ; had a ball pass through 
 his pants leg at Chickamauga, and was captured near Huntsville, Ala., 
 Feb. 1, 1865, but made his escape twelve days later. When speaking of 
 a battle after it was over, he would frequently say : "Boys, didn't we 
 give them a wolley down thewalley?" Mustered out with Regiment. 
 Is a farmer near Paulina, O'Brien County, Iowa. 
 
 Myron A. Bryant. Age 32; born in New York ; blacksmith; en- 
 listed from Avon, Oct. 10, 1864 ; joined the Regiment in time to partici-
 
 720 HISTORY OF THE 96xn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 pate m the battle of Nashville ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to- 
 the 21st Illinois ; accompanied that command to Texas, and was finally 
 m. o. at Springfield, 111., in October, 1865. Is a carpenter and builder at 
 Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Erastus T. Cleveland. Age 18; born in Columbia County, N. Y. - r 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; was nearly always with Regiment ; was 
 wounded in left ankle at Rocky Pace Ridge, and at Kenesaw Mountain 
 was wounded in left hand, causing amputation of one finger ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is running a hotel and livery at Sutherland, O'Brien County, 
 Iowa. 
 
 John H. Cruver. Age 19 ; born in Chicago, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 
 1863, in the right elbow ; an operation was performed on his arm at 
 Chattanooga in September, 1863, and another at the Marine Hospital, 
 Chicago, in 1864 ; and another in 1866 ; after being discharged, the entire 
 elbow joint was taken out and five inches of the bone from the elbow 
 up ; the arm is now stiff ; was compelled to carry his arm in a sling for 
 nearly three years; was discharged from Hospital at Camp Butler, 
 Springfield, 111., in September, 1865. Was Bailiff in the Circuit Court of 
 Cook County in 1866 and 1867, and a letter carrier in Chicago for some 
 years ; is now a manufacturer of knit goods at 27 West Lake Street, 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
 Peter Cossman. Age 22 ; born in Prussia ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 ; was for some time detailed with the First Kentucky Artillery; 
 . o. with Regiment. Is farming at Muscatine, Iowa. 
 
 'William Curl. Age 42 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon ; fractured a leg while loading the boat at Louisville, and was per- 
 manently disabled ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps, Nov. 27, 1863. 
 Resides at Sandago, Stafford County, Kan. 
 
 Alfred Collins. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon ; died at Danville, Ky., Jan. 28, 1863. 
 
 Lafayette Collins. Age 23 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; deserted Feb. 1, 1863. 
 
 George J. Cooper. Age 18 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon ; died in hospital at Louisville, Ky., Nov. 18, 1863. 
 
 Alfred S. Castle. Age 21 ; born in Michigan ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Ela ; detailed in Pioneer Corps, April 7, 1863, and transferred to First 
 U. S. Veteran Engineers, July 27, 1864. Is Chief Engineer of the Fire 
 Department at Redding, Shasta County, Cal. Was injured in the back 
 while at work on the railroad bridge at Franklin, Tenn., from the effects 
 of which he is still lame. 
 
 William S. Clark. Age 20 ; born in Greene, Chenango County, N. Y. ; 
 clerk ; enlisted from Wauconda as musician, and served as drummer ; 
 discharged for disability at Danville, Ky., Jan. 21, 1863. Is a teacher of 
 penmanship and business forms, and resides at Barrington, 111.
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 
 C'orji'l Major II. CLEVELAND. 
 JOEL (JOVE. 
 
 ALFRED S. CASTLE. 
 First Lieut. AMBROSE A. BANOS. 
 
 (JrsTAVl'S liol.I.ENBAC K. 
 
 MALCOLM MC-MILLKN. 
 THOS. E. WELLS.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY B. 721 
 
 John Cashman. Age 30 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Wauconda ; was wounded in the foot at Chickamauga, and disabled for 
 active service ; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
 
 Elijah C. Carpenter. Age 23; born in Morristown, N. Y. ; black- 
 smith ; enlisted from Avon ; was sick most of the time during the first 
 year ; returned to his home in Lake County, 111., on furlough, and it was 
 thought would never be able to join his Company ; but, partly recovering 
 his health, he joined the Regiment in time to take part in the battle of 
 Lookout Mountain and the engagements of the Atlanta campaign ; while 
 watching a game of checkers a ball struck a pole in the shade above, and 
 glancing, it struck him in the side, knocking him down, and putting an 
 end to the game ; was in the battle of Nashville, and after his return to 
 the Company was always one of Company B's best men ; m. o. with the 
 Regiment. Is a good citizen and a successful blacksmith at McHenry, 111. 
 
 John H. Crosby. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Goodale (now Grant). On entering camp was taken sick with measles 
 and sent to hospital, where he remained five months ; was discharged 
 April 5, 1863. Enlisted in 146th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Sept. 3, 1864 ; 
 was chosen Sergeant ; promoted to Second Lieutenant, Sept. 20, 1864, and 
 m. o. July 8, 1865. Died at Wheeler's Ranch, Sac County, Iowa, Oct. 
 30, 1875. 
 
 Henry Dombski. Age 20; born in Lake County, 111.; farmer; en- 
 listed from Avon. Participated witlf' t^ie Regiment in the battles of 
 Chickamauga and Lookou^^OfantaiK^anCTiia;t^B"i;a,tJpr battle was slightly 
 wounded in the right cheek. Was with the Regimental Pioneers from 
 March, 1S64, until the close of the war, but always at the front. Had a 
 remarkable career, in that he was never disabled or sick to an extent that 
 unfitted him for active duty. Mustered out with Regiment. Is a pros- 
 perous farmer at Hainesville, Lake County, 111. 
 
 William S. Dunbar. Age 26 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 the town of Goodale (now Grant). Having been a teamster on the plains 
 before the war, he was of special service in lassooing and hitching up the 
 mules, as described on page 47 of this work, and was detailed in the 
 wagon train as teamster much of the time during his term of service ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Was last heard from at Faribault, Minn. 
 
 Carlisle Druse. Age 23 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 the township of Warren. While on the skirmish line confronting Pine 
 Mountain, Ga., June 13, 1864, and under the fire of the enemy, a heavy 
 pine tree became uprooted and fell partially upon him, causing his 
 instant death. 
 
 Emery Dart. Age 34 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Wauconda. Missing at battle of Chickamauga, and undoubtedly killed 
 outright, as he was in the thickest of the fight, and was not seen after a 
 brief retrograde movement of the Regiment at a time when many fell. 
 
 46
 
 722 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Owen Dady. Age 18 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; blacksmith ; en- 
 listed from Avon, Oct. 10, 1864, joining the Regiment in time to partici- 
 pate in the battles of Franklin and Nashville ; at m. o. of Regiment was 
 transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, and finally discharged in Texas, 
 Oct. 10, 1865. Is at Chamberlain, Dakota. 
 
 George H. Day. Age 22; born in McHenry, 111.; farmer; enlisted 
 from the township of Warren ; discharged for disability Jan. 21, 1863. Is 
 an engineer, and resides at Wabasha, Minn. 
 
 Isaac W. DeVoe. Age 20; born in Orange, Steuben County, N. Y. ; 
 medical student with Dr. Salisbury ; enlisted from Avon. While in camp 
 at Rockford, 111., from exposure, had inflammatory rheumatism ; followed 
 Regiment to Cincinnati, and subsequently to Louisville, Ky. ; was sent 
 to Barracks No. 1, and detailed as hospital steward. Was examined and 
 ordered discharged from service, but asking permission to remain was 
 transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps, 68th Company, 2d Battalion, July 
 22, 1863, and at the close of war was at officers' general hospital, Louis- 
 ville, Ky., as Acting Hospital Steward. Was discharged from service at 
 Louisville, Ky., July 3, 1865. Is a physician and surgeon at Wausau, 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 Alfred Edwards. Age 21 ; born in Warren, Herkimer County, N.Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon. Was with the Regiment most of the time 
 until he lost his speech ; recovered a long time after returning home, 
 when he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps May 4, 1864 ; dis- 
 charged near the close of the war. Died at his home in Avon, 111., July 
 22, 1876. 
 
 Whitman O. Fisher. Age 23 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 
 Jf rom Avon ; taken sick with measles early in his service, and sent to hos- 
 
 jpital at Covington, Ky.; rejoining the Regiment he took cold, and was 
 
 L) again sent to hospital, and finally discharged March 23, 1863. Resides at 
 
 <^j Hainesville, 111. 
 
 William J. Fuller. Age 23 ; born in Hume, Allegheny County, N.Y.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; detailed in 9th Ohio Battery, Feb. 22, 1863, 
 where he served until August, 1863, when he was detailed in 18th Ohio 
 Battery, where he served as cannonier at Chickamauga, Lookout Moun- 
 tain and Mission Ridge. Returned to Regiment at the opening of the 
 Atlanta campaign, taking part in every skirmish or battle in which the 
 Regiment was engaged, but escaped wounds ; in. o. with Regiment. Is 
 farming near Hainesville, 111. 
 
 Charles N. Fox. Age 19; born in Ohio; farmer; enlisted from 
 Avon ; was always with Regiment during its first year's service. Was 
 killed at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, being the first man killed in action 
 from Company B. 
 
 Dighton Granger. Age 19 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Goodale (now Grant); was detailed with ordnance train a por- 
 tion of the time, but participated with the Regiment in the battles of
 
 ROSTER or COMPANY B. 723 
 
 ^Lookout Mountain, Rocky Face Ridge, Resacu, and in numerous minor 
 -engagements ; was never absent or off duty because of sickness during 
 his entire term of service ; at one of the engagements near Kenesaw 
 Mountain drove his team with a load of ammunition out to a battery when 
 the fight was raging in all its fury. The Captain of the Battery, not 
 thinking it safe to unload ammunition at such a time, ordered him back 
 over the brow of the hill. Mustered out with Regiment. Has held the 
 office of Assessor and Collector, and for many years has been a Justice of 
 the Peace for the town of Grant. Postoffice address, Volo, Lake County, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Elihu Gray. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Goodale (now Grant); went with Regiment to Covington, Ky.; had 
 measles, and was taken to marine hospital ; rejoined the Regiment at 
 Harrodsburg, but never fully recovered his health. Was on detached 
 service mosf of the time at Brigade Headquarters until just before the 
 ^battle of Lookout Mountain, when he returned to Company and partici- 
 pated in the battle ; was with the Regiment on the Atlanta campaign, 
 ;and while driving team in November, 1864, was taken prisoner at Spring 
 Hill, Tenn., Nov. 29, 1864, but while the enemy were burning the train 
 made his escape. Mustered out with Regiment. Is a resident of Granite 
 Falls, Minn. 
 
 Myron Gillmore. Age 20 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; had a ball pass through his can tee a and cartridge box at 
 Chickamauga ; was in the battle of Lookout Mountain, and was with the 
 Regiment most of the time on the Atlanta campaign. Was sent back to 
 his home in Lake County with the remains of his brother, Captain E. J. 
 Gillmore, and shortly after returning to Regiment was wounded in the 
 leg in front of Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 3, 1864, partially disabling him for life. 
 Was discharged because of this wound Jan. 5, 1865, at Chicago, 111. Has 
 held the office of Sheriff of Barton County, Kansas, two terms, and is a 
 farmer and real estate dealer at Great Bend, Kansas. 
 
 Eleazer Graves. Age 20 ; born in Williamstown, Orange County, 
 Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted from Wauconda. Died from disease at 
 Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 13, 1863. 
 
 Joel Gove. Age 17 ; born in Jay County, Ind.; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon, Oct. 10, 1864 ; joining the Company in time to participate in the 
 "battle of Nashville, Dec. 15 and 16, and was slightly wounded in the left 
 hand ; remained with the Regiment until its m. o., when he was trans- 
 ferred to the 21st Illinois, and went with that command to Texas ; was 
 finally m. o. at Victoria, Tex., Oct. 10, 1865 ; enlisted in the Regular 
 Army, Nov. 19, 1866 ; had a narrow escape in a storm at sea, and saw 
 severe service on the plains ; was at Fort Steele, Wyoming, the last year 
 of his service. Is now a laborer, and resides at Balbeck, Jay County, 
 Indiana. 
 
 Frank Garland. Age 41 ; born in Ireland ; farmer : enlisted from 
 Wauconda ; was one of the oldest men in the Company ; was of a lively
 
 724 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 disposition ; never absent from Regiment, except for a few months when* 
 detailed to guard and drive cattle ; was m. o. with Regiment. Though 
 67 years of age, is one of the "boys" of Wauconda, 111. 
 
 Nelson Huson. Age 19; born in Yates County, N. Y. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Wauconda ; detailed as Drummer ; remained with Company 
 two years and four months, when he was taken sick and sent to hospital, 
 and died at Columbia, Tenn., Jan. 4, 1865. 
 
 George E. Hendee. Age 21; born in Alleghany County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; participated in the battles of Chickamauga, 
 Lookout Mountain and Rocky Face Ridge, and at the former engage- 
 ment was struck by a bullet, but not seriously hurt ; was detailed in 
 a hospital at Nashville, Tenn., in May, 1864, and at the close of the war 
 was Assistant Steward ; discharged at Nashville, June 4, 1865. Is farm- 
 ing and keeping a summer resort at Round Lake, Lake County, Illinois. 
 Postofflce address, Hainesville, 111. 
 
 Herman Hoogstrat. Age 18 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Goodale (now Grant) ; was never excused from duty ; was in the 
 battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and the engagements of the 
 Atlanta Campaign until Resaca was reached, when he was killed in 
 action, May 14, 1864. 
 
 Hiram Hollister. Age 30 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Wauconda ; died of disease at Lexington, Ky., Nov. 25, 1862, the first 
 man to die from the Company. 
 
 Herman W. Hall. Age 18 ; born in Lake County. 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Avon, Oct. 10, 1864, joining the Regiment in time to partici- 
 pate in the battle of Nashville ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to 
 Company G, 21st Illinois ; finally m. o. at Victoria, Tex., Oct. 10, 1865. 
 Was Postmaster at Arlington, Wis., from 1872 to 1876. Is now a builder 
 and resides at Fox Lake, 111. 
 
 Alonzo Harris. Age 18 ; born in Massachusetts ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; was in hospital at m. o. of Regiment ; discharged near 
 the close of the war. Resides at Palatine, 111. 
 
 Oliver C. Kingsland. Age 35 ; born in Lisbon, St. Lawrence County, 
 N. Y. ; ship blacksmith ; enlisted from Wauconda ; was in the battle of 
 Chickamauga, where he had his haversack and rubber blanket pierced 
 by bullets ; was detailed in the Quarter Master's Department as Regi- 
 mental Wagonmaker by Lieut. Col. Smith ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 running a repair shop at Camp Douglas, Wis. 
 
 William Kimball. Age 17 ; born in Elgin, 111. ; tinner ; enlisted from 
 Wauconda ; was a good soldier, and never absent from the Regiment 
 during its first year's service ; was killed at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 James H. Litwiler. Age 20 ; born in Pennsylvania ; fanner ; en- 
 listed from Avon ; was in the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Moun- 
 tain and Rocky Face Ridge, and was killed at Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1664.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY B. 725 
 
 Ami Lovejoy. Age 22 ; born in Cleveland, Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon, Oct. ,10, 1864, and joined the Company in time to participate 
 in the battle of Nashville ; at the m. o. of the Regiment was transferred 
 to the 21st Illinois, and went with that command to Texas ; was finally 
 m. o. Oct. 10, 1865. Is a novelty salesman at West Union, Iowa. Was 
 a brother of John Lovejoy, of the same Company. 
 
 William J. Lindsay. Age 29; born in Pennsylvania; farmer; en- 
 listed from Avon, Oct. 10, 1864, and was in the battle of Nashville ; at 
 m. o. of the Regiment was transferred to the 21st Illinois, and sent to" 
 Texas ;. m. o. Oct. 10, 1865. 
 
 Henry Montgomery. Age J8 ; born in Cleveland, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Fremont ; at the battle of Resaca, May 14, 1864, had a ball 
 pass through his coat, and at Atlanta was struck by a spent ball ; served 
 with credit as Division Teamster or in ranks during the three-years ser- 
 vice ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a police officer at Austin, Tex. 
 
 John T. Morrill. Age 22 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Fremont ; was with the Regiment, except for a few days, until 
 Brentwood was reached, when, being prostrated by rheumatism and so 
 disabled as to render him unfit for field duty, he was detailed as Assistant 
 Engineer at No. 2 Hospital on College Hill, Nashville ; was subsequently 
 transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and finally discharged for dis- 
 ability May 22, 1864. Is a painter at Hainesville, 111. 
 
 James H. McMillan. Age 23 ; born in Jefferson County, New York ; 
 
 Vf armer ; enlisted from Fremont ; was detailed on gunboat "Newsboy," 
 
 y on the Cumberland River, and served there until the close of the war ; 
 
 m. o. at Nashville, Tenn., June 24, 1865. Is farming near Hainesville, 111. 
 
 Malcolm McMillen. Age 21 ; born in Jefferson County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisteu from Fremont ; participated in numerous engagements 
 and had bullets pass through his clothing, but escaped wounds ; was 
 detailed with supply train for a time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is pursuing 
 the occupation of a stone mason at Kill Creek, Knn. 
 
 Cornelius McCusker. Age 23 ; born in New York City ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Wauconda ; was in the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout 
 Mountain, and in the engagements of the Atlanta Campaign, and at 
 Franklin and Nashville ; had a ball through hat, and had his cup shot off 
 from a canteen string at Lookout Mountain ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 a policeman at Oshkosh, Wis. 
 
 James E. Millard. Age 22 ; born in Bennington, Vt. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Wauconda ; absent, sick, at m. o. of Regiment. Resides in 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
 James Marble. Age 26 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from Good- 
 ale (now Grant) ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 
 William Monahan. Age 23; born in Lake County, 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Wauconda ; was 6 feet 4^ inches in height and of powerful
 
 726 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 frame ; was an excellent soldier, and almost constantly with the com- 
 mand ; m. o. with the Regiment. Died at his home in Lake County, 111., 
 a few years since, from consumption. 
 
 William Marble. Age 27 ; born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio ; black- 
 smith ; enlisted from Wauconda ; had his boot heel shot off at Chicka- 
 mauga, and, though troubled much with chronic rheumatism, remained 
 with his command most of the time, and was m. o. with Regiment. Has 
 worked at his trade most of the time since the war, and is comfortably 
 located at Wauconda, 111. 
 
 John T. Mitchell. Age 16 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted" from 
 Avon, Oct. 10, 1864 ; joining the Company in time to participate in the 
 battle of Nashville, Dec. 15 and 16 ; at m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to Company G, 21st Illinois ; went with that command to Texas, 
 and was finally m. o. at Victoria, Tex., Oct. 10, 1865. Is farming at Gay- 
 lord, Kansas. 
 
 Stanislaw Mattax. Age 38 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Goodale (now Grant), Oct. 10, 1864 ; came to camp in December, 1864 ; 
 was in battle of Nashville, Tenn. ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred 
 to the 21st Illinois, and sent to Texas ; was m. o. Oct. 10, 1864. Is at 
 Hotchkiss, Delta County, Col. 
 
 Edwin Potter. Age 17 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; was absent from the Regiment because of sickness more or 
 less in the first year and a half of its service, but, returning, participated 
 in all of its engagements following Resaca, and was frequently com- 
 mended for his courage ; m. o. with the Regiment. Is farming at Gurnee, 
 Lake County, Illinois. 
 
 John J. Price. Age 20; born in Lake County, 111.; farmer; enlisted 
 from Fremont ; was taken ill early in his term of service, and removed' 
 to hospital at Quincy, 111., where he died April 11, 1863. He had two 
 brothers in the service, in Company I, 15th Illinois. 
 
 Thomas Potter. Age 24; born in New York ; farmer; enlisted from 
 Wauconda ; was always on hand and ready for duty during the first 
 year's service, and was killed at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Norman O. Pratt. Age 21 ; born in Stamford, Vt. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; was detailed, and in November, 1864, was transferred 
 to the Signal Corps ; was captured near Kingston, Ga., in 1864, and for a 
 long time a prisoner of war. Returned home broken in health, and died 
 at his home in Wauconda, 111., May 19, 1883. 
 
 George Rix. Age 18 ; born in 'England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Goodale (now Grant). Died in field hospital at Danville, Ky., January 
 24, 1863. 
 
 Esau Rich. Age 22 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; was killed at the battle of Lookout Mountain, Nov. 24, 1863..
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY B. 727 
 
 William S. Skinner. Age 23 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; deserted Jan. 29, 1863. 
 
 Walter E. Stone. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon, Oct. 10, 1864, joining the Company in time to participate in 
 the battle of Nashville ; was transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, 
 June 9, 1865, and finally m. o. at Victoria, Tex., Oct. 10, 1865. 
 
 George W. Turner. Age 26; born in New York ; farmer; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; failing to obtain a furlough to go home on business 
 that seemed imperative, he absented himself without leave, in February, 
 1863, but returned voluntarily in about one month ; he was sentenced to 
 make up his lost time, and thus came within the order requiring those 
 whose terms of service did not expire until after October 1, 1865, to be 
 transferred ; he was therefore assigned to Company G, 21st Illinois, and 
 went with them to Texas, being finally m. o: at Victoria, Oct. 10, 1865. 
 Resides in the Cooweenoowe district of the Cherokee Nation, Indian 
 Territory. Postoffice address, Coffeyville, Kansas. 
 
 William Wallace Tower. Age 19 ; born in New York ; farmer; en- 
 listed from the township of Goodale (now Grant) ; at Chickamauga he 
 received a severe flesh wound in the right leg below the knee, which dis- 
 abled him for nearly eight months, a part of which time was spent on 
 furlough with his friends in Lake County ; returning to the command in 
 the summer of 1864, he participated in several of the engagements of 
 that memorable battle summer, and always with commendable bravery ; 
 in the demonstration on the enemy's lines in front of Atlanta, Aug. 19, he 
 was mortally wounded, being shot in the neck, while close to the Rebel 
 skirmish pits. Two of his comrades, John and Charles McCusker, lying 
 close to the ground, drew him back, a foot or two at a time, to a place of 
 safety, whence he was carried to a field hospital ; when the army swung 
 around Atlanta he was placed in an ambulance, the intention being to 
 take him to Marietta, but he was too low to endure the trip, and died on 
 the way, August 25, 1864. 
 
 Valentine Traut. Age 20 ; born in Harrisburg, Pa. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Fremont ; at the battle of Lookout Mountain was slightly wounded 
 in the foot and leg, and was also struck in the arm by a spent ball ; was 
 almost constantly with the Regiment, and conspicuous for his bravery ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Is farming in Fremont, Lake County, 111. 
 
 John Washburn. Age 19 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; was killed in the charge on the Rebel works at the battle of 
 Nashville, Dec. 16, 1864. 
 
 Oscar E. Whitcomb. Age 27 ; born in Massachusetts ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Wauconda, as Wagoner, and served in that capacity continu- 
 ously until the close of the war. Is now a commission merchant in 
 Chicago, being a member of the firm of Bond & Whitcomb, doing busi- 
 ness at No. 191 South Water Street.
 
 728 HISTORY OF THE 96iH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Nile Wynkoop. Age 19; born in Waukegan, 111.; farmer; enlisted 
 from Waucouda ; was with the Regiment at Chickamauga, Lookout 
 Mountain, in nearly or quite all the battles of the Atlanta Campaign, and 
 at Nashville ; m. o. with the Regiment ; was one of Company B's best 
 soldiers, and is one of Wauconda's best citizens. 
 
 Thomas E. Wells. Age 23 ; born in Kingsbury, N. Y. ; blacksmith ; 
 enlisted from Wauconda ; was taken sick while the Regiment was at 
 Franklin, Tenn., in June, 1863; sent to hospital at Nashville, Tenn. ; 
 transferred to V. R. C. ; subsequently doing guard duty at Louisville, Ky., 
 Camp Denison, Ohio, and Camp Chase, Ohio, until May, 1864, when sent to 
 Washington, D. C., doing guard duty at the War Department until dis- 
 charged ; promoted to Corporal in 1864 ; mustered out June 29, 1865. Has 
 been a machinist, and is a partner in the Iron and Brass Works at Sandy 
 Hill, N. Y. 
 
 Volney Washburn. Age 19 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon, Oct. 10, 1864 ; joined the Regiment in time to take part in the 
 battle of Nashville, Dec. 15 and 16, 1864 ; at m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, accompanying that command to Texas, 
 and being finally m. o. at Springfield, 111., in October, 1865. Is a miner 
 at West Union, Iowa. 
 
 Hiram Weatherly. Age 24 ; born in Genesee County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Wauconda ; promoted to Principal Musician, July 1, 1863 ; 
 discharged for disability, Feb. 6, 1865. 
 
 David Wells. Age 24; born in Cass County, Mich.; farmer; en- 
 listed from Wauconda ; was in every engagement until Kenesaw Moun- 
 tain was reached, June 20, 1864, when he was wounded in the left hand 
 and arm, causing the loss of a finger and the disabling of the hand to 
 quite an extent ; at the battle of Lookout Mountain a bullet passed 
 through his hat, and others through his clothing ; discharged for wounds 
 at Mound City, 111., Oct. 26, 1864. Is keeping a hotel at Burlington, 
 Coffey County, Kansas. 
 
 George W. Winfield. Age 23 ; born in Mansfield, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 
 ^ enlisted from Waucouda ; was at Chickamauga, Buzzard Roost, and other 
 
 T engagements, and at the battle of Nashville had bullets pass through his 
 
 5 coat and his cap box ; was in hospital five mouths in 1864 ; m. o. with 
 
 *>) Regiment. Is a teamster in Chicago, 111. 
 
 Thomas Winfield. Age 19 ; born in Mansfield, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Wauconda ; discharged for disability, Sept 2, 1863, afterward 
 enlisting in some other command. Resides at Mansfield, Ohio. 
 
 James Young. Age 46 ; born in Scotland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon ; contracted lung disease and was discharged for disability, June 
 16, 1863. Died in the township of Warren, March 15, 1885.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY C. 729 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 BY CHARLES A. PARTRIDGE. 
 
 The Fourth Company Can Lake County Fill It ? The Affirmative 
 Answer Officers Chosen Temporary Rendezvous at Waukegan 
 Sword Presentations Off for Rockford Chosen as Color Company 
 A Promise to be Prompt Sent to Fort Shaler Recruits from 
 Rebeldom Quartered in a Church School-day Experiences Re- 
 vived Terrible Losses at Chickamauga Almost Blotted Out Sub- 
 sequent Casualties Some Statistics. 
 
 WHEN enlistments were resumed during the summer of 
 1862, it was expected that perhaps two full companies could 
 be recruited in Lake County. Few were so sanguine as to 
 expect more. But by the 7th or 8th of August there were 
 enough for the two companies, and strong hopes that the third 
 could be raised. On the llth the third, being nearly full, 
 was organized, and there were some muster rolls still out to 
 which a few names had been signed. John K. Pollock, Esq., 
 a prominent farmer living near Millburn, in the township of 
 Antioch, was securing quite a list. "William M. Loughlin, 
 of Lake forest, and Harrison Huntington, of Ela, immedi- 
 ately began active work. A roll in Waukegan was also cir- 
 culated. Leading men in the county asked each other the 
 question as to whether these several squads of men might 
 not be got together and a start made toward a fourth com- 
 pany. Very few believed that the company could be filled, 
 even to the minimum number, but all agreed that an effort 
 should be made looking to this result. By the 15th it was 
 apparent that one company, to the command of which Isaac L. 
 Clarke had been chosen, would have more than the maximum 
 number, and he consented to the withdrawal of any squad of 
 men who were willing to go into the new company. After
 
 730 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 some consultation, about a dozen, most of whom had enlisted 
 from the town of Fremont, agreed to the transfer of their 
 names on the condition that A. B. Partridge should be one 
 of their line officers. This was assented to, and a meeting 
 appointed to organize the company. This meeting was held 
 in the old court house at Waukegan in the evening, and was 
 quite largely attended by both citizens and soldiers. The 
 question as to who should be the line officers had been pretty 
 fully discussed before the gathering was called to order, and 
 as a result there was little or no contest, John K. Pollock. 
 Esq., being chosen Captain ; Addison B. Partridge, First Lieu- 
 tenant ; and William M. Loughlin, Second Lieutenant, by a prac- 
 tically unanimous vote. There were at this time about seventy 
 names secured. The men were asked to aid in the work of 
 recruiting, and when the company finally left for Rockford it 
 numbered about ninety men. A few of these were rejected at 
 the final inspection, in nearly every instance because of their 
 being under eighteen years of age, although a dozen under 
 eighteen were accepted. But others came to take the places 
 of those rejected, so that there were ninety-two men enrolled 
 when the company left the State. Of these about twenty-five 
 were from the town of Antioch, a like number from the town 
 of Fremont, and a dozen each from the towns of Newport, 
 Ela and Waukegan ; the others being from various other 
 points in Lake County. 
 
 Although a majority of the men were enlisted early in 
 August, many of them remained at their homes until toward 
 the close of the month, in order to finish up business affairs 
 and put the work upon the farms as far along as possible. In 
 the Waukegan Gazette of August 30, 1862, an order was pub- 
 lished, of which the following is a copy : 
 
 ATTENTION COMPANY!! 
 
 Every member of Captain Pollock's Company is hereby ordered and 
 required to report themselves to him in person at the city of Waukegan, 
 on Tuesday, the 3d day of September, 1862, by 10 o'clock A. M., for the 
 transaction of such business as may come before them. 
 
 Per order, C. W. EARLE, 
 
 Orderly pro tern.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY C. 731 
 
 There was a prompt response, and that very day drilling 
 began in good earnest, the race- track and the court house 
 square being used as drill grounds. Charles "W. Earle was 
 the principal drill master, his previous experience in the 
 Fifteenth Illinois, in which regiment he had served for about 
 six months, coming into play and fitting him admirably for 
 this work. 
 
 While in "Waukegan most of the men were quartered at 
 the Sherman House. The citizens made their stay exceed- 
 ingly pleasant, and when the hotel was overcrowded patriotic 
 homes were always opened to the brave volunteers. Numer- 
 ous mementoes were presented by the ladies of the city and 
 county, including a " house-wife " to each soldier. In these 
 modern days it may be necessary to explain that a "house- 
 wife" was a needle-book, with a receptacle for thread, buttons 
 and the et ceteras necessary for use when the soldier should 
 be where he could no longer call upon his wife or mother or 
 sister to do his mending. These were tastefully made and 
 well filled, and not a few of them are still preserved and 
 highly prized as relics of the war. 
 
 A pleasant incident of the last day's stay in Waukegan 
 was the presentation of swords and sashes to the Captain and 
 First Lieutenant, a report of which is copied from The Waur 
 kegan ^Weekly Gazette of Saturday, September 6, 1862 : 
 
 " SWORDS PRESENTED. A very interesting occasion was the presen- 
 tation of swords by the friends of Captain John K. Pollock and Lieuten- 
 ant A. B. Partridge, first officers of one of our volunteer companies, at 
 the court house, on Thursday last. Rev. L. Hawkins, in behalf of the 
 citizens of Millburn, in a short but strong and expressive speech, pre- 
 sented a beautiful sword and sash to Captain Pollock, who, in words 
 which came directly from his noble heart, thanked his friends for the 
 testimonial ; said he appreciated fully their kindly feelings toward him 
 and his command, and hoped he should never disgrace his name, his 
 country or the sword they had so kindly given him. 
 
 " The sword to Lieutenant Partridge, which was also a fine one, was 
 presented in behalf of a few friends and neighbors in the town of Fre- 
 mont, by Deacon Bliss, from Wisconsin, a brother-in-law of Lieutenant 
 Partridge, who made some very pertinent and well-timed remarks, 
 appropriate to the occasion, which met a response from Lieutenant P. 
 that all knew, who were spectators of the scene and acquainted with 
 Deacon ' Partridge, were words fitly and honestly spoken ; they came
 
 732 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 from the depths of that good old man's heart, and he fully meant what 
 he said. 
 
 " We could not but notice how earnest were all the speakers on this 
 occasion how determined were all their actions and the words they 
 uttered. We were much pleased with the remarks of Rev. Mr. Hawkins; 
 he evidently believes in a war of extermination; in using any means, in 
 fact, which will crush this dreadful rebellion, and punish those who were 
 its instigators and now are urging it on." 
 
 The next day a sword and sash were presented, without 
 formality, by Luther Rossiter, Esq., of Lake Forest, to Lieu- 
 tenant William M. Loughlin. It was a gift from the Common 
 Council of the city of Lake Forest, of which that officer had 
 long been an honored member. 
 
 On Friday morning, September 5, 1862, the company pre- 
 pared for its trip to the camp of instruction, at Rockford, 111. 
 The members of the company were early astir, breakfasts 
 were eaten, bundles or rolls of blankets were packed, and the 
 order given to "fall in." The line was formed in front of the 
 Sherman House and the roll called, after which the list of 
 non-commissioned officers was read, as follows : First Ser- 
 geant, Charles W. Earle ; Sergeants, Ellis L. Schooley, Har- 
 rison Huntington, Harvillah Cooley and Joseph B. Porter , 
 Corporals, Edward Murray, James Kearney, Andrew T. 
 White, George N. Ayers, Edwin A. Bartles, James M. Tay- 
 lor, George C. Dodge and Charles A. Partridge. This list 
 had been carefully prepared by the Captain and Lieutenants, 
 and its announcement was looked for with much interest. 
 There may have been a few disappointed ones, but in the 
 main the appointments were well received by the members of 
 the company, and fairly vindicated by after events. 
 
 With cheers for the Union, the Flag, and the friends at 
 home, the company marched to the depot, where it was joined 
 by the three other Lake County companies. There occurred 
 the leave-taking between mothers and sons, wives and hus- 
 bands, sisters and brothers, sweethearts and lovers, with 
 how many, alas, a final farewell ! But the scene soon changed, 
 for seven o'clock was at hand, and with iv the train. Soon 
 the conductor shouted "All aboard," and, with the martial 
 band playing " The Girl I Left Behind Me,' the train moved
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY C. 733 
 
 out. Arrived at Chicago, the men were called in line and 
 sworn into the service by Lieut. Hunt, of the Regular Army. 
 The trip to Rockford was without especial incident. Arriving 
 in that city at a little after two o'clock p. M., the company 
 marched to Camp Fuller with the other Lake County com- 
 panies, where they, with the six Jo Daviess County compa- 
 nies, were formally organized as a regiment. 
 
 The announcement that the company had drawn the letter 
 "C," and was to be the color company of the regiment, was 
 made the following morning at roll-call, and was received 
 with the most hearty and enthusiastic cheering, the boys all 
 feeling proud of their position. First Sergeant Earle made 
 the announcement^ and, stating that they would always be 
 expected to be the first company in line whenever the Regi- 
 ment formed, asked if they would promise, then and there, 
 that the line should never be obliged to wait for them. To 
 this they gave ready and hearty assent, and the promise waa 
 carefully kept, the Regiment seldom, if ever, being detained 
 in forming to await the arrival of their Color Company. 
 Later on Company C was the first to take up the skirmish 
 drill. Always it was one of the best drilled and most tidy in 
 a regiment of crack companies, and more than once it was 
 the recipient of high compliments from the field officers and 
 others for both promptness and efficiency compliments which 
 the men appreciated, and, it is believed, deserved. The dis- 
 cipline of the company was excellent, and the moral standing 
 of its members high. More than one-half of the entire com- 
 pany were members of some church. Whatever of insubor- 
 dination may have threatened elsewhere, there was never 
 trouble here. The last of the four companies raised in the 
 county, and at its muster-in the smallest numerically and 
 averaging the youngest, there was a little disposition among 
 a few to regard it as the " titman" company of the Regiment. 
 However, there was little ill-feeling engendered, and, in a 
 quiet way, the members of the company seemed to resolve 
 that, though last, it should not be least. 
 
 In October two men, James Kenty and John McGill, 
 were added to the company. Both had been in the Confed-
 
 734 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 erate army, as members of the First Louisiana Tigers, one 
 of them as a conscript, and the other as an unwilling recruit, 
 who, having served the year for which he had enlisted, had 
 been refused a discharge. They came to Kentucky with Gen. 
 Bragg's army, and, upon a favorable opportunity, slipped 
 from the ranks and made their way northward until they met 
 this command, when they offered to enlist and were accepted. 
 Kenty had been wounded at the battle of Fittsburg Landing, 
 while with the Confederate forces. Both proved to be excel- 
 lent soldiers. Kenty served most of the time in the Quarter- 
 master's Department, being regimental or brigade butcher. 
 McGill was for a time a Sergeant, and was twice severely 
 wounded. In the fall of 1864 John White came as a recruit, 
 and in the spring of 1865 George Johnson was added to the 
 roll. Both were transferred to the Twenty-first Illinois at the 
 muster-out of the Regiment. Thus the total enrollment of 
 the Company was ninety-six men, significant of the Number 
 of the Regiment. 
 
 At Camp Champion, near Newport, Ky., October 20, 
 1862, Company C was detached from the Regiment, and 
 occupied Fort Shaler, relieving Company K, but remained 
 there only two days, when it rejoined the main body of the 
 Hegiment, remaining with it until Harrodsburg was reached. 
 
 November 20, Company C and Company I were detached 
 from the Regiment, then camped at Harrodsburg, Ky., and 
 marched ten miles to Danville, where they were quartered in 
 a church. Here they remained until November 29, when, 
 the Regiment having come up, they went into camp. During 
 this brief period of detached service, their main duty was to 
 preserve order among the convalescents in the town, guard a 
 few sick and wounded Confederates, and furnish escorts for 
 funerals, frequent deaths occurring among the sick and 
 wounded left from Gen. Buell's army after the battle of Perry- 
 ville. The quarters in the church were greatly enjoyed. On 
 Sunday religious services were held, and on one or two week- 
 day evenings rhetorical exercises were given, the boys repeat- 
 ing their school-day declamations for the entertainment of 
 comrades. Not a few of these declamations were admirably
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY C. 735 
 
 rendered, and as a whole they would have done credit to a 
 class of college juniors. 
 
 On Thanksgiving Day quite elaborate dinners were spread, 
 the markets being visited, and supplies not on the Quarter- 
 master's list procured to supplement the regular army rations. 
 Danville was quite a strong center of Union sentiment, and 
 the officers and many of the enlisted men were not unfre- 
 quently invited to dine at private Louses experiences whicli 
 they greatly enjoyed. 
 
 Company C was not again detached from the Regiment, 
 except for a day or a night on picket, until following Chicka- 
 mauga, when, being left on Mission Ridge while the main 
 army fell back into Chattanooga, Gen. Bragg forcibly de- 
 tached it, and took it to his rear under guard. And yet it is 
 hardly fair to say that the entire company was captured, for 
 Corporal Lewin, too sore and lame from Sunday's wounds to 
 be able to wear his accoutrements, had been excused from 
 picket duty, and was thus left, "for seed," as some of the 
 farmer boys expressed it. 
 
 Chickamauga was a terrible blow to this Company. It went 
 into the battle on Sunday afternoon with thirty-five men, 
 under Lieutenant Earle. Every man who went into the first 
 charge, unless killed or wounded, staid until the battle closed 
 and came away with his commanding officer. But, oh ! they 
 were so few. Twenty-five of the thirty-five had been hit, and 
 nearly every one of the remaining ten had bullet-holes through 
 his clothing or accoutrements. Besides these, seven of the nine 
 color-guard attached to the Company were killed or wounded. 
 But nobly had they done their part. When the colors of the 
 Regiment were shot down, Henry Cutler and Henry Payne 
 rushed to seize them, and were only prevented because some 
 of the color-guard were nearer and secured them. Not an 
 unwounded man straggled or left the ranks from the first 
 charge until the last. Not a disabled man of the company 
 was assisted to the rear for a greater distance than a few rods. 
 Never was there an order to advance when the company did not 
 promptly respond, no matter what the danger. Every man had 
 seemed to realize the desperate need of the hour and to appre-
 
 736 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 date the fact that he was wanted at his post to save the right 
 and hold the line till night should coine to the rescue of the 
 remnant of an army still fighting with Gen. Thomas. 
 
 The casualties of the company in this engagement may be 
 briefly recited. Hem^ "Fiddler, after having been wounded in 
 the hand or arm, was struck by a bullet and instantly killed. 
 William Bonner was shot through and left upon the field, 
 doubtless dying within a few hours, if not in a few moments. 
 John Ehlers called out to a comrade that he was hit, and was 
 seen to fall, during a brief retrograde movement of the Regi- 
 ment, and was doubtless killed outright. Squire Inman, who 
 was one of the color-guard that day, was severely wounded 
 in one of his limbs and left upon the battle-field, where he 
 died a few days later. Corporal John Y. Taylor had his right 
 hand shattered at the wrist, and died in hospital at Nashville. 
 These were the only falalities in the company in this battle. 
 Sergeant Edward Murray was severely wounded in the shoul- 
 der and body, and again hit in the arm while lying between 
 the lines. Corporal George C. Dodge was severely wounded 
 in the ankle. Leonard S. Doolittle had his right leg shat- 
 tered below the knee. Orrin Howe was severely wounded in 
 the thigh. The four last named all fell into the enemy's 
 hands, but were paroled ten days later and sent within our 
 lines, but none of them were ever able to rejoin the company. 
 Of the others, Lieutenant C. W. Earle was wounded twice, once 
 on the shoulder and once on the left arm, but not enough to 
 take him from the field. Sergeant C. A. Partridge received a 
 severe flesh wound in the right hip. Corporal William 13. 
 Lewin was cut upon the head, and had a long, raking 
 wound from a bullet in the shoulder and back. Corporal 
 Lewis H. Bryant was shot through the calves of both legs. 
 Corporal John McGill had a deep shoulder wound. Henry 
 P. Barnum and Norris Hamilton each received bad wounds 
 in the face. James McCredie had a shell wound in the front 
 of his ankle or leg. John Bailey, Henry Bater, Ira Cribb, 
 Henry H. Cutler, William H. Ehlers, William Diver and 
 Michael Umbdenstock were each wounded in the arm or shoul-
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Corp'l JOHN Y. TAYLOR. 
 CHASE E. WEBB. 
 CHARLES F. SAMMONS. 
 
 Capt. JOHN K. POLLOCK. 
 Corp'l OSCAR RECTOR. 
 
 Serg't JAMES M. TAYLOR. 
 Serg't JAMES G. MCCREDIE 
 TIMOTHY FINLEY.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY C. 737 
 
 der ; and Oscar Rector had a ball through his shoulder, which 
 passed entirely through the upper lobe of the right lung. 
 
 Following this terrible battle came the capture, two days 
 later, of fifteen members of the company, heretofore al- 
 luded to. Those captured were : Lieutenant C. W. Earle, 
 Sergeant Harrison Huntington, John Bensinger, Henry H. 
 Cutler, Henry C. Green, James Kearney, William McClellan, 
 William McCreadie, Loughlin Madden, Henry C. Payne, Hugo 
 Rodenberger, Joseph Savage, Charles Sturm, Joseph Schweri 
 and Christian Weistoif. Of these, Huntington, Bensinger, 
 Green, McClellan, McCreadie, Madden, Payne, Rodenberger 
 and Sturm died in rebel prisons. For a more detailed account 
 of their prison experiences, reference is made to the chapter on 
 "PRISONS AND PRISONERS," in this work. 
 
 Following Chickamauga, Company C was very small for 
 some weeks. Captain Pollock, who had been left in charge 
 of the camp and garrison equipage at Bridgeport when the 
 march to Chattanooga was made, rejoined the Regiment at 
 Nickajack Cove. A few convalescents came up, and some 
 of the wounded returned, so that by the opening of the 
 Atlanta campaign there were some twenty-five men in line. 
 But, though few in numbers, this company was never lacking 
 in promptness or in pluck, and its casualties in subsequent 
 engagements were more than proportionate to its numbers. 
 At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, Sergeant James M. Tay- 
 lor had his right arm shattered by a ball, and amputation was 
 twice resorted to, so that he never rejoined the company. At 
 the same engagement Corporal Martin Efinger was wounded 
 in the hip, Oscar Rector in the left hand, and Frank Milheiser 
 in the arm, but none of the latter were long away from the 
 command. At Resaca, May 14, 1864, Corporal William B. 
 Lewin and Orange M. Ayers were captured, the latter dying 
 in prison. May 22, 1864, in the engagement at Dallas, Ga., 
 Corporal James Murrie was quite severely wounded in the 
 foot, and Oscar Rector in the arm. At Kenesaw Mountain, 
 June 19, 1864, William H. Ehlers was captured. The next 
 day Corporal Henry P. Barnum received a second very severe 
 wound through the face, one eye being ruined. He was never
 
 738 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 able to rejoin the company. June 21 , 1864, Sergeant Samuel 
 B. Payne was mortally wounded, being shot through the bod}' 
 and dying a month later. The following day Henry Sneesby 
 was wounded in the face. At Atlanta, August 24, 1864, John 
 McGill was so severely wounded in the shoulder as to never 
 be again able for duty. At the battle of Franklin, Tenn., 
 November 30, 1864, Sergeant Martin Eh'nger was very 
 severely wounded in the shoulder, carrying the ball for a year 
 before the surgeons were able to extract it. At the battle of 
 Nashville, Tenn., December 16, 1864, Corporal Norris Ham- 
 ilton was instantly killed by a bullet which passed through 
 his head ; and Corporal Henry H. Cutler was mortally 
 wounded, being shot in the side, and living but a few hours. 
 During the three years' service thirty of the company were 
 struck by bullets or shell in battle, the number of wounds 
 aggregating more than forty. Twenty-four, or exactly one- 
 fourth of the entire company, died or were killed before the 
 close of the war. Of this number eight were killed or mor- 
 tally wounded in battle ; ten died in rebel prisons, and but 
 six from disease alone. Those dying from disease were: 
 Henry H. Swan, Samuel Clements, Edwin A. Bartles, Caleb 
 E. Colgrove, Hamden Huntington and Henry Schnell, the 
 latter a few days after being transferred to the Veteran Re- 
 serve Corps, and all during the first year of the Regiment's 
 service. Three members of the company deserted, two were 
 dropped from the rolls, never really joining the company ; 
 two, Harvillah Cooley and C. A. Partridge, were promoted 
 to the non-commissioned staif, and a half dozen were trans- 
 ferred to other commands. Thirty different men were non- 
 commissioned officers in the company. Of the commissioned 
 officers, Captain John K. Pollock served through without 
 change of rank, and for twenty-one months was the senior 
 Captain in the Regiment, and at the close of the war was 
 breveted Major. First Lieutenant Addison B. Partridge re- 
 signed in February, 1863, his health completely failing. Sec- 
 ond Lieutenant William M. Loughlin was promoted to First 
 Lieutenant, detailed in an engineer corps, and subsequently 
 transferred to the First Regiment of United States Veteran
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY C. 739 
 
 Engineers. Sergeant Charles "W. Earle was promoted to 
 Second Lieutenant, and subsequently to First Lieutenant and 
 Brevet Captain. During the last eight months of his service 
 he was Aide-de-Camp and Acting Assistant Inspector General 
 on the staff of the Brigade Commander. Sergeant Major 
 Charles A. Partridge was commissioned Second Lieutenant 
 in June, 1865. The company was always bravely commanded, 
 and never failed to do its full duty. At the final muster-out 
 there were less than thirty present. The following is 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain John K. Pollock. Age 34; born in New Hampshire; of Scotch 
 parentage; farmer; enlisted from Antioch; was elected Captain at the 
 organization of the Company; was the ranking Captain in the Regiment 
 for 21 months prior to his muster out, and in command of the Regiment 
 for some hours during the fight at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, 
 and at occasional periods afterward. He was a cool, brave officer, and 
 was especially commended for meritorious conduct in the report of his 
 commanding officer of the part taken by the Regiment in the Atlanta 
 campaign. Participated in all of the engagements following Lookout 
 Mountain ; was brevetted Major ; m. o. with Regiment. In 1885 is a 
 leading citizen and large farmer and stock grower at MHttmrnrlH- 
 
 First Lieutenant Addison B. Partridge. Age 55, born in Westford, 
 
 Vt. ; farmer; enlisted from Fremont; was elected First Lieutenant at the 
 
 organization of the Company. Had previously been a Lieutenant in the 
 
 Vermont militia. His influence in the Company was excellent, and he 
 
 helped greatly in making both its moral and military standing high. He 
 
 endured the fatigue of the early marches admirably, but was taken ill at 
 
 v/Danville, Ky., from camp disease. His advanced age rendered his recov- 
 
 j ery exceedingly doubtful, and he very reluctantly resigned his commis- 
 
 J sion Feb. 16, 1863, leaving the command at Nashville, Tenn. He never 
 
 *>) fully recovered his health, his disease following him through the years 
 
 and resulting in paralysis, which rendered him comparatively helpless. 
 
 In 1885, resides at 261 Park Avenue, Chicago. 
 
 First Lieutenant William M. Loughlin. Age 38 ; master builder ; 
 enlisted from city of Lake Forest ; elected Second Lieutenant at the 
 organization of the Company; promoted First Lieutenant Feb. 16, 1863; 
 detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, on the recommendation of Gen- 
 erals Sherman and Thomas; commissioned by the War Department First 
 Lieutenant of Engineers July 2, 1864; assigned to duty as Adjutant of 
 1st U. S. Veteran Engineers; promoted Captain in that Regiment April 
 17, 1865; assigned to special duty July 1, 1865, as acting Major command- 
 ing Companies "A" and "F" of that Regiment, and was mustered out
 
 740 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 as such with his Regiment in November, 1865, at Nashville, Tenn. Major 
 Loughlin, although born in Canada, properly claims the United States as 
 his country, his father becoming a resident and citizen when he was only 
 a child, and his mother being the daughter of Capt. Amos Hall, a dis- 
 tinguished soldier of the American Revolution; in fact, the Major can 
 justly claim that since the French and Indian War, no war has been 
 fought for the defence or maintenance of the authority of the United 
 States in which his family was not represented, and in the War of 
 1812-14 on both sides, his father serving as a Warrant Officer in the 
 English army in the attack and capture of Casteen, on the coast of 
 Maine. After the close of the war Major Loughlin entered the Civil 
 Service under Gen. J. D. Webster (formerly Chief of Staff of Gen. Sher- 
 man), first as Master Mechanic and Assistant Superintendent of Con- 
 struction of the U. S. Marine Hospital, Chicago, and afterward in the 
 Internal Revenue Service. In recent years he has been a successful con- 
 tractor and builder, residing at 386 Hermitage Avenue, Chicago. 
 
 First Lieutenant Charles W. Earle. Age 17; born in Westford, Vt. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Fremont, 111. ; had previously served as private for 
 six months in 15th 111. Appointed First Sergeant upon the organization 
 of the Company; promoted Second Lieutenant Feb. 16, 1863, receiving 
 his commission a few days before he was 18; promoted First Lieutenant 
 August 12, 1864. Was prisoner of war from Sept. 22, 1863, to Feb. 9, 
 
 1864, and escaped from Libby Prison, Richmond, Va., by tunneling. 
 Was twice slightly wounded at Chickamauga while in command of the 
 Company, and was especially commended for bravery in the report of 
 that battle. Commanded Company "D" for two months on Atlanta 
 campaign, and at the close of the campaign was again given special 
 mention for personal bravery by the commander of the Regiment, and 
 chosen as Aide and Inspector on the Staff of the Brigade Comman- 
 der, which position he held until the close of the war ; m. o. with 
 Regiment; was brevetted Captain. Attended Beloit College three years 
 after muster out, and graduated from the Chicago Medical College in 
 1870, and is now a successful practicing physician. Has been a member 
 of the Faculty of the Woman's Medical College since 1870, and occupies 
 the Chair of Diseases of Children and Clinical Medicine. Was one of 
 the founders of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, and 
 is Professor of Obstetrics in this Institution. Residence in 1885, 535 
 Washington Boulevard, Chicago. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Charles A. Partridge. Age 18; born in Westford, 
 Vt. ; farmer and teacher; enlisted from Fremont; appointed Eighth Cor- 
 poral at organization of Company; promoted Sergeant in June, 1863, and 
 Sergeant Major May 1, 1864; commissioned Second Lieutenant in June, 
 
 1865, but not mustered, as Company was below the minimum number. 
 At Chickamauga, while a Serg'eant, was wounded, a bullet passing 
 through his cap-box, carrying several gun-caps into his right hip, some of 
 them exploding after entering; also a copper rivet which held the loop
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY C. 741 
 
 about the waist-belt. Remained with the Regiment for a time, narrowly 
 escaping capture when the Regiment fell back, owing to lameness 
 resulting from the wound. The bullet was extracted by surgeons on the 
 field, and preserved by him as a relic; three months afterward the rivet 
 was cut out. Rejoined the Regiment in January following, participating 
 in all subsequent engagements, and receiving favorable personal mention 
 in report of Regiment's experiences on Atlanta campaign; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Was County Treasurer of Lake County, 1869 to 1873, and 
 Postmaster at Waukegan, 1877 to 1881. With his brother published The 
 Waukegan Weekly Gazette, 1870 to 1885. Is editor of the History in which 
 this sketch appears. Residence in 1885, Waukegan, 111. 
 
 First Sergeant Ellis L. Schooley. Age 27 ; born in New York ; 
 appointed Second Sergeant at organization of the Company; promoted 
 First Sergeant Feb. 16, 1863; was in Quartermaster's Department much, 
 of the time the last year of his service. Discharged as private at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., in June, 1865. Residence in 1885, Denver, Colorado. 
 
 First Sergeant Samuel B. Payne. Age 19; born in Fremont, 111.; 
 farmer; enlisted from Fremont, as private; promoted Corporal Oct. 16, 
 1862, then Sergeant; then First Sergeant; was mortally wounded on the 
 skirmish line at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 21, 1864. and died in hos- 
 pital at Nashville, Tenn., July 24, 1864. Conspicuous for his cool courage 
 and greatly beloved bj- his comrades, his death was deeply lamented. 
 
 First Sergeant Lewis H. Bryant. Age 24; born in Vermont; farmer; 
 enlisted from Fremont as private; promoted to Corporal, then to Ser- 
 geant, and to First Sergeant Aug. 19, 1864; was badly wounded through 
 both legs at Chickamauga, and absent five months; never absent except 
 at that time; m. o. with Regiment. In 1885 was a thrifty farmer and 
 prominent citizen in Fremont; P. O. address, Ivanhoe, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Harrison Huntington. Age 23; born in Vermont; left col- 
 lege to enter the service; enlisted from Ela; appointed Third Sergeant at 
 organization of Company; promoted to Second Sergeant; after fighting 
 bravely at Chickamauga, was captured on Mission Ridge Sept. 22, 1863, 
 and died from small pox in prison hospital at Danville, Va., Feb. 27, 1864- 
 
 Sergeant Harvillah Cooley. Age 31; born in Ohio; farmer; enlisted 
 from Antioch; had previously served four months as Sergeant in Com- 
 pany "F,"37th Illinois Regiment; appointed Sergeant at organization of 
 the Company, and Hospital Steward at the organization of the Regi- 
 ment; was discharged Dec. 31, 1862, for disability; died at Lamont, Mich., 
 Sept. 7, 1876, from consumption, resulting from his army service, as his 
 physicians asserted. 
 
 Sergeant Joseph B. Porter. Age 30 ; born in New York ; builder; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Fifth Sergeant at organization of 
 the Company; discharged May 11, 1863, -because of having heart disease, 
 this ailment continuing and causing his death at Warren, Lake County 
 111., Nov. 29, 1876.
 
 742 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Sergeant Edward Murray. Age 33 ; born in Glasgow, Scotland ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Newport; appointed First Corporal at the organi- 
 zation of the Company; promoted to Sergeant Oct. 16, 1862; at Chicka* 
 mauga was desperately wounded, being struck between the shoulders by 
 a bullet which, passing through the lungs, lodged in such a position that 
 the surgeons were never able to remove it, so that he still carries it in 
 his person. His lower limbs were so paralyzed that he could not move, 
 and in this helpless condition he lay on the battlefield. The Regiment 
 being outflanked and forced to retreat, he was between the lines, exposed 
 to a terrific fire, and in this perilous position was twice hit, one bullet 
 striking his arm at the shoulder and passing out near the elbow, and the 
 other inflicting a flesh wound in the hip. Those of his comrades who 
 saw him after he received the first wound thought he could not live for 
 any great length of time, and all were surprised and gratified when he 
 was brought within the Union lines at Chattanooga, in an ambulance, 
 ten days later, having been paroled. He was almost entirely helpless 
 for many months, but after a long period partially recovered his health, 
 although always a sufferer and greatly enfeebled from his terrible 
 wounds. Some years after being wounded he coughed up a piece of his 
 gray army shirt, which had been carried into his lungs by the bullet. 
 Was finally discharged from hospital at Quincy, 111., Aug. 19, 1864. In 
 1885 resides on a large farm in Newport. P. O. address, Russell, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Andrew T. White. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch; was appointed Third Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company; promoted to Sergeant Jan. 27, 1863; had been in the 
 three-months service with the 12th Illinois. Was severely sick following 
 the Duck River campaign, and was discharged for disability May 5, 1863. 
 In 1885 was a prosperous farmer in Antioch. 
 
 Sergeant James M. Taylor. Age 21; born in Scotland; enlisted from 
 Warren; appointed Sixth Corporal at organization of the Company; pro- 
 moted to Sergeant; right arm shattered at battle of Rocky Face Ridge, 
 Ga., May 9, 1864, necessitating amputation, and lea\ing him in a critical 
 condition for many months; discharged because of this wound and loss 
 of arm March 18, 1865; studied law and became a successful practitioner; 
 has held numerous official positions, and in 1884 was the Republican can- 
 didate for Representative in Congress in the Springfield District, but was 
 defeated, although running far ahead of his ticket. Residence in 1885, 
 Taylorville, Christian County, Illinois. 
 
 Sergeant Martin Efinger. Age 24 ; born in Wertemberg, where he 
 served as a soldier for six months ; enlisted from Antioch as private ; 
 promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; slightly wounded in hip at Rocky 
 Face Ridge, May 9, 1864; at the battle of Franklin, Nov. 30, 1864, was 
 shot in the shoulder and very severely wounded, most of his comrades 
 thinking his injuries fatal at the time. He subsequently partially 
 recovered, and was able to rejoin the command just in time to be m. o. 
 with the Regiment. The bullet was removed a year after his return 
 home. In 1885 was farming near Waukegan, 111.
 
 ROSTEK OF COMPANY C. 743 
 
 Sergeant James McCredie. Age 25 ; born in Scotland ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch as wagoner, but soon tired of teaming, and from 
 choice took a musket ; was quite severely wounded on the shin or ankle 
 at Chickamauga, and disabled for four months; was promoted to Cor- 
 poral and Sergeant; m. o. with Regiment. His health was broken by his 
 long term of service, and he died at Millburn, 111., July 30, 1874, from 
 consumption, leaving a widow and three children. 
 
 Sergeant James Murrie. Age 20 years; born in Scotland ; enlisted 
 from Newport as private; promoted Corporal May 25, 1863, and to Ser- 
 geant Aug. 1, 1864; was wounded in foot in battle of Dallas, Ga., May 
 27, 1864, losing a toe, but rejoined the Regiment Sept. 17, 1864; and was 
 present at final muster out. In 1885 was a prosperous farmer and influ- 
 ential citizen in Antioch, 111. P. O. address, Millburn, 111. 
 
 Sergeant John McGill. Enlisted in Scott County, Ky., Nov. 1, 
 1862. He had been a conscript in the 1st Louisiana Regiment, in the 
 Confederate service, but left while that regiment was with Bragg in Ken- 
 tucky, and at the first opportunity enlisted in the Union service; was 
 quite severely wounded in the arm or shoulder at Chickamauga, but 
 ujrejoined the command, and in front of Atlanta, Aug. 24, 1864, was again 
 9 wounded in the shoulder, this time so severely as to discharge him from 
 j the service. He is borne upon the rolls as having been transferred to the 
 n 21st Illinois, but as a matter of fact was discharged from the hospital, as 
 ' private, prior to the m. o. of the Regiment. He was living, in 1885 
 in poor health, at Walled Lake, Mich. 
 
 Corporal James Kearney. Age 27 ; a native of Ireland ; farmer; 
 enlisted from Antioch; proved a most excellent and brave soldier, doing 
 his full duty in the terrible battle of Chickamauga. Was captured two 
 days later, and for sixteen months a prisoner of war. Toward the close 
 of the war he was exchanged, but was not able to join the Regiment, and 
 was discharged, as private, at Chicago, in July, 1865. His health was 
 badly impaired by his prison experience, and was never .regained. He 
 died in Osage, Iowa, Aug. 3, 1881, leaving a widow and four children. 
 
 Corporal George N. Ayers. Age 38 ; a native of Vermont, enlisted 
 from Fremont ; appointed Fourth Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company; was taken with typhoid fever at Camp Champion in October, 
 1862; removed to a hospital in Cincinnati, and discharged for disability 
 Feb. 21, 1863. Resided in 1885 in Rochester. Minn. 
 
 Corporal Edwin A. Bartles. Age 22 ; born in Middlebury, N. Y. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Ela; was appointed Fifth Corporal at the orgauiza' 
 tion of the company; was a model, Christian soldier. Taken with measles 
 at Danville, Ky., he died Feb. 6, 1863. 
 
 Corporal George C. Dodge. Age 20; a native of Maine; farmer; 
 enlisted from Avon; appointed Seventh Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; was severely wounded at Chickamauga, being shot
 
 74:4 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 through the ankle; lay between the lines for a time, and fell into -the 
 enemy's hands; paroled ten days later; never again able for duty; dis- 
 charged because of wounds Aug. 18, 1864. Lived, in 1885, on a farm near 
 MUlburn, 111. 
 
 Corporal George L. Stewart. Age 19; born in Millburn, 111.; enlisted 
 from Warren Township as private ; promoted Corporal Oct. 16, 1862 ; 
 suffered severely from periosteal inflammation, and was in hospital at 
 Camp Denison, Ohio, five months. At one time a council of physi- 
 cians had about determined to amputate both of his feet, but decided 
 that he was too low to undergo the operation; was discharged for disa- 
 bility March 11, 1863, and for many months walked but little; but he 
 eventually overcame the difficulty to a considerable degree. Has been a 
 successful merchant, and more recently a commercial traveler. P. O. 
 address in 1885, Millburn, 111., where he has always been a leading and 
 public-spirited citizen. 
 
 Corporal William B. Lewin. Age 19 ; born in England ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Newport as private ; promoted to Corporal ; at Chicka- 
 mauga received a severe wound while lying down, the bullet slightly 
 cutting his head and plowing a deep furrow about ten inches in length 
 along his back ; although disabled for duty, he rejoined the Regiment 
 the next morning, and was the sole survivor of the Company with the 
 Regiment after the capture. At the battle of Resaca, Ga , May 14, 1864, 
 he, with a few others, was captured after the Regiment had been out- 
 flanked and while being forced to the rear, unfortunately crossing a road 
 a few rods distant from and in full view of the enemy ; remained a pris- 
 oner of war until Feb. 28, 1865, never rejoining the command ; was dis- 
 charged at Springfield, 111., June 24, 1865. Is a prosperous farmer and 
 influential citizen of Newport. P. O. address in 1885, Rosecrans, 111. 
 
 Corporal John Y. Taylor. Age 19; born in Scotland ; farmer and 
 schoolteacher; enlisted from Newport as private ; promoted Corporal; at 
 Chickamauga was shot through right wrist; his injuries proved fatal, and 
 he died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 24, 1863. He was a brother 
 of Sergt. Taylor. 
 
 Corporal Henry P. Barnum. Age 16; born in Canada; enlisted from 
 Waukegan as private; promoted Corporal; at Chickamauga was badly 
 wounded in the face, the bullet striking his right cheek, and'passing out 
 through the bridge of his nose; just afterwards the Regiment made a re- 
 trograde movement and he was for a time inside the enemy's lines, but 
 soon there was an advance and he was released, and made his way to the 
 rear. The wound healed quickly, and he rejoined the Regiment in nine 
 weeks. At Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, by a strange fatality 
 he was again wounded in the face, the bullet striking his left cheek and 
 going directly through, passing out but an inch from the spot where the 
 first bullet entered, paralyzing one eye, taking out one tooth and leaving 
 hiir, terribly scarred. His remark, " I should think they might have left
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY C. 745 
 
 my face alone," was often alluded to afterward by his comrades. His 
 wound was painful and long in healing; in fact, has never healed inter- 
 nally. He was never again able for field duty, and was discharged from 
 Marine Hospital, Chicago, for wounds, Jan. 5, 1865. In 1885 was a letter 
 carrier in Chicago P. O. ; residence at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Corporal Henry H. Cutler. Age 21; born in Massachusetts; farmer; 
 enlisted from the town of Warren as private; promoted Corporal. At 
 Chickamauga was wounded in the arm, but remained with the Regiment 
 and was captured with the Company two days later; was sick in prison 
 and exchanged in a few weeks. Rejoining the Regiment he participated 
 in nearly all of its campaigns and battles, and at Nashville, Dec. 16, 1864, 
 was one of the first men to reach the Rebel breastworks in the final 
 charge, but was shot a moment later, and died from his wound the next 
 day. He was always conspicuous for his bravery, and after he fell, 
 and while prostrate and faint from his fatal wound, said to Lieut. 
 Earle: "God bless father, God bless mother, and save the country," and 
 afterward remarked, that if any one must fall, he was willing it should 
 be himself. 
 
 Corporal Norris Hamilton. Born in Canada; farmer; enlisted from 
 township of Cuba, as private; promoted to Corporal; at Chickamauga 
 was badly wounded through the face, the ball passing in at one cheek, 
 and out through the other. Rejoined the Regiment in five months, and 
 participated in all of the subsequent engagements, until the battle of 
 Nashville, Dec. 16, 1864, when, in the charge on the Rebel skirmish line, 
 he was shot through the head, and instantly killed. He \\ps a gallant 
 soldier, and left a family. 
 
 Corporal Oscar Rector. Age 18; born in Bridgeport, Madison Co., 
 New York; enlisted from Antioch, as private; promoted Corporal July 
 18, 1864. At Chickamauga was shot through the right lung, but recovered, 
 and rejoined the Regiment in four months; at Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 
 
 1864, was wounded in middle finger of left hand, and had his haversack 
 badly shattered, and May 27, 1864, at the battle of Dallas, Ga., received 
 a flesh wound in the left arm, but did not leave the command; partici- 
 pated in every engagement, except Lookout Mountain, and was m. o. 
 with Regiment. In 1885 was farming in the town of Antioch, 111., P. O. 
 address, Hickory, 111. 
 
 Corporal John W. Bailey. Age 17; born in Illinois; enlisted from 
 Antioch, as private; promoted Corporal; at Chickamauga received 
 severe flesh wound in shoulder; rejoined Regiment in a few weeks, and 
 served through, participating in nearly every engagement, and being m. o. 
 with his command. In 1885 resided at Maquoketa, Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Christian Weistoff. Age 25; born in Germany; farmer; 
 enlisted from Ela, as private; captured with Company, Sept. 22, 1863; 
 was a prisoner of war about 15 months; rejoined the Regiment in April, 
 
 1865, and was promoted Corporal; in. o. with Regiment; residence in 1885, 
 Springfield, 111.
 
 746 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Corporal Samuel Clark. Age 16; born in England; enlisted from 
 Ela, as private; promoted Corporal: served to the close of the war, and 
 was m. o. with Regiment. In 1885 his home was at Barrington, 111. 
 
 Corporal John J. Swazy. Age 25; American: farmer; enlisted from 
 
 */Ela; was detailed with an Ohio Battery for some months, serving with 
 
 f credit in several engagements, but returned to the Regiment, and was 
 
 J promoted to Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment ; residence , in 1885, 
 
 \ Chicago, 111. 
 
 Musician Julius Schwarm Age 21; born in Rhein, Bavaria; carpen- 
 ter; enlisted from Waukegan; was severely ill and discharged Oct. 19, 
 1863, for disability, never fully regained his health and died in Waukegan, 
 111., from consumption, Aug. 25, 1872, leaving a family. 
 
 Willard Ames. Age 17; born in Antioch, 111.; enlisted from Antioch; 
 was very seriously ill for several months, and was discharged for dis- 
 ability, Aug. 28, 1863; was a merchant at Caberry, 111., several years. In 
 1885 was farming at Hickory, Lake Co., 111. 
 
 Orange M. Avers. Age 32; American; farmer; enlisted from Fre- 
 mont; captured at battle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864, and died in prison 
 near the close of the war. He is known to have escaped from the prison 
 at Florence, but is believed to have been recaptured, and it is understood 
 that some Vermont soldier, who was a former acquaintance, was with 
 him when he died. Was a brother of Corporal George N. Ayers. 
 
 Amelius Ames. Age 17; born in New York; farmer; enlisted from 
 Wauconda; m. o. with Regiment; address in 1885, Wauconda, 111., where 
 he was engaged in farming. 
 
 Timothy W. Bliss. Age 17; born in Ohio, residence Burlington, 
 Wis. ; enlisted from Fremont; was drummer for a time, but afterwards 
 detailed on gunboat "News Boy," and served with that craft on the 
 Cumberland River, until the close of the war; m. o. with Regiment; died 
 from asthma or consumption in Pueblo, Colorado, Feb. 22, 1877. 
 
 John W. Besley. Age 19; born in Michigan ; clerk; was on detached 
 service much of the time as clerk at Regimental. Brigade and Division 
 Headquarters; although excused from duty with the command, he more 
 than once took a musket and participated with the Regiment in its active 
 campaigns, and on the Atlanta campaign was a frequent visitor on the 
 skirmish line; m. o. with Regiment. In 1885 was book-keeper for the 
 Besley Brewing Company, at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 William Bonner. Age 21; of Scotch nativity; farmer; enlisted from 
 Avon; at battle of Chickamauga, was shot through the body, and left 
 upon the field, doubtless dying within a few hours. He was a brave, 
 Christian soldier. For long months his friends clung to the belief that he 
 was alive, and would be heard from, but no tidings ever came to confirm 
 their hope.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY C. T4T 
 
 John Bensinger. Age 24; born in New York; farmer; enlisted from 
 Newport; captured with Company, Sept. 22, 1863, and died in prison 
 hospital at Danville, Va., Feb. 8, 1864. 
 
 Henry Bater. Age 24; of English nativity; enlisted from Warren 
 township; had previously served three mouths in the 12th Illinois; was 
 severely wounded through the shoulder at the battle of Chickamauga, 
 Ga., Sept. 20, 1863, and discharged for wounds, March 28, 1865. Re- 
 sidence in 1885, Newman Grove, Neb. 
 
 Hiram Clark. Age 21; born in Illinois; fanner; enlisted from Fre- 
 mont; detailed as Adjutant's clerk, at Rockford, and served in that 
 capacity, or as clerk at Corps Headquarters, most of his term of service. 
 VMore than once, when an engagement was expected, he asked leave to 
 i join the Company, and taking a musket went to his command, taking up 
 tj his pen only when the danger was past; m. o. with Regiment, but im- 
 mediately returned South, serving as a citizen clerk in Texas, until the 
 army disbanded; was subsequently in the Internal Revenue Service for 
 some years. In 1885 was merchandizing at Victoria, Texas. 
 
 Ira Cribb. Age 16; born in Illinois; enlisted from Antioch; at 
 Chickamauga was wounded in shoulder, but .rejoined the Regiment, and 
 served to the close of the war; being in nearly every skirmish or battle; 
 m. o. with Regiment. P. O. address in 1885, Evanston, 111. 
 
 Samuel Clements. Age 39; born in England; farmer; enlisted from 
 Fremont; died in hospital at Danville, Ky., Jan. 22, 1863, leaving a family. 
 
 Caleb E. Colgrove. Age 46; born in New York; laborer; enlisted 
 from Waukegan; died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., April 2, 1863, 
 leaving a family. Had one son in the 19th Illinois. 
 
 Samuel W. Dodge. Age 24; American; enlisted Sept. 20, 1862, at 
 Rockford, 111. ; transferred to Signal Corps, Oct. 20, 1863, and served to 
 the close of the war. Residence in 1885, Peoria, 111. 
 
 Leonard S. Doolittle. Age 22; born in Pennsylvania; farmer; en- 
 listed from Fremont; at Chickamauga had his right leg shot below the 
 knee; was inside the Rebel lines ten days, and then paroled and sent to 
 Chattanooga. The surgeons insisted that his limb must be amputated; 
 but he plead so strong that they promised to defer the operation for a 
 day, and meanwhile make a careful examination. It was found that one 
 side of the bone was not broken, and the limb was saved, but he was 
 never able for duty, and was discharged at Chicago, in June, 1865. His 
 wound is still troublesome. He was appointed Superintendent of the 
 National Cemetery, at Murfreesboro or Stone's River, Tenn., in 1866; re- 
 mained there eight years, and was then transferred to the Cemetery at 
 Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., where he still resided in 1885. 
 
 William Diver. Age 35; American; farmer; enlisted from Fremont; 
 at Chickamauga was badly wounded in arm; rejoined the Regiment, and 
 served nearly to the close of the Atlanta Campaign, when he was taken
 
 7*8 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 sick, and sent to the hospital, where h was discharged May 18, 1865. 
 P. O. address in 1885, Webster, Iowa, where he is a large farmer am 1 
 stock dealer. 
 
 William H. Ehlers. Age 21; German; farmer; enlisted fromEla; at 
 Chickamauga was wounded in the arm; rejoined the Regiment in five 
 months. At Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 19, 1864, while the skirmish 
 line was making an advance in some timber, he ventured through a fence, 
 behind which some rebels were concealed, and was captured; was a 
 prisoner until near the close of the war. Resides in Nebraska. 
 
 John H. Ehlers. Age 22; German; farmer; enlisted from Ela; at 
 Chickamauga was shot through, during a brief retreat of the Regiment, 
 and is supposed to have been killed outright. 
 
 Timothy Finley. Born in Ireland; enlisted from Liberty ville ; dis- 
 charged from hospital in June, 1865 ; residence in 1885 in Central 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 Charles Fordham. Age 30; born in England; enlisted from Fremont. 
 Deserted Jan. 27, 1863. 
 
 John Fidler. Age 16 ; German ; enlisted from Avon ; was first 
 wounded in the hand or arm at Chickamauga, and immediately after- 
 ward struck by a second bullet and killed outright, the first man killed 
 in battle in the Company. 
 
 Henry C. Green. Age 18; born in Fremont; enlisted from Ela. Al- 
 though not fully recovered from a recent severe illness, and really unfit for 
 duty, he participated in the battle of Chickamauga, and was conspicuous 
 for his bravery. Two days later he was captured with his Company, and 
 remained a prisoner of war until his death, which occurred in the prison 
 hospital at Danville, Va., Jan. 20, 1864. 
 
 Hamden Huntington. Age 16; born in Illinois; died at Wartrace, 
 Tenn., July 28, 1863. He was a brother of Sergeant Huntington, and an 
 excellent soldier. 
 
 Columbus Haycock. Age 18 ; of English descent ; enlisted from 
 Antioch; deserted Sept. 22, 1862. 
 
 Orrin Howe. Age 27; born in New York; wagon-maker; enlisted 
 from Benton; at Chickamauga was badly wounded in right thigh, and 
 left in the enemy's hands, being paroled and sent to Chattanooga ten 
 days later. Was never again able for field duty, but served as a nurse for 
 a year or more, and was discharged at Springfield, 111., June 29, 1865. 
 In 1885 resides in Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Squire W. Inman. Age 28 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Antioch; at Chickamauga was acting Color Corporal, and was so badly 
 wounded in the limb or knee as to be unable to leave the field, and died 
 in the enemy's hands a week later.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY C. 
 
 Reuben C. Jones. Age 18; born in Illinois; enlisted from Antioch; 
 discharged for disability, Dec. 29, 1862, but subsequently re-enlisted in 
 the 17th 111. Cavalry, and served to the close of the war. Residence in 
 1885, Antioch, 111. 
 
 Henry F. Jones. Age 21 ; born in England; enlisted from Waukegan; 
 m." o. with Regiment. Died at Oak Park, 111., March 30, 1878. 
 
 George Johnson. Age 40; born in England; enlisted March 22, 1865; 
 transferred to Company "G," 21st 111., June 10, 1865, and finally m. o. 
 Dec. 16, 1865. Resided on a farm near Wauconda, 111., in 1885. 
 
 Henry Kern. Age 26 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Fremont ; 
 while the steamer which conveyed the command from Louisville to 
 Nashville was being loaded he was in the hold, assisting to stow away the 
 goods, when the corner of a mess-chest struck him in the groin, injuring 
 him so that he was forced to go to hospital at Nashville; was discharged 
 from the service May 11, 1863. In 1885 is keeping a hotel at Liberty- 
 vine, 111. 
 
 i 
 
 Joshua King. Enlisted from Newport; sent home from Rockford 
 sick and dropped from rolls. 
 
 James Kenty. English; enlisted in Scott Co., Ky., Nov. 1, 1862. 
 Had been in Confederate service; transferred to 21st 111., June 10, 1865, 
 and finally discharged Nov. 3, 1865. Residence in 1885, Elizabeth, Jo 
 Daviess Co., 111. 
 
 Wm. McClellan. Age 21; born in Wisconsin ; farmer; enlisted from 
 Newport ; captured with Company Sept. 22, 1863, and died at Annapolis, 
 Md., May 6, 1864, just after being released from Rebel prison. 
 
 James McBride. Age 30; born in Ireland; enlisted from Fremont; 
 farmer; was sick and sent to hospital, and subsequently transferred 
 to the Veteran Reserve Corps, serving there until the close of the war. 
 Residence in 1885, Milo, Lincoln Co., Kansas. 
 
 v William Moriey. Age 24; born in England; wagon-maker; detailed 
 
 j in Pioneer Corps in April, 1863, and transferred to First Regiment U. S. 
 
 jj Veteran Engineers, Aug. 25, 1864, serving to the close of the war with that 
 
 ty command. Residence in 1885, Antioch, 111. 
 
 David J. Minto. Age 20; born in New York; farmer; was seriously 
 ill for some weeks in the first winter and spring of the Regiment's 
 service, and was discharged for disability April 11, 1863. Is a model 
 citizen, and in 1885 resides on his farm in Antioch. P. O. address, 
 Millburn, 111. 
 
 William McCreadie. Age 20 ; born in Scotland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon : after participating in the battle of Chickamauga was 
 captured with the Company Sept. 22, 1863, and died in Andersonville 
 prison, June 4, 1864.
 
 750 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Watson Markley. Age 21; born in England; served with regimental 
 pioneers much of the time; m. o. with Regiment. Residence in 1885, 
 Minneapolis, Kansas. 
 
 Loughlin Madden. Age 21 ; born in Ireland ; enlisted from New. 
 port; captured with Company Sept. 22, 1863, and died in prison. 
 
 Frank Milheiser. Age 46; born in Germany; laborer; enlisted from 
 Waukegan. At Rocky Face Ridge, June 9, 1864, was slightly wounded in 
 arm; m. o. with Regiment. Residence in 1885, Appleton, Wis. Had two 
 sons in other regiments. 
 
 Marshall Newton. Age 34; born in England; laborer; enlisted from 
 Fremont; deserted Jan. 27, 1863. 
 
 Henry C. Payne. Age 18; born in Fremont, Illinois; enlisted from 
 Fremont. At Chickamauga had two guns shattered in his hands, and 
 was conspicuous for his bravery all through that terrible battle; captured 
 Sept. 22, 1863, with his Company; and died in prison hospital at Danville, 
 Va., Jan. 6, 1864, was a brother of Sergeant Payne, who was mortally 
 wounded at Kenesaw Mountain. 
 
 Charles Phillips. Age 31; born in Cazenovia, Madison Co., New 
 York; enlisted from Fremont; detailed in Pioneer Corps, April 7, 1863, 
 and transferred to First Regiment U. S. Veteran Engineers, Aug. 25, 
 1864, serving with that command to the close of the war. Was County 
 Treasurer of Lake County, 111., from 1873 to 1877; elected Circuit Clerk 
 in 1880 and re-elected in 1884. P. O. address, Waukegan, 111. 
 
 William F. Rider. Age 31 ; born in Lockport, N. Y., baker ; en- 
 listed from Lake Forest ; discharged for disability April 5, 1863. Re- 
 sidence in 1885, 3021 Calumet Avenue, Chicago ; is a contractor and 
 builder. 
 
 Hugo Rodenberger. Born in Germany ; enlisted from Newport : 
 captured with Company Sept. 22, 1863, and died at Andersonville prison, 
 June 4, 1864. 
 
 Jonathan Smith. Age 29; American; carpenter; enlisted from Ela; 
 was with regimental hospital much of the time as cook and nurse; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Died at Jesup, Iowa, in 1883. 
 
 Henry Schnell. German; enlisted from Fremont; died in hospital at 
 Nashville, Tenn., in the spring of 1863, just after being transferred to 
 the Veteran Reserve Corps, 
 
 Henry Sneesby. Age 20 ; English ; farmer ; enlisted from Warren 
 township. Was wounded in face at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 21, 
 1864; served through and was m. o. with Regiment. Residence in 1885 
 Willard, Pope Co., Minnesota. 
 
 John Shatswell. Age 17 ; born in Illinois ; enlisted from Antioch; 
 discharged March 11, 1863, to enlist in Mississippi Marine Brigade, where
 
 .ROSTER OF COMPANT C. 751 
 
 he served until the close of the war. In 1885 resides on a farm at Doon, 
 Lyon Co., Iowa. 
 
 Charles Sammons. Age 14, and probably the youngest enlisted man 
 in the Regiment ; born in Chicago, 111., March 22, 1848 ; enlisted from 
 Antioch. Was with the Regiment most of the time, but escaped wounds; 
 m. o. with command. In 1885 was a locomotive engineer. P. O. address, 
 Toyah, Texas. 
 
 Benjamin Shumerski. Age 20; enlisted from Newport; sent home 
 from Rockford sick, being dropped from the rolls, and died in 1864. 
 
 Joseph Savage. Age 25; born in New York; enlisted from Antioch; 
 farmer; was captured with Company Sept. 22, 1863, and a prisoner of war 
 until near the close of service. In 1885 was proprietor of a pleasant sum- 
 mer resort at Antioch, 111. 
 
 Charles Sturm. Age 23; German; farmer; enlisted from Ela; fought 
 bravely at Chickamauga, but was captured with Company Sept. 22, 1863, 
 and died at Andersonville prison, Nov. 28, 1864. 
 
 Jerry Savage. Age 20; American; enlisted from Avon; transferred 
 to Veteran Reserve Corps, where he served until the close of the war. 
 P. O. address in 1885, Antioch, 111. 
 
 Henry H. Swan. Age 21; American; farmer; enlisted from Fremont; 
 died from the after effects of measles, in hospital at Danville, Ky., Dec. 
 3, 1862. The first death in the Company. 
 
 Joseph Schweri. Age 37; German; tailor; enlisted from Newport; 
 had a bullet through his cartridge box at Chickamauga, but escaped 
 wounds; captured Sept. 22, 1863, with Company, and was a prisoner of 
 war considerably more than a year. Rejoined command in spring of 
 1865, and was present at final m. o. Residence in 1885, Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Michael Umbdenstock. Age 17; born in France, but came to America 
 when six months old; enlisted from Ela, Oct. 6, 1862, two days before the 
 Regiment left for the front; had typhoid fever at Franklin, Tenn., in the 
 summer of 1863, but rejoined the Regiment in time to participate in the 
 battle of Chickamauga, where he was severely wounded in the right arm; 
 was sent to hospital at Louisville, Ky., transferred to New Albany, Ind. ; 
 on detached service in a Government printing office, until close of the 
 war. Is borne on rolls as transferred to 21st 111., at m. o. of the Regi- 
 ment, but as a matter of fact, was discharged at Louisville, Kyr, May 16, 
 1865, and came home with Regiment. Has since worked at printing, and 
 for twelve years prior to 1885 in business for himself; now of the Globe 
 Lithographing and Printing Company, M. Umbdenstock & Co. ; office,' 134 
 Madison St., Chicago; works at 560-562 Market St., Chicago. 
 
 Nelson C. West. Age 34 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Fre- 
 mont; was taken sick early in his term of service, and discharged for 
 disability, Feb. 25, 1864. Never fully regained his health, and died, as is
 
 752 HISTORY OF THE 96 r m KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 believed, from the effects of his army service, at Lewiston, N. Y., June 
 29, 1884. 
 
 Chase E. Webb. Age 19 ; born in Ithaca, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; served as teamster a portion of the time ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment ; has been a successful farmer and stock dealer since the war ; lias 
 repeatedly represented the township of Avon in the Board of Supervisors, 
 and in 1886 was elected Sheriff of Lake County; residence, Waukegan, III. 
 
 Charles W. White. Age 30 ; born in Erie County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; was in many engagements, but escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with the Regiment ; is farming at Forestville, Allamakee 
 County, Iowa. 
 
 Joseph C. Whitney. Age 29; born in Oswego, N. Y. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Ela ; was with Regimental hospital much of the time and did. 
 valuable service to many a sick or wounded member of the command ; 
 mustered out with Regiment. Is a prosperous farmer at Lake Zurich, 111. 
 
 William G. Walmsley. Age 24 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Wauconda ; deserted Feb. 6, 1863. 
 
 John White. Age 36 ; born in Ireland ; stone-mason ; enlisted from 
 Newport, Oct. 4, 1864, joining the Company at Nashville, just before the 
 battle of Dec. 15 and 16, 1864, in which he participated. At m. o. of 
 Regiment was transferred to Company G, 21st 111., and sent to Texas ; 
 was finally discharged Oct. 10, 1865. In 1885 was farming in Newport, 111, 
 P. O. address, Cypress, Wis. 
 
 NOTE. The sketch and roster of Company C, except the last page, 
 was prepared in 1885, when the work of writing this book was first under- 
 taken, and at once stereotyped. Several responses to requests for infor- 
 mation have since been received ; but it being impracticable to change 
 the stereotyped forms, the sketches have been allowed to remain as first 
 written. A few notes may be added, as follows : 
 
 Captain Loughlin has changed his residence to 336 South Oakley 
 Avenue, Chicago. 
 
 Ellis L. Schooley is at San Diago, California. 
 
 Sergeant Edward Murray has removed to Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Corporal John J. Swazy is manufacturing soap at Courtland, Sacra- 
 mento County, California. 
 
 The fate of Orange M. Ayers has been more definitely learned, and is 
 given in one of the prison chapters. 
 
 John H. Ehlers is at Syracuse, Nebraska. 
 
 Timothy Finley is at Mount Sterling, Crawford County, Wis. 
 
 j'ames Kenty is at Stockton, Rooks County, Kansas. 
 
 Frank Millheiser committed suicide at Appleton, Wisconsin, in 
 August, 1886. 
 
 Charles Sammons is at Big Springs, Texas.
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 \V. V. SMITH. 
 ALBERT BARNEY. 
 AUSTIN E. LOTT. 
 
 Capt. W. W. HASTINGS 
 
 dipt. A. X. BLODGETT. 
 
 Lieut. M. DEVLIN. 
 
 t':l))t. .1. 11. CDI.I.IKU. 
 IilIIN SwiMlKLI.S. 
 
 1. M. DOUGLAS.
 
 SKETCH or COMPANY D. 753 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 How the Company was Recruited Headquarters in Waukegan The 
 Millburn Ladies' Supper Officers and Soldiers Beechwood Battery 
 A Trip to Camp Chase Deaths and Promotions Eight Men 
 Killed The Wounded The Recruits Company Statistics Bio- 
 graphical. 
 
 ABOUT the middle of July, 1862, A. Z. Blodgett, then 
 station agent and telegraph operator at Waukegan, received a 
 recruiting commission from Governor Yates, and, with the 
 cooperation of leading citizens and business men, undertook 
 the work of enrolling a sufficient number of men to form a 
 Company. A war meeting was held on Saturday evening, 
 July 19, and also on the following Monday evening, at each 
 of which several men* enlisted'. .''ftec^tjiftiig continued, and 
 early in August more than the full number was secured, and 
 there was quite an overflow into other Companies. The formal 
 organization was made Saturday, August 9. There was little 
 or no contest over the election of officers, A. Z. Blodgett 
 being chosen Captain, C. A. Montgomery First Lieutenant, 
 and W. W. Hastings Second Lieutenant. As finally made 
 up there were about forty men from the township of Antioch, 
 twenty-six from Waukegan, a dozen from Newport, seven 
 from Warren, six from Avon, four from Goodale, and a few 
 from other townships ; Antioch, Waukegan and Newport pro- 
 viding most of the men, however. The Company was in- 
 spected and mustered on Friday, August 29, by a surgeon 
 and a Regular Army officer. Headquarters was established 
 at the Waukegan House, and such as chose to do so remained 
 there. A majority of the men continued at their usual avoca- 
 tions until the order to proceed to Kockford, to enter the 
 camp of instruction. There was active drilling at the race 
 track and on the public square during the last days at the 
 48
 
 754 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 county seat. Each of the soldiers was the recipient of a 
 "housewife," presented by the ladies, and all were made to 
 feel that they had the best wishes of the patriotic people of 
 the county, for citizens vied with each other in their efforts to 
 minister to their comfort while in Waukegan. On Saturday, 
 August 30, the ladies of Millburn provided an elegant supper 
 for the members of the Company, the occasion being as 
 pleasant as it was possible to make it, with the thought upper- 
 most in the minds of all that the guests were going upon a 
 hazardous undertaking. 
 
 On the morning of their departure for Rockford the list of 
 non-commissioned officers, as made up by the Captain and 
 Lieutenants, was announced, as follows : First Sergeant, 
 Theodore F. Clarkson ; Sergeants John H. Collier, Jerry H. 
 Linklater, Cornelius E. Hartnett and George G. Ferguson ; 
 Corporals John Sluman, Edmund S. Stevens, Henry W. 
 Turk, Worthy S. Taylor, Henry A. Webb, Isaac M. Douglas, 
 Henry J. Ring, Marion R. Brewster. The Company pro- 
 ceeded to Rockford September 5, where they were formally 
 mustered, with the other Companies, as a Regiment. In the 
 casting of lots for position, the letter "D" was drawn. 
 
 Upon arriving at Newport, Ky., Company D was detached 
 from the Regiment and assigned to duty at Beechwood Bat- 
 tery, a heavy fort, or earthwork, about six miles from Cincin- 
 nati. There they remained until the Regiment moved, when 
 they joined the detachment under Colonel Champion and 
 went into quarters at Covington Barracks. Simultaneously 
 with the movement to Covington, fifty men, under command 
 of Lieutenant Montgomery, were sent to Camp Chase, Colum- 
 bus, Ohio, in charge of a large number of Rebel prisoners, 
 leaving at ten o'clock p. M. and arriving at Columbus at four 
 o'clock next morning, escorting them safely, and rejoining 
 their command after an absence of three days. The Company 
 was not again detached from the Regiment, except for skir- 
 mish or picket duty, during its entire term of service. 
 
 The first death in the Company occurred at Harrodsburg, 
 Ky., where John Chope died in hospital, December 8, 1862. 
 Richard Wilton died at Danville, Ky., December 19, 1862 ;
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY D. 755 
 
 First Lieutenant Caleb A. Montgomery, at Danville, Ky., 
 January 28, 1863 ; Corporal John Sluraan, at Quincy, 111., 
 February 18, 1863 ; Miles Jones, at Nashville, Tenn., April 
 7, 1863 ; William D. Sells, at Wartrace, Tenn., July 30, 
 1863 ; Mason C. Beecher, at Nashville, Tenn., September 
 27, 1863; Arnold Willett, at Nashville, Tenn., October 28, 
 1863 ; Andrew Farrier, at Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 
 2, 1863 ; John E. Dunmore, at Chattanooga, Tenn., July 
 1, 1864. These were all of the deaths from disease dur- 
 ing the period in which the Company was in the service, 
 although Henry W. Mitchell, a recruit, died at New Orleans, 
 La., December 7, 1865, after being transferred to Company G, 
 51st Illinois. 
 
 Upon the death of Lieutenant Montgomery, Second Lieu- 
 tenant Hastings was promoted to fill the vacancy, and Ser- 
 geant Clarkson became Second Lieutenant. August 1, 1864, 
 Captain Blodgett resigned, having been disabled for field 
 duty at the battle of Chickamauga. Lieutenant Hastings was 
 then promoted to Captain, and Second Lieutenant Clarkson to 
 First Lieutenant. The Company being below the minimum 
 number, no Second Lieutenant was appointed at the time. In 
 May, 1865, Captain Hastings resigned, being disabled by a 
 wound received at the battle of Resaca, and Lieutenant Clark- 
 son was promoted to Captain. Sergeant Linklater was pro- 
 moted to First Lieutenant, and on June 8, ]865, Sergeant 
 Michael Devlin was commissioned Second Lieutenant. Thus 
 the Company had three different Captains and six different 
 commissioned officers. In December, 1863, Sergeant Collier 
 was commissioned Lieutenant in a colored regiment, and sub- 
 sequently rose to the rank of Captain. Two men were pro- 
 moted to the non-commissioned staff, viz. : Wallace B. Gage, 
 who was appointed Principal Musician, and Sergeant George 
 Ferguson, who was appointed Hospital Steward, and subse- 
 quently became First Lieutenant of Company H. Thirty-one 
 different men were non-commissioned officers in the Company. 
 
 The battle casualties were numerous, eight men being 
 killed in action and thirty-six others receiving wounds more 
 or less severe, the total number of wounds including the
 
 756 HISTORY OF THE 96 r m REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 eight killed aggregating forty-five. Six members of the 
 Company were prisoners of war. Those killed in action were : 
 Worthy S. Taylor, near Camp Denison, Ohio, July 14, 1863, 
 where he, with others, sought to resist the advance of the 
 famous raiders under the lead of Gen. John Morgan ; Ser- 
 geant Isaac Quigley, Sergeant William W. McKey, Corporal 
 Elisha Haggart, Elias Hosley and James Rich, at Chicka- 
 mauga, and Louis Brochon and Philip R. Clawson, at Kene- 
 saw Mountain. It is notable that none are reported "died of 
 wounds," the mortal wounds in every instance proving almost 
 immediately fatal. 
 
 At Chickamauga, in addition to the five mentioned as 
 killed, seventeen were wounded. Captain A. Z. Blodgett was 
 struck in the shoulder by a bullet on Friday evening, but not 
 entirely disabled. On Sunday afternoon he was seriously 
 injured by the falling of a tree-top which had been torn off by 
 a cannon shot, and compelled to leave his command. Lieut. 
 Clarkson was terribly wounded by an exploding shell, his 
 jaw being fractured and his neck and face badly lacerated. 
 He was supposed by his comrades to have been killed, but 
 while being carried to the rear he regained consciousness and 
 eventually recovered, although it was many months before he 
 rejoined the command. First Sergeant John H. Collier had a 
 severe wound through the thigh, which disabled him for sev- 
 eral months. Corporal Charles Ellis was slightly wounded in 
 the leg, and Corporal Orson V. Young in the foot, but neither 
 of them left the field until the battle closed. Corporal Edward 
 Rix was -wounded in the head, but not long disabled. Joseph 
 A. Roth was shot in the hand, and H. G. Levagood in the 
 arm. Edmund S. Stevens was severely bruised by a fragment 
 of shell, but kept on fighting until shot through the side. He 
 was left for dead upon the battle-field, and his name placed 
 upon the list of killed, but eight days afterward was brought 
 inside the Union lines at Chattanooga. He partially recov- 
 ered, but was not again able for field service. John Swindells 
 had his left hand split by a piece of shell, the index finger 
 being badly stiffened and out of line. The wound was an 
 ugly one and disabled him for farther service, but he was
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY D. 757 
 
 afterward on duty as a nurse in hospital. William Sabin had 
 his left thigh badly lacerated, and is still lame. Alza Stewart 
 was severely wounded in the thigh, and long disabled. Rob- 
 ert E. Stanley was wounded in the face, James T. Guppy on 
 the hand, and Jacob Yan Patten on the knee and breast, 
 none of the latter seriously. John C. Thompson had a knee- 
 cap displaced while climbing a fence on the march from the 
 left to the right of the battle-field. Eli Tha} r er was stunned 
 by a bullet, and fell into the hands of the enemy. His inju- 
 ries being slight he was sent to Richmond, and thence to 
 Andersonville and Florence, and is supposed to have died at 
 the latter place. At the close of the battle Sergeant Linklater 
 was in command of the Company, all officers above him in 
 rank having been disabled. The Company may claim the 
 honor of holding the battle-field that Sunday night, as James 
 T. Guppy, becoming separated from his command and being 
 exhausted from fatigue, lay down with the dead and wounded 
 all about him and slept until morning, when he awoke to find 
 that the Union forces had retired the night before. He then 
 took his musket and fell back to Rossville unmolested. 
 
 October 29, 1863, the Regiment, with other troops, being 
 sent to reinforce Gen. Hooker at Wauhatchie, a Rebel shell 
 made some havoc in the Company, exploding and very seri- 
 ously injuring George S. Shaw. Corporal D. G. Stewart, 
 Walter Crapo and Henry J. Ring were also harmed, but none 
 so seriously as to compel them to leave the command. At 
 Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, Frank Rahling was slightly 
 wounded on the knee. At Resaca, May 14, 1864, Lieutenant 
 Hastings was severely wounded in the foot, Corporal Charles 
 Pepperd in the hand, Aralzeman Stanley in the right thigh, 
 and William Fleming in the breast. June 18, 1864, while 
 attempting to relieve the skirmish line after dark, Sergeant 
 Michael Devlin and Albert Barney got beyond the lines and 
 were captured, both enduring a long imprisonment. In the 
 battle of Kenesaw Mountain, June 20, 1864, Philip R. Claw- 
 son and Lewis Brochon were killed, Corporal Alex. R. Thain 
 was wounded in the leg, Abner L. Chandler in the body, Peter 
 Melindy in the leg and James McCann in the leg. Next day
 
 758 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Charles Spaulding was severely wounded in the thigh, being 
 disabled for further service, and Dominick Burke was seriously 
 cut across the forehead and cheek, but not long disabled. At 
 Peach Tree Creek, July 20, George Deedrich was wounded 
 in the leg. Near Atlanta, August 2, Henry M. Williams was 
 captured, in rear of the lines, by some Rebel scouts, and was 
 a prisoner of war until the spring of 1865. In a demonstra- 
 tion before Atlanta, August 19, 1864, Corporal Frank Fepperd 
 was wounded on the right hand ; at Lovejoy Station, Septem- 
 ber 2, 1864, Charles Hawkins was also wounded on the hand, 
 and at Franklin, November 30, 1864, Fred Worth was 
 wounded, likewise in the hand, but none of the three were 
 disabled. At Franklin, November 30, 1864, Albert Paddock 
 was captured, remaining a prisoner of war until the spring 
 of 1865. 
 
 During its term of service thirteen recruits joined the 
 Company, making a total membership, from first to last, of 
 111. In all, nineteen died or were killed, eighteen were 
 transferred to other commands, thirty-three were discharged 
 from hospitals, two deserted, and thirty-nine returned home 
 with the Regiment. About eighty were farming before the 
 war. Of those still living at the time this chapter is written 
 about thirty are in agricultural pursuits. The average age at 
 enlistment was twenty-six years, and the average of those 
 present at the final muster-out was but a fraction of a year 
 more, although nearly three years had passed. 
 
 The Company did its full part in keeping up the high 
 standard of the Regiment in soldierly deportment and courage. 
 The following is 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain Asiel Z. Blodgett. Age 25 ; born in DuPage County, 111. - T 
 Station Agent and telegraph operator ; enlisted from Waukegan. Was 
 elected Captain at the organization of the Company. At Chickamauga, 
 was wounded in the left shoulder on Friday evening, while advancing 
 the skirmish line, but did not leave the command, remaining until Sun- 
 day, when he was disabled by the falling of a heavy limb of a tree which 
 had been torn off by the artillery and dropped directly in the Company ; 
 the principal injury was to his back, and is still quite serious, prostrating 
 him at times. He returned to his command in a few months after receiv-
 
 HOSTER OF COMPANY D. 759 
 
 ing the injury, but was unable to endure the exposures of the campaign, 
 and reluctantly resigned August 1, 1864. Has since been Mayor of the 
 city of Waukegan several terms, and is still occupying the position of 
 Station Agent at Waukegan which he left to enter the service. Is also 
 engaged in importing and selling fine stock, having handled many hun- 
 dreds of valuable Clydesdale horses and Galloway cattle in recent years. 
 
 Captain Walter W. Hastings. Age 22 ; born in Cuyahoga County, 
 N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted from Antioch ; elected Second Lieutenant at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to First Lieutenant Jan. 30, 
 1863 ; and to Captain Aug. 1, 1864 ; had previously served for three 
 months in the 12th Illinois ; at the battle of Resaca, Qa., May 14, 1864, 
 was severely wounded in left foot, and disabled for six months or more ; 
 jn fact, was never again fit for field service, but was assigned to duty at 
 Nashville in December, 1864, remaining on detached service until May 11, 
 1865, when he resigned because of continued disability. His wound con- 
 tinues to trouble him. For a few years past has been a carpenter and 
 builder at Dixon, 111. 
 
 Captain Theodore F. Clarkson. Age 26 ; born in New York ; photo- 
 grapher ; enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed First Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to Second Lieutenant Jan. 30, 
 1863 ; to First Lieutenant, Aug. 1, 1864 ; and to Captain, May 11, 1865. 
 At Chickainauga, Sept. 20, 1863, was very severely wounded on the head 
 and face by a fragment of shell, the injury being so serious as to entirely 
 disable him for many months. After his partial recovery he was assigned 
 to duty as a military conductor on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 
 but returned to the Company before the close of the Atlanta campaign, 
 serving with it most of the time until the close of the war ; mustered out 
 with Regiment. Following his return home he was in poor health much 
 of the time for some months, developing Bright's disease, his friends 
 believe as a direct result of his army service and died at Waukegan, 
 111., July 1, 1876. 
 
 Captain John H. Collier. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch ; appointed Sergeant at organization of the Com- 
 pany ; promoted to First Sergeant Jan. 30, 1863 ; at Chickamauga, was 
 severely wounded in the left thigh, and was disabled for six months ; 
 discharged Dec. 26, 1863, for promotion to Second Lieutenant in 12th 
 U. S. C. I., and subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant and to Cap- 
 tain. Was in numerous engagements, and was wounded in left arm at 
 the battle of Nashville, Dec. 15, 1863, but not disabled ; finally mustered 
 out in January, 1866. Has served three terms in the Illinois Legislature ; 
 is a hardware merchant at Gibson City, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant Caleb A. Montgomery. Age 36 ; born in Richland 
 County, Ohio ; merchant and miller ; enlisted from Waukegan ; was 
 elected First Lieutenant at the organization of the Company. In Decem- 
 ber, 1862, while the command was in Kentucky, he was detailed on the
 
 760 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 staff of the Brigade commander as Acting Quarter Master. He was 
 taken with inflammation of the bowels at Danville, Ky., dying Jan. 28, 
 
 1863, after an illness of a few days. He was from the first one of the most 
 popular officers in the Regiment, and his death created a profound sensa- 
 tion in the ranks. His wife attended him during the last days of his ill- 
 ness, and accompanied his remains to Waukegan, where they were 
 interred. 
 
 First Lieutenant J. H. Linklater. Age 21 ; born in Scotland ; printer 
 in Gazette office ; enlisted from Waukegan ; was appointed Third Ser- 
 geant at the organization of the Company ; promoted to First Sergeant 
 Dec. 26, 1863, and to First Lieutenant May 27, 1865. At Chickamauga 
 his hat was shot through, and a bullet cut the strap of his haversack. At 
 Resaca a bullet passed through his coat sleeve ; was never absent from 
 the command except for a short time when the Regiment was at Danville, 
 Ky., when he was detailed as Sergeant of Orderlies at Brigade Head- 
 quarters, and for a few days in the autumn of 1863 when he was sick 
 from ague contracted at Moccasin Point. Participated in every skirmish 
 and battle except Lookout Mountain. Mustered out with Regiment. Is 
 with The J. M. W. Jones Stationery and Printing Company, corner of 
 Dearborn and Monroe Streets, Chicago. Residence, 1314 West Van 
 Buren Street. 
 
 First Lieutenant George G. Ferguson. Age 43 ; born in Scotland ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Fourth Sergeant at organization of 
 the Company ; promoted to Hospital Steward May 14, 1863, and to First 
 Lieutenant of Company H to date Oct. 1, 1863, but not mustered until 
 Oct. 1, 1864. Resides at Waukegan, 111. (See Roster of Co. H.) 
 
 Second Lieutenant Michael Devlin. Age 23; born in Ireland; farmer; 
 enlisted from Newport ; promoted to Corporal March 1, 1863 ; to Ser- 
 geant, Sept. 20, 1863 ; and commissioned Second Lieutenant June 8, 
 1865 ; participated with the Regiment in all of its engagements until June 
 18, 1864, when he, with Albert Barney, of the same Company, was cap- 
 tured while relieving the picket line at night as the army was approach- 
 ing Kenesaw Mountain ; had a severe experience as a prisoner of war, 
 being confined at Andersonville and Florence ; finally escaping to the 
 Union lines, near Wilmington, N. C., in February, 1865 ; rejoined the 
 command in the following spring and was m. o. with Regiment ; is em- 
 ployed in the commission house of Marshfield & Nickerson, 243 South 
 Water Street, Chicago ; residence, 146 Aberdeen Street, Chicago. 
 
 First Sergeant Charles Ellis. Age 41 ; born in Manchester, England ; 
 cabinet maker ; enlisted from Waukegan ; promoted to Corporal in 
 March, 1863; to Sergeant Sept. 21, 1863, and to First Sergeant May 27, 1865 ; 
 was never absent from command except for two months in the spring of 
 
 1864, owing to illness of family ; participated in every engagement of the 
 Regiment, except Rocky Face Ridge ; was slightly wounded in the leg at 
 Chickamauga, but not disabled ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a janitor at 116 
 E. Monroe Street, Chicago.
 
 KOSTER OF COMPANY D. 761 
 
 Sergeant Cornelius E. Hartnett. Age 29 ; born in New York City ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Millburn ; appointed Fourth Sergeant at the organi- 
 zation of the Company ; was ruptured on the severe march from Danville 
 toward Lebanon and return, Dec. 26 and 27, 1863, and disabled thereby 
 for further service; discharged at Lexington, Ky., April 15, 1863; is a 
 carpenter and builder, and resides at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Edmund S. Stevens. Age 27 ; born in Batavia, N. Y. ; 
 printer in Gazette office ; enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Corporal 
 at the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant Feb. 1, 1863 ; 
 at Chickamauga was wounded by a piece of shell, which did not disable 
 him, and later by a bullet, which passed through the left lower rib and 
 lodged near the spine, rendering him unconscious for several hours, so 
 that he was left for dead upon the battle-field ; regaining consciousness he 
 found himself a prisoner and remained in the enemy's hands eleven days, 
 when he was paroled and taken to Chattanooga and afterward to hospi- 
 tals farther north. He was subsequently declared exchanged at Colum- 
 bus, Ohio, and for a time detailed in a Government printing office at 
 Nashville, at which point he was discharged by reason of the close of the 
 war, May 15, 1865 ; is an employing job printer at Parsons, Labette 
 County, Kansas. 
 
 Sergeant Isaac Quigley. Age 35 ; born in Ireland ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Millburn ; had previously served in the Regular Army ; promoted to 
 Corporal Feb. 10, 1863, and to Sergeant May 15, 1863 ; was mortally 
 wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 20, 1863, dying within 
 a day or two. 
 
 Sergeant William W. McKey. Age 20 ; born in New York ; miller ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; promoted to Corporal Feb. 20, 1863, and to 
 :Sergeant July 22, 1863 ; was killed at the battle of Chickamauga, Ga., 
 Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Sergeant Orson V. Young. Age 16 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Newport ; promoted to Corporal May 15, 1863, and to Ser- 
 geant Jan. 1, 1864 ; at Chickamauga was wounded on the heel by a piece 
 of shell, but remained with the command. Although one of the youngest 
 men in the Company he was never absent from duty, and participated in 
 every battle and skirmish in which the Regiment was engaged; m. o. 
 with the Regiment ; after the war he was engaged in teaching and farm- 
 ing for a time, afterward taking up the study of medicine, and graduating 
 from Rush Medical College, Chicago, Feb. 22, 1882. Is a physician and 
 surgeon at Rosecrans, Lake Co., 111. 
 
 Sergeant Berzelus O'Hara. Age 41 ; born in Jefferson Co., N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from the township of Warren ; promoted to Corporal 
 .June 1, 1863, and to Sergeant July 1, 1864 ; at Chickamauga had his haver- 
 sack shot off ; participated in nearly every engagement, but escaped 
 ^wounds ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at Oconto, Wis.
 
 762 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Sergeant Charles Pepperd. Age 29 ; born in England ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal July 22, 1863, and to Sergeant in- 
 May, 1865 ; participated in almost every skirmish and battle until Resaca, 
 when he was wounded in the left hand and had two ribs broken, dis- 
 abling him for two months ; returned and took part in the battles of 
 Franklin and Nashville ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at Odell, 111. 
 
 Corporal John Sluman. Age 31 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Millburn ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the Company ; died 
 from disease in hospital at Quincy, 111., Feb. 18, 1863. 
 
 Corporal Henry W. Turk. Age 26 ; born in England ; fanner ; en- 
 listed from Newport ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company ; was sent to hospital in February, 1863, being first at Louisville, 
 Ky., and then at Quincy, 111. ; was under treatment several months ; re- 
 covering was assigned to duty at hospital headquarters as acting Com- 
 missary Sergeant, and then placed in charge of Medical Purveyor's guards 
 at Louisville, where he remained on duty until m. o., June 8, 1865 ; was 
 51 days in Kansas militia during the border ruffian troubles; has held 
 numerous township offices, and is a prosperous farmer and dairyman at 
 Washougal, Washington Territory. 
 
 Corporal Worthy S. Taylor. Age 31 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the Company ; 
 was sent to hospital because of sickness, and on his recovery he, with a 
 large detail of convalescents, was sent to intercept the Rebel General 
 Morgan, then on his famous raid through Southern Ohio, and was killed 
 in action near Camp Denison, Ohio, July 14, 1863. 
 
 Corporal Henry A. Webb. Age 24 ; born in Otsego Co., N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Antioch ; appointed Corpocal at the organization 
 of the Company ; subsequently assigned to duty with the Regimental 
 Band, for a time ; was at Chickamauga, Resaca, Lookout Mountain and 
 some of the engagements on the Atlanta campaign, but had a disease of 
 the eyes that compelled him to go to hospital ; discharged for disability 
 at Mound City, 111., March 8, 1865 ; is agent for the American White 
 Bronze Monument Company, and resides at Aurora, 111. 
 
 Corporal Isaac M. Douglas. Age 21 ; born in Franklin Co., N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; appointed Corporal at the organizatien of 
 the Company, but was subsequently reduced to the ranks at his own 
 request ; was seldom absent from the command, and was always a faith- 
 ful soldier and a pleasant companion ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming 
 in the town of Avon ; P. O. address, Millburn, 111. 
 
 Corporal Marion R. Brewster. Age 27 ; born in Greene, Chenango 
 Co., N. Y. ; farmer and teacher ; enlisted from Benton ; was appointed 
 Eighth Corporal at the organization of the Company ; his health failing 
 he was discharged April 6, 1863 ; returning home he never fully recov- 
 ered, and died at Evanston, 111., April 19, 1871, leaving a widow and five 
 children.
 
 ROSTEE OF COMPANY D. 76& 
 
 Corporal Crofton Crocker. Age 25 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 the township of Warren ; promoted to Corporal Oct. 16, 1862 ; deserted 
 Feb. 1, 1863. 
 
 Corporal John C. Thompson. Age 39 ; born in Scotland ; mason ; 
 enlisted from the township of Warren ; promoted to Corporal May 1, 
 1863 ; at the battle of Chickamauga, in climbing a fence, he sustained a 
 fracture of the right patella, or knee-pan, which partially disabled him 
 all through the remainder of his term of service, although he remained 
 with the command most of the time ; at the same battle a bullet passed 
 through a tin cup strapped to his haversack ; the injury mentioned still 
 gives him much trouble ; is engaged in orange culture at Middleburg, 
 Clay Co., Florida. 
 
 Corporal Elisha Haggart. Age 25 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; promoted to Corporal May 15, 1863 ; was killed at the battle 
 of Chickamauga, being the first man killed in the Regiment in that ter- 
 rible battle. 
 
 Corporal Edward Rix. Age 28 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from township of Goodale (now Grant) ; was slightly wounded on the 
 head at Chickamauga, being unconscious for some time ; had bullet pass 
 through his clothing in an engagement near Marietta, Ga., was promoted 
 to Corporal in July, 1863, and was one of the Color Guard from March, 
 1864, until the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a potter, and 
 resides at White Hall, Green Co., 111. 
 
 Corporal Daniel G. Stewart. Age 29 ; born in New York ; farmer - r 
 enlisted from Newport ; promoted to Corporal Feb. 3, 1864 ; at Chicka- 
 mauga was wounded in the left foot, had his gun stock shattered by a 
 bullet, his haversack was cut off, and three bullets passed through his 
 clothing ; at the crossing of the Tennessee River in October, 1864, was 
 wounded in the shoulder by a piece of shell ; m. o. with Regiment ; is 
 farming at Bellwood, Butler Co., Nebraska. 
 
 Corporal Alexander R. Thain. Age 22 ; born in Scotland ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Millbum ; appointed Corporal Feb. 4, 1864 ; wounded in 
 the leg at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, but did not leave the com- 
 mand ; in fact, was not absent from the command during its entire term* 
 of service, and participated in every skirmish and battle in which the- 
 Regiment was engaged ; m. o. with Regiment. Following the war he 
 spent some years in school, graduated from the Chicago Theological 
 Seminary and entered the ministry ; is now pastor of the First Congre- 
 gational Church at Galesburg, 111., where he has been located for nine 
 years. Is the author of Chapters XII and XIII of this work. 
 
 Corporal Frank Pepperd. Age 22 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; promoted to Corporal June 23, 1864 ; was in nearly every 
 engagement with the Regiment, and was wounded in the right hand in 
 the demonstration before Atlanta, Aug. 19. 1864, but not disabled ; was 
 a brother of Sergeant Charles Pepperd ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming 
 at Odell, 111.
 
 764 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Corporal James McCann. Age 17 ; born in New Albany, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Antioch ; was almost constantly with the Regi- 
 ment, and was promoted to Corporal June 25, 1864 ; at Rocky Face Ridge 
 a bullet passed through his coat collar, and at Kenesaw Mountain he 
 received a flesh wound in the leg, but was not long disabled ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; is farming near Wadsworth, 111. 
 
 Corporal George E. Thayer. Age 18 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal June 25, 1864 ; was 
 wounded in the hand at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, but did not 
 leave the command ; was in hospital at Franklin, Tenn., one day, but 
 never absent from the command at any other time ; took part in every 
 engagement ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a prosperous farmer, and also 
 works at his trade as a mason. P. O. address, Gage's Lake, Lake Co., 
 111. 
 
 Corporal Fred G. Worth. Age 22 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from the township of Warren ; promoted to Corporal May 27, 
 1865 ; had stock of musket shattered in his hands at Rocky Face Ridge, 
 was slightly wounded on the side of head and had a bullet through his 
 blanket at Kenesaw Mountain, and was bruised upon the hand by a bullet 
 at Franklin ; was absent from the command but two months, and was in 
 nearly every skirmish and battle ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a prosperous 
 farmer at Wadsworth, 111. 
 
 Edward Alexander. Age 37 ; American ; tailor ; enlisted from Wau- 
 kegan ; discharged for disability March 20, 1868, and died at Waukegan, 
 111., March 20, 1867. 
 
 Mason C. Beecher. Age 24 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Antioch ; died of disease in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 27, 1863. 
 
 John Bessey. Age 51 ; born in New York ; wagon maker ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; discharged for disability from hospital at Nashville, 
 'Tenn. ; resides at Bellevue, Kas. 
 
 Louis Brochon. Age 39 ; born in France ; carpenter ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan Dec. 29. 1863, and joined the Regiment before the opening of 
 the Atlanta campaign ; participated in all of the early engagements of 
 the campaign, and was killed at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864. 
 
 Martin M. Blunt. Age 32 ; born in New York ; wagon maker ; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and trans- 
 ferred to the First Regiment U. S. Veteran Volunteer Engineers, July 
 25, 1864, being promoted to Corporal, and serving with that command 
 until the close of the war: finally discharged at Nashville, Tenn., June 
 30, 1865 ; has since held numerous township official positions, and is a 
 prominent farmer and stock raiser at Marena, Hodgman Co., Kansas. 
 
 Albert Barney. Age 19 ; born in Du Page County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; was on detached service with the 9th Ohio Bat- 
 tery seven months, and with the 18th Ohio five months, participating
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY J. -^ 765 
 
 with them in the battles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission 
 Ridge ; rejoined Regiment in March, 1864, and participated in all of the 
 earlier engagements of the Atlanta campaign ; near Kenesaw Mountain, 
 on the night of June 18, 1864, he, with Sergeant Devlin, of the same 
 Company, was captured by the enemy while relieving the picket line, 
 and was a prisoner of war more than five months, at Andersonville and 
 Florence ; was paroled Nov. 30, 1864, but was so badly disabled as to be 
 unfitted for further service, and never rejoined the Regiment ; m. o. at 
 Springfield, 111., May 24, 1865 ; is residing at Bandow, Cook Co., 111., and 
 is in poor health. 
 
 William Bete. Age 35 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan Jan. 4, 1864 ; participated in most of the engagements follow- 
 ing that date ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company G, 21st 
 Illinois, serving with that command until December, 1865 ; is an inmate 
 of the Insane Asylum at Kankakee, 111. 
 
 Dominick Burke. Age 21 ; born in Ireland ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan Jan. 4, 1864, joining the command soon after ; at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, June 21, 1864, was wounded in the head and disabled three 
 months, returning in time to take part in the battles of Franklin and 
 Nashville ; resides at Waukegau, 111. 
 
 Abner L. Chandler. Age 17; born in Pennsylvania; farmer; en- 
 listed from the township of Warren ; was at Rocky Face Ridge, Dalton, 
 Resaca, Dallas, Pine Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Franklin and Nash- 
 ville ; at Kenesaw Mountain, June 20, 1864, was wounded in the abdo- 
 men, it at first being supposed that the wound was necessarily fatal, but 
 it proved that the ball had passed out without cutting the bowels, and in 
 about two months he was again on duty ; at m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, serving with that command until Dec. 
 16, 1865 ; is a prosperous farmer at Odebolt, Iowa. 
 
 George W. Carpenter. Age 18 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon ; was in nearly all of the engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; address unknown. 
 
 John E. Clarkson. Age 20 ; born in Lake Coxmty, 111. ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; was detailed as an Orderly, and served in that capacity, at 
 Brigade and Division Headquarters, during the greater part of his term 
 of service ; m. o. with Regiment ; is on the Grain Inspection Force in 
 Chicago. P. O. address, Englewood, Cook County, 111. 
 
 W. W. Chamberlain. Age 26 ; born in Chateaugay, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; his lungs becoming diseased he was discharged 
 at Brentwood, Tenn., April 2, 1863 ; has residtt! in Waukegan most of 
 the time since, but is now living, in poor health, at No. 60 North Ann 
 Street, Chicago, and following the occupation of a painter. 
 
 Philip R. Clawson. Age 37 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Wau- 
 kegan ; was killed at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20,
 
 766 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 1864 ; had been in several engagements, and was for a time detailed with 
 the 9th Ohio Battery. 
 
 John Chope. Age 20 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Newport ; 
 died at Harrodsburg, Ky., Dec. 8, 1862. 
 
 Walter Crapo. Age 31 ; born in Portage County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch ; was with the Regiment at Chickamauga ; slightly 
 wounded in the ear, near Lookout Mountain, Oct. 27, 1863 ; was detailed 
 with Brigade commissary department at Cleveland, Tenn., in the spring 
 of 1864, remaining absent from the Regiment, but with the Brigade, for 
 a year ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a well digger and contractor at Wau- 
 kegan, 111. 
 
 John M. Clark. Age 40 ; born in New York ; blacksmith ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; discharged for disability at Brent wood, Tenn., March 20, 
 1863 ; is proprietor of a grocery store at Hebron, New York. 
 
 Charles L. Devine. Age 40 ; born in Sullivan County, N. Y. :'f armer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch ; was sent to hospital, sick, June 3, 1863, and did 
 not again join the command, but served as a nurse and in other capacities 
 until the close of the war ; died Feb. 9, 1878, in Linn County, Mo. 
 
 James R. Daley. Age 21 ; farmer ; enlisted from Newport ; went to 
 hospital, sick, Sept. 12, 1863, and did not again join the command, but is 
 understood to have done hospital duty until the close of the war ; pres- 
 ent address unknown. 
 
 Chester W. Douglas. Age 26 ; born in Franklin County, N. Y. ; 
 unlisted from Avon Oct. 10, 1864, joining the Regiment in time to parti- 
 cipate in the battles of Franklin and Nashville ; at the m. o. of the Regi- 
 ment was transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, and became leader of 
 the Band of that Regiment ; was m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 10, 1865 ; 
 is a watchmaker at Longmont, Colorado. 
 
 Adrian R. Douglas. Age 38 ; carpenter ; born in New York ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; was leader of the Regimental Band for a time ; 
 discharged for disability, March 21, 1863 ; is farming in the township of 
 Warren. P. O. address, Gurnee, Illinois. 
 
 Robert J. Douglas. Age 15; brn in Vermont; enlisted from Wau- 
 kegan Feb. 27, 1864, joining the Regiment in time to participate in most 
 of the engagements of the Atlanta campaign, and the battles of Frank- 
 lin and Nashville ; although but a mere lad, light and seemingly frail, he 
 was continuously in the ranks, doing the full duty of a soldier, and more 
 than once refusing to accept of easier positions offered him at the rear ; 
 at the m. o. of the Regiment was transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, 
 and went with that command to Texas. A sister, without the knowledge 
 of her brother or of her parents, wrote to the Secretary of War, stating 
 the facts as to his extreme youth, and the services he had rendered, and 
 asking that he might be discharged. The request met with favor, and, 
 Sept. 6, 1865, he was discharged by a special order from the War Depart-
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY D. 767 
 
 ment, and returned home ; is the head of the firm of R. J. Douglas & 
 Co., extensive manufacturers of boats, pumps, windmills, etc,, at Wau- 
 kegan, 111. 
 
 AndrewJ. Derrick. Age 20 ; born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch ; was detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and 
 transferred to the First U. S. V. V. Engineers Aug. 16, 1864 ; promoted 
 to Sergeant Jan. 1, 1865 ; was disabled for three months in the summer of 
 1864 by cutting his knee with an axe while with Engineers, near Hiawasee 
 River ; finally discharged at Nashville, Tenn., June 30, 1865 ; is stock 
 raising at Lowe, Chautauqua County, Kansas. 
 
 Watson P. Davis. Age 23 ; born in Brandon, Vt. ; engineer ; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; left the Regiment, because of sickness, in Septem- 
 ber, 1863, and was transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps April 30, 1864 ; 
 died at Gibson City, 111., Sept. 19, 1876. 
 
 John R. Dunmore. Age 23 ; born in Johnstown, N. Y. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Benton Dec. 22, 1863 ; died in hospital at Chattanooga, Tenn., 
 July 1, 1864. 
 
 Jacob E. Dunmore. Age 22 ; born in Johnstown, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Benton Dec. 23, 1863 ; was in hospital most of the time ; 
 at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois ; is 
 reported as absent, sick, at the m. o. of that Regiment ; residence un- 
 known. 
 
 Charles T. Dickinson. Age 30 ; born in New York ; carpenter ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan Dec. 29, 1863, joining the Regiment in the early 
 spring of 1864 ; was discharged from hospital at Chicago May 22, 1865 ; 
 resides in Chicago, 111. 
 
 George Deedrich. Age 18 ; born in McConnellsville, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Newport ; was never absent from the command except 
 for a short time at Danville, Ky., during the first winter ; participated in 
 every engagement, and was twice struck by bullets, once at Kenesaw 
 Mountain and again at Peach Tree Creek, but not disabled ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is a stationary engineer at Marietta, Ohio. 
 
 William J. Fleming. Age 18 ; born in Cleveland, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan Jan. 4, 1864, and joined the Regiment before the 
 opening of the Atlanta campaign ; was wounded in the breast at the bat- 
 tle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864 ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred 
 to Company G, 21st Illinois, serving with that command until about the 
 close of 1865; died from consumption at Waukegan, 111., Feb. 16, 1876. 
 
 Alexander O. Ferguson. Lacked six days of being 15 at time of en- 
 listment ; was a son of Lieutenant Ferguson, and one of the youngest 
 men in the command ; born in Waukegan, 111. ; enlisted from Waukegan 
 Jan. 4, 1864 ; joined the Regiment before the opening of the Atlanta 
 campaign ; in all engagements afterward ; at the m. o. of the Regiment 
 was transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, serving until Dec. 16, 1865,
 
 768 HISTORY or THE 96ra EEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 and returning home with that command ; has recently located at Den- 
 ver, Col. 
 
 Andrew Farrier. Age 20 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Millburn ; died at Murfreesboro, Tenn., Dec. 2, 1863. 
 
 James T. Guppy. Age 21 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Antioch ; at the battle of Chickamauga two bullets passed through his 
 hat, one giving him a scalp wound ; remained on the battle-field that 
 night, and next morning was aroused by a Rebel surgeon, who gave him 
 the first definite knowledge that the Federal forces had retreated ; he then 
 made his way back to Rossville ; was with the Regiment until near the 
 close of May, 1864, when he was sent to Jeffersonville hospital, sick, re- 
 maining about a year ; discharged at Louisville, Ky., May 29, 1865 ; is 
 farming at Mankato, Jewell County, Kansas. 
 
 Wallace B. Gage. Age 31 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; was at once detailed in Regimental Band, and for about 
 six months served as Principal Musician ; in May, 1863, was sent to hos- 
 pital, and on his recovery was detailed as Ward Master in Hospital No. 
 2, Quincy, 111. ; discharged at Quincy June 22, 1865 ; is a general hard- 
 ware merchant at Menominee, Mich. 
 
 Gustavus A. Greer. Age 18 ; American ; blacksmith ; enlisted from 
 Antioch ; discharged for disability at Brentwood, Tenn., April 5, 1863 - r 
 died at Lake Geneva, Wis., about 1866. 
 
 Riley Hicks. Age 48 ; born in Angelina, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; discharged for disability at Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 10, 
 1863 ; considered himself about the oldest private soldier in the Regiment - r 
 resides at Union City, Mich. 
 
 Elias Hosley. Age 20 ; born in Madison County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Goodale (now Grant); mortally wounded at the battle 'of 
 Chickamauga, dying the same night ; was a brother of Austin Hosley of 
 the same Company. 
 
 Austin Hosley. Age 29 ; born in Madison County, N. Y. ; farmer - T 
 enlisted from Goodale (now Grant) ; discharged for disability at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., May 23, 1863. Is a prosperous stock raiser at Bartlesville, 
 Delaware Nation, Indian Territory. 
 
 Charles S. Hawkins. Age 31 ; born in Clinton County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Avon ; participated in all of the engagements of the com- 
 mand following Kenesaw Mountain ; at Lovejoy Station was wounded, 
 a bullet cutting across the back of his left hand, but was not obliged to 
 leave the Regiment li^on the farm he left to go to the war. P. O. ad- 
 dress, Fox LaTfeH&P^ 
 
 Harrison Jones. Age 26 ; born in Kendall County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; transferred to the V. R. C. Oct. 29, 1863, serving 
 with that organization until the close of the war ; discharged July 2, 
 1865, at Chicago, 111. Resides at Antioch, 111.
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 
 AUSTIN E. I,OTT. 
 
 s-T-'t HEKZELUS O'HARA. 
 
 Serg't GEORGE G. FKIK.I SON. 
 
 First Lieut. CAI.KB A. MoMTOOMBBT. 
 
 Cor])'] EDWARD Rix. 
 
 JOHN M. CLARK . 
 
 First Serg't CHARLES ELLIS.
 
 Til 
 
 . " v
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY D. 769 
 
 Miles Jones. Age 29 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Antioch. 
 Died at Nashville, Tenn., April 7, 1863. 
 
 Austin E. Lott. Age 18 ; born in Seneca, N. Y, ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Waukegan ; was an Orderly at Regimental and Brigade Head- 
 quarters from July, 1863, and was always with the command ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; was for many years with the Cerro Gordo Freighting Com- 
 pany, and afterward became its owner, but is now residing at Los Angeles, 
 California, and engaged in the real estate business. 
 
 Henry G. Levagood. Age 35 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Anlioch ; at Chickamauga was wounded in the arm and disabled for 
 further field service ; discharged June 17, 1864 ; is engaged in the milk 
 business, and in teaming at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 William Mitchell. Age 18 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Wau- 
 kegan, Dec. 30, 1863. joining the command before the opening of the 
 Atlanta campaign, in which he participated ; was discharged from hospi- 
 tal at Nashville, Tenn., May 18, 1865. Is farming near Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Henry W. Mitchell. Age 19; born in Lake Co., 111. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Benton Dec. 23, 1863. joining the Regiment in time to partici- 
 pate in all the engagements following Lookout Mountain ; at m. o. of 
 Regiment was transferred to Company G, 21st Illinois, and died in hospi- 
 tal at New Orleans -Dec. 7, 1865. 
 
 Peter P. Melindy. Age 45 ; born in "N;ew Hampshire ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; took pa- io'tag .enga^^fenjs a,t jRpcky Face Ridge, 
 Resaca, Dallas and elsewhere, and at Kenesaw Mountain was wounded 
 in the leg ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Blaine, Portage County, 
 Wis. 
 
 Alfred Morton. Age 24 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 MiUburn ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps April 20, 1864, serving to 
 the close of the war. Is employed in a grain elevator at Grover, Seward 
 County, Neb. 
 
 William Norton. Age 21 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming in Lake County. 
 P. O. address, Nippersink, 111. 
 
 William W. Nellis. Age 19 ; American ; teamster ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides in Chicago, 111. 
 
 Charles J. Neal. Age 19 ; born in Erie County, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Shields ; discharged for disability from hospital at Nashville, 
 Tenn., March 7, 18H3 ; subsequently re-enlisted in Battery M, Second 
 Illinois Light Artillery, but was soon transferred to Battery C, of the 
 same Regiment, serving for a year and a half with that command, and 
 taking part in numerous skirmishes, mostly in the vicinity of Fort Donel- 
 son. Resides at Random Lake, Wis. 
 
 Albert Paddock. Age 19; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; was in all of the engagements of the Regiment, 
 49
 
 770 HISTOKY OF THE 96i'H REGIMENT, ILL. V. L 
 
 except Lookout Mountain, up to Nov. 30, 1864, when he was captured ; 
 was worn out with constant marching from Pulaski, and when the Regi- 
 ment halted on the range of hills outside the village of Franklin, went 
 to sleep and was not missed until the lines had fallen back ; he awoke to 
 find himself a prisoner ; was in the hands of the enemy about four 
 months, being confined at Cahawba, Ala., most of the time ; was paroled 
 and sent via Vicksburg to St. Louis in the spring of 1865 ; rejoined the 
 Regiment at the time of their discharge in Chicago. Is farming at 
 Spencer, Clay County, Iowa. 
 
 George Paddock. Age 22 ; born in Milwaukee, Wis. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Antioch ; discharged for disability at Quincy, 111., Feb. 25, 
 1865 ; was a brother of Albert Paddock, of this Company. Is a mer- 
 chant at Saunemin, Livingston County, 111. 
 
 Thomas Pullen. Age 31 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Antioch ; 
 was seldom absent from the command ; m. o. with Regiment ; died from 
 inflammation of the bowels, at Clayton, Faribault County, Minn., Jan. 
 13, 1868. 
 
 Joseph A. Roth. Age 32 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Newport ; at Chickamauga was quite seriously wounded in the hand, but 
 did not leave the Regiment ; at Kenesaw Mountain his pants were torn 
 and his poncho cut by bullets ; was in all of the engagements of the 
 command, and an excellent soldier ; m. o. with Regiment ; has since held 
 numerous positions of trust, and is now Township Treasurer and Justice 
 of the Peace, and also is a large land owner and prosperous farmer at 
 Sheldon, Iowa. , 
 
 Frank Rahling. Age 21 ; born in Germany ; teamster ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; drove team for a time, but returned to Regiment before the 
 battle of Lookout Mountain, and participated in that engagement and 
 all that followed ; was wounded in the knee at Rocky Face Ridge, but 
 not disabled, and at Kenesaw Mountain had a bullet through his hat ; m. 
 o. with Regiment. Is farming near Waukegan, 111. 
 
 John L. Richmond. Age 18 ; born in Stafford, N. Y. ; tinsmith ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; was seriously ill and discharged for disability at 
 Louisville, Ky., May 26, 1863. Resides in Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Vincent L. Reed. Age 36 ; born in Jefferson County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from the township of Warren ; discharged because of disability 
 at Nashville, Tenn., in the spring of 1868. Resides at Evanston, 111. 
 
 James Rich. Age 19 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Antioch ; 
 was mortally wounded at the battle of Chickamauga ; was carried to the 
 rear for some distance, but left, with other wounded, and died in a few 
 hours. 
 
 Abram L. Replogan. Age 23 ; American ; law student ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; had previously served in an Indiana Regiment ; discharged 
 for disability Oct. 16, 1863. Present address unknown.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY D. 771 
 
 Henry J. Ring. Age 21 ; born in Indiana ; merchant ; enlisted from 
 Antioch ; had previously served three months in Company K, 12th Illinois; 
 was wounded in the thigh at the crossing of the Tennessee River, Oct. 27, 
 1863 ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a carpenter, and resides at Gibson City, 
 111. 
 
 George W. Rice. Age 19; born in Canada ; farmer; enlisted from 
 Waukegan Jan. 4, 1864 ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company 
 O, 21st Illinois, serving until about the close of 1865. Is an inmate of an 
 insane asylum. 
 
 Charles Spaulding. Age 27 ; born in Lake County, 111 ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; was severely wounded in right thigh at Kenesaw 
 Mountain June 21, 1864, and so seriously disabled as to unfit him for fur- 
 ther field service ; discharged at Quincy, 111., May 12, 1865. Is a farmer 
 and brick manufacturer at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Aralzeman M. Stewart. Age 20 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Newport ; severely wounded in hip at Chickamauga ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at North Loup, Neb. 
 
 George S. Shaw. Age 32 ; farmer ; enlisted from Newport ; at the 
 crossing of the Tennessee River, near Wauhatchie, Oct. 29, 1863, was 
 severely wounded by a shell which, exploding near him, shattered his 
 gun, and injured his knee very badly, permanently disabling him. Re- 
 sides at Verbeck, Barton County, Kan. 
 
 John Swindells. Age 33 ; born in Cheshire, England ; farmer ; at 
 Chickamauga his left hand was struck by a fragment of shell and split 
 open between the index finger and the second finger, the gash being about 
 three inches long ; having good care the hand was saved, although badly 
 out of shape ; was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps April 10, 
 
 1864, and assigned to duty as a nurse in Cumberland Hospital, Nashville, 
 where he served until the close of the war, being discharged June 30, 
 
 1865. Is working a quartz mill at Bellville, Esmeralda County, Nevada. 
 
 William D. Sells. Age 28 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Avon, leaving a family at home ; died at Wartrace, Tenn., July 3D, 1863. 
 
 Willard V. Smith. Age 18 ; born in McHenry, 111. ; machinist ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; participated in all of the engagements of the 
 Regiment following Chickamauga, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Has followed the occupation of a carpenter at McHenry, 111., but 
 recently removed to Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 Robert E. Stanley. Age 26 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Goodale (now Grant) ; took part in nearly every skirmish and battle in 
 which the Regiment was engaged ; had many narrow escapes, and at the 
 battle of Chickamauga was slightly wounded in the face ; at the m. o. of 
 the Regiment was absent ou furlough, but joined it on its arrival in Chi- 
 cago, and returned home with his comrades. Keeps a boarding house 
 and summer resoi't at Fox Lake ; P. O. address, Nippersink, Lake County, 
 111. Is a brother of Aralzeman Stanley, of the same Company.
 
 772 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 Aralzeman Stanley. Age 28 ; born in Erie County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from the town of Goodale (now Grant) ; participated in the bat- 
 tles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Rocky Face Ridge and Resaca ; 
 at the latter engagement was severely wounded in the thigh, and, being 
 entirely unfitted thereby for field service, was transferred to the Veteran 
 Reserve Corps March 22, 1865, serving with that organization, most of 
 the time at Indianapolis, Ind. until the close of the war, and being dis- 
 charged June 30, 1865. Is living at Nippersink, Lake County, 111., and, 
 being incapacitated for hard labor because of his wound, has taken up 
 the occupation of a sportsman, and spends his time, with gun and boat, 
 along Fox River, or the adjacent lakes. 
 
 George E. Smith, Jr. Age 21 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Antioch ; was never absent from duty ; at Chickamauga 
 had a bullet mark on his foot, and at Kenesaw Mountain was wounded 
 on the ankle, but not disabled for service ; in every engagement follow- 
 ing Lookout Mountain he was on duty as a stretcher bearer, and per- 
 formed this difficult, and very often hazardous, work with such prompt- 
 ness and courage as to call forth the commendation of both officers and 
 men ; it was a matter of common remark that he would go anywhere for 
 a wounded man, and very often, at great risk, he assisted in bearing dis- 
 abled comrades from the most exposed points ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 farming at Otis, Weld County, Col. 
 
 William Sabin. Age 27 ; born in Essex, Vt. ; teamster ; enlisted from 
 Newport ; at Chickamawga was severely wounded in thigh, from the 
 effects of which he still suffers ; was not again able for duty, but returned 
 in time to be m. o. with Regiment. Is proprietor of a livery stable at 
 Belmond, Iowa. 
 
 Lewis Thwing. Age 32 ; born in Jefferson County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from W^uikegan ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps Jan. 7, 
 1864 ; discharged at Milwaukee, Wis., June 24, 1865. Died at State Line, 
 Kenosha County, Wis., Oct. 20, 1873. 
 
 Richard S. Thain. Age 17 ; born on a propeller on Lake Michigan : 
 farmer ; enlisted fro'm Millburn ; had a bullet through his shoe and had 
 his cunteen shot off al Cliickamauga, and was struck in the leg by a bul- 
 let at Lookout Mountain ; in the spring of 1864 was detailed as Assistant 
 Brigade Postmaster, and subsequently as Postmaster, serving in this 
 capacity to the close of the war. While on this service had many excit- 
 ing experiences, and some narrow escapes, which are more fully set forth 
 in another chapter in this work ; was never absent from duty when the 
 command was in active service ; is a brother of Corporal A. R. Thain, of 
 this Company. Resides at Oak Park, 111 , and is connected with the Ad- 
 vertising Agency of Lord & Thomas, 45, 47 and 49 Randolph St., Chicago. 
 
 Eli Thayer. Age 24 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Avon ; at the battle of Chickamauga was one of the foremost men 
 in the charge, and was struck down by a bullet which, however, merely
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY D. 773 
 
 inflicted a scalp wound, and left him unconscious for a few moments ; 
 meanwhile the lines had shifted, and he was a prisoner ; he endured a 
 long confinement in the different prisons, including Andersonville and 
 Florence, and died while a prisoner of war. 
 
 Jacob Van Patten. Age 31 ; born in Albany County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 unlisted from Antioch ; participated in the engagements of Chickamauga, 
 Lookout Mountain, Dalton, Rocky Pace Ridge, Resaca and others ; at 
 Chickamauga was wounded in the leg and on the breast. Worn out with 
 the long campaign, and being in poor health, he was sent to hospital in 
 June, 1864, and was not again able to join the command ; was discharged 
 from hospital at Louisville, Kj*., June 26, 1865. Is farming at Antioch, 
 111. 
 
 Henry M. Williams. Age 19 ; farmer ; enlisted from Antioch ; had 
 previously served three months with Company K, 12th Illinois ; was in all 
 of the battles of the Regiment up to Atlanta ; was captured by a party of 
 Rebel cavalry while out after forage near Atlanta, Aug. 2, 1864, and a 
 prisoner of war until the spring of 1865 ; was m. o. at Columbus, Ohio, 
 in July, 1865. Resides at Libertyville, 111. 
 
 William Warren. Age 38 ; born in Sullivan, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Antioch ; discharged for disability at Brentwood, Tenn., April 5, 
 1863 ; enlisted again Oct. 13, 1864 in Company G, 12th Illinois, and was 
 discharged July 10, 1865. Died at Bushnell, 111., from a liver or kidney 
 trouble, Aug. 30, 1884. 
 
 Richard Wilton. Age 25 ; farmer ; enlisted from Antioch. Died at 
 Danville, Ky., Dec. 19, 1862. 
 
 Arnold Willett. Age 28; born in England; farmer; enlisted from 
 Antioch. Died at Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 28, 1863. 
 
 Charles E. Webb. Age 25 ; born in Antioch ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Antioch ; m. >o. with Regiment. Resides at 88 Artesian Avenue, Chicago, 
 111. 
 
 Sherwood B. Young. Age 28 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Wauconda ; deserted Feb. 1, 1863.
 
 774 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. L 
 
 CH APTKR XLV. 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 The Apple River Company How it was Recruited and Organized 
 Officers and Non Commissioned Officers Elected A Sword to the 
 Colonel On Provost Duty at Harrodsburg The Terrible Death-Roll 
 at Chickamauga Almost Unparalleled Losses Twelve Men Killed 
 or Mortally Wounded in One Engagement Other Losses Moccasin 
 Point Duties Detached on Lookout Mountain Subsequent Casual- 
 ties Some Statistics Personal Sketches. 
 
 COMPANY E, when organized, mustered ninety-seven men, 
 all of whom were enlisted and sworn in as private soldiers. 
 They were mainly recruited by three men, living in different 
 townships and acting independently of each other. The men 
 were residents of Jo Daviess County, except a few who, 
 living just across the line in Wisconsin, were accustomed ta 
 get their mail and do their marketing at some of the villages 
 in the county. Joseph P. Black secured the largest number 
 of men, his list showing fifty-seven nearly all from Apple 
 River, Thompson and Rush. Silas Corey, of Scales Mound, 
 who held a recruiting commission from Governor Yates, 
 secured the enrollment of thirty men from Scales Mound, 
 Guilford and Thompson. Halsey H. Richardson, of War- 
 ren, recruited ten men from his own township and Southern 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 These men were mainly farmers, farmers' sons, miners or 
 mechanics, and were many of them in good circumstances. 
 All were accustomed to hard labor, and all were self support- 
 ing. They enlisted, not for the mere novelty of wearing a 
 uniform and enjoying camp life, but because they believed 
 their country needed their services. All had met wounded 
 men from Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Corinth, and knew that 
 war meant hardship and privation. They fully realized that 
 it was no holiday upon which they were entering, but that 
 stern duties and continued peril awaited them in the field.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY E. 775 
 
 Silas Corey began recruiting about July 15, 1862, and 
 Joseph P. Black and H. H. Richardson a little later. No 
 one of the three secured a sufficient number for a full Com- 
 pany, and each was looking around to see what disposition 
 could be made of his squad. Mr. Corey visited Galena, to 
 confer with other recruiting officers, but could get no promise 
 of a commission, the most favorable offer being that they 
 "would try to give his squad the position of First Sergeant." 
 Whether he seriously contemplated accepting this offer is not 
 positively known, but that they expected him to join them is 
 true. The men, upon learning of the offer, were not well 
 pleased, believing that their number was sufficient to entitle 
 them to a commissioned officer, to which some in the squad 
 aspired. A meeting was called at Scales Mound to consider 
 the proposition. Learning of the contemplated meeting, 
 Joseph P. Black attended, and proposed that the three squads 
 mentioned should come together, the largest detachment to 
 have the Captaincy, the next largest the First Lieutenancy, 
 and the smaller one the Second Lieutenancy, the Company, 
 as a whole, to elect its non-commissioned officers. This propo- 
 sition was agreed to, and the squads from Scales Mound, 
 Apple River and Warren came together at Apple River on 
 Monday, August 12, 1862, for the purpose of organizing. 
 
 It was a tine gathering of stalwart young men, who came 
 together for the first time on that bright harvest day. In age 
 they ranged from eighteen to thirty-five, although a very few 
 were younger or older than the figures mentioned. Thirty- 
 seven were married men. In intelligence they compared 
 favorably with any Company that ever left Jo Daviess County. 
 In courage and soldierly conduct they subsequently proved 
 themselves the peers of their comrades. 
 
 In pursuance of the plan heretofore alluded to, the Apple 
 River men chose Joseph P. Black for Captain, the Scales 
 Mound squad designated William F. Taylor for First Lieu- 
 tenant, and the Warren men agreed upon Halsey H. Richard~ 
 son as Second Lieutenant. It is probable that Mr. Corey 
 would have been chosen First Lieutenant had he not virtually
 
 776 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 withdrawn from the Company before the election. The selec- 
 tions named above were promptly ratified by the Company. 
 
 The election of non-commissioned officers was attended 
 with considerable excitement and a spirited rivalry, which was 
 mainty good-natured. The result was as follows : First 
 Sergeant, William Stevenson ; Sergeants William T. Adams, 
 Sidney B. Funk, William H. Bobbins and Jasper N. Lindsay ; 
 Corporals William McDonald, Daniel W. Dimmick, Thomas 
 H. Maynard, William F. Bostwick, William Hill, Edgar War- 
 ner, Richard Garrett and James S. Lewis. 
 
 The Company established its headquarters in an old ware- 
 house near the railroad depot, in the village of Apple River. 
 Most of the men went home at.night, or visited friends in the 
 vicinity, reporting daily at headquarters. During their stay 
 in the village the good ladies gave the soldiers a grand picnic 
 dinner, and presented them with an elegant flag. The pre- 
 sentation address was made on behalf of the fair donors by 
 one of their own number, whose name, unfortunately, cannot 
 be recalled. The response was by Captain Black. 
 
 Wednesday, September 3. 1862, the good-byes were said, 
 and the Company boarded the train for Rockford, where it 
 was assigned to quarters in Camp Fuller. On the fourth it 
 was formally mustered in, and next day took its place in the 
 line, as a part of the NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT ILLINOIS VOL- 
 UNTEER INFANTRY. In the drawing for position it became 
 Company E, and was assigned as the seventh Company from 
 ithe right, occupying the left centre of the battalion. 
 
 At Camp Champion the Company, through Captain Black, 
 presented Colonel Champion with an elegant sword and belt, 
 nearly every man contributing to the fund for its purchase. 
 A fine watch was also presented to Lieutenant Taylor by the 
 members of the Company. 
 
 While at Harrodsburg, Ky., Captain Black was assigned 
 to duty as Provost Marshal, and when the main body of the 
 Regiment marched to Danville, Company E, together with 
 Company A, remained to guard the prisoners and protect the 
 hospitals in the village, being comfortably quartered in bar- 
 racks. ^Christmas Day the loyal ladies gave the men an ele-
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY E. 777 
 
 gant Christmas dinner. The next day the two Companies 
 rejoined the Regiment at Danville. 
 
 The next detached service required was at Moccasin Point, 
 where Company E was detailed to dig rifle pits and construct 
 bomb-proofs for the artillery then using Lookout Mountain 
 .as a target. This labor occupied nearly three weeks, and 
 was very severe on the men, the work being fatiguing and 
 continuous, one-half working all the time, night and day, on 
 meager rations and under an annoying fire from the batteries 
 across the river. 
 
 Two days following the capture of Lookout Mountain 
 Company E was again detached, and sent quite a distance 
 -along the mountain, taking charge of some deserted camps, 
 with a large amount of camp and garrison equipage. The 
 men were required to invoice and pack up all of the tents, 
 blankets and stores, preparatory to turning them over to the 
 military authorities, 
 
 As the statute of limitations has now run it may be as well 
 to state, in the interest of a truthful history, that the men 
 appropriated some entirely new Enfield muskets that were 
 :still in the original packages, replacing them with their own 
 guns, which had become worn with service. Blankets, socks 
 and shirts were abundant in the Company that winter, and it 
 was noticeable that they were a little "off color," leading to 
 the belief that some of the Confederate goods had been 
 Appropriated by them before the invoice was completed. The 
 service lasted but a few days, when the Company joined the 
 Regiment and marched to Nickajack. 
 
 Company E had comparatively few changes in commis- 
 sioned officers. Captain Black resigned April 26, 1863, where- 
 upon First Lieutenant Taylor was promoted to Captain, Sec- 
 ond Lieutenant Richardson, to First Lieutenant, and First Ser- 
 geant Funk, to Second Lieutenant. In February, 1864, Lieu- 
 tenant Funk resigned, because of disability resulting from 
 wounds, but the Company being below the minimum number 
 the vacancy was not filled until June 8, 1865, when First 
 Sergeant Todd was commissioned as Second Lieutenant. But 
 if the changes among commissioned officers were few it was
 
 778 HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 not go with the non-commissioned officers, for at one time or 
 another twenty-eight men wore chevrons. 
 
 The casualties in the Company were exceptionally numer- 
 ous. At Chickamauga the fatalities exceeded those of any 
 other Company in the Regiment, no less than twelve men 
 being killed or mortally wounded. Of these, Corporals Cash- 
 man and Warner, and Privates Elderkin, Edge, Thomas, 
 Tinkler and Harrington were killed outright. Robert C. Alli- 
 son, who was wounded in the preliminary skirmish of Friday 
 died three weeks later. Blackstone, Martin, Mack and 
 O'Leary, who fell into the hands of the enemy, and were 
 paroled ten days later, were all so badly wounded as to cause 
 their deaths within a short time. No less than nineteen were 
 wounded more or less severely, as follows : 
 
 Captain W. F. Taylor, Lieutenant H. H. Richardson, 
 Lieutenant S. B. Funk, Sergeant W. H. Robbins, Sergeant 
 R. J. Cooper, Corporal Wm. F. DeGraff, Corporal Win. Hill, 
 John H. Pooley, William Faith, Solomon Bixby, John A. 
 Bush, Wm. H. Burb'ridge, Wm. Buckley, James Cole, Geo. 
 W. Dimmick, Charles F. Hayth, Andrew King, Thomas 
 Scott and George Teal. For a partial description of the 
 wounds received by these men reference is made to the per- 
 sonal sketches which follow. Beside the four men mentioned 
 above as mortally wounded, who fell into the enemy's hands 
 four others became prisoners during the engagement. Of 
 these Sergeant 'Robbins and John A. Bush were soon paroled, 
 Geo. W. Dimmick died in prison, and Charles F. Hayth died 
 shortly after his release, at the close of the war. No less 
 than eighteen men who went into that bloody battle never 
 again marched with the Regiment. The casualties of the bat- 
 tle were thirty-one. 
 
 At Lookout Mountain Sergeant Cooper, Corporal Junken 
 and Wm. E. Sprague were wounded. 
 
 At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, Sergeant William F. 
 DeGraif was mortally wounded, Wm. B. Scace was perma- 
 nently disabled, and Sergeant Bennett, Corporal Fleming, 
 Geo. W. Jennings, George Teal, J. B. Going and Solomon 
 Bixby were more or less severely wounded, the Company
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY E. 
 
 thus sustaining almost one-fourth of the casualties of the 
 Regiment in that engagement. In the engagements about 
 Dallas William Faith was wounded. At Kenesaw Mountain 
 Corporal James Junken and Frank Redfern were mortally 
 wounded, and Corporal John H. Pooley, Orlando Phippin 
 and William G. Oberliu were wounded. In one of the 
 engagements near Atlanta Sergeant Cooper was wounded. 
 William W. Jellison and Wallace W. Montgomery were cap- 
 tured August 2, 1864, neither of them ever returning to the 
 Company, although they both escaped, or were paroled, near 
 the close of the war. 
 
 At Lovejoy's Station Corporal Fleming was wounded in. 
 the shoulder. Subsequently there were no casualties in action 
 in the Company, although it bore its full part in each cam- 
 paign and battle. 
 
 During the term of service of the Company one man died 
 in prison, one was accidentally fatally injured, twelve died in 
 various hospitals, from disease, and fifteen were killed in 
 action or died from wounds, making a total loss by death of 
 twenty-nine, out of a total membership of one hundred and 
 five. 
 
 Eleven men were discharged for disability, resulting from 
 disease, and five because of wounds. Six men were trans- 
 ferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, three because of 
 wounds and three because of disability resulting from other 
 causes. Two were transferred to the 1st U. S. V. V. Engi- 
 neers. Two received commissions in other commands. One 
 was transferred to the non-commissioned staff. At the muster 
 out of the Company three of the recruits whose terms of ser- 
 vice did not expire until a date later than October 1, 1865, 
 were transferred to Company E, 21st Illinois Regiment. 
 
 No less than forty-four men were struck by bullets in action,, 
 and several of these more than once. Nine members of the 
 Company are known to have died since the war, and it is not 
 improbable that some of those whose present whereabout* 
 have not been ascertained are not living. One man deserted 
 and one was dishonorably discharged. 
 
 At the discharge of the Company in Chicago thirty-six
 
 "780 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 members were present, and three others were discharged 
 -about simultaneously from hospitals or parole camps. 
 
 Of Company E it may be fairly said that it performed its 
 full measure of duty, bore its full share of hardship, and suf- 
 fered its full proportion of loss. The reputation of the Regi- 
 ment never suffered because of its conduct, but on the con- 
 trary the record of the NINETY-SIXTH may fairly be claimed 
 to have been made brighter because of its harmonious action 
 in the camp and on the campaign, its steady, soldierly bearing 
 in battle, and its prompt and intelligent response to every call 
 for duty. The following is 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain Joseph P. Black. Age 31 ; born in Logan County, 111.; grain 
 buyer and implement dealer ; enlisted from Apple River ; elected Captain 
 -at the organization of the Company ; resigned at Franklin, Tenn., April 
 26, 1863. Is a traveling salesman for the Hapgood Plow Co., and resides 
 at Alton, 111. 
 
 Captain William F. Taylor. Age 28 ; born in Massachusetts ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Apple River; elected First Lieutenant at the organization 
 of the Company, and promoted to Captain April 26, 1863. Was in com- 
 mand of the Company at Chickamauga, and was wounded by a bullet 
 which passed through his right ear ; was not disabled but continued with 
 the command, and was conspicuous for his bravery. At the battle of 
 Lookout Mountain he was the only Captain with the Regiment. At 
 Nickajack, while a prisoner was being disarmed, he was wounded by the 
 discharge of a revolver, a bullet passing through one leg and lodging in 
 the other in such a position that it could not be removed. This dis- 
 abled him for field service, and after a partial recovery he was assigned 
 to duty as a Military Conductor, running between Chattanooga and Knox- 
 ville, for a time, and also between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Returned 
 to the Regiment just prior to its muster out. After his return home he 
 again engaged in farming ; was Assistant U. S. Internal Revenue Asses- 
 sor for a time, and for eleven years past has been an Assistant Grain In- 
 spector in Chicago. Residence, 497 West Lake Street. 
 
 Captain Richard Garrett. Age 25 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company, and subsequently promoted to First Sergeant ; participated in 
 the battle of Chickamauga ; discharged Dec. 1, 1863, for promotion as 
 ; Second Lieutenant in the 14th U. S. C. T. ; subsequently promoted to 
 Captain. Was last heard from at Oakland, Cal. 
 
 First Lieutenant Halsey H. Richardson. Age 34 ; born in Thomaston, 
 Me.; painter; enlisted from Warren; elected Second Lieutenant at the
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY E. 781 
 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to First Lieutenant April 26, 
 1863 ; was almost constantly with the Regiment, and commanded the 
 Company in several engagements ; was wounded in the hip at Chicka- 
 mauga, but not long disabled ; was especially commended for bravery in 
 the report of the regimental commander at the close of the Atlanta cam- 
 paign ; m. o. with Regiment ; returned to Maine shortly after the war. 
 and died at Lewiston, Me., Oct. 25, 1879. His wife, sons and daughters 
 have all died within a few years. He followed painting for a time, and 
 was two years City Marshal of Lewiston, Me.; afterward followed farm- 
 ing until his death. 
 
 First Lieutenant Lovett S. Rivenburg. Age 24 ; born in Albany 
 County, N. Y. ; teacher ; enlisted from Apple River ; was discharged 
 March 13, 1864, for promotion as Second Lieutenant 16th U. S. C. T. ; 
 subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant, and was for some months 
 Provost Marshal at Chattanooga, Tenn. Resides at Middleburgh, N. Y., 
 and is a merchant and paper manufacturer. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Sidney B. Funk. Age 19 ; born in Monticello, 
 Wis. ; farmer; enlisted from Apple River; appointed Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to First Sergeant in April, 1863, 
 and to Second Lieutenant the same month ; at Chickamauga he was so 
 severely wounded that it was thought he could not survive ; the missile 
 struck his face, passing through and fracturing his jaw and lodging in his 
 shoulder, where it could not be removed ; he partially recovered, and 
 was at home some weeks, subsequently returning to hospital at Nashville, 
 where he resigned Feb. 20, 1864. He died at Hampton, Iowa, on his 
 thirty-eighth birthday, while on a business trip for the Hapgood Plow 
 Co., of Alton, 111., of which he was a member. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Edward P. Todd. Age 25 ; born in Chautauqua 
 County, N. Y.; farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; promoted to Sergeant 
 April 6, 1863 ; to First Sergeant April 20, 1864, and commissioned Second 
 Lieutenant June 8, 1865 ; was in nearly all of the engagements of the 
 command, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a farmer and 
 stock raiser at Cherry Vale, Kan. 
 
 First Sergeant William Stevenson. Age 28 ; American ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Monticello, Wis.; discharged from hospital at Evansville, 
 Ind., April 27, 1863. Died at Apple River, 111., March 26, 1866. 
 
 Sergeant 'William T. Adams. Age 24 ; born in Wood County, Ohio ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Apple River ; appointed Sergeant at the organiza- 
 tion of the Company ; discharged at Brentwood, Tenn., March 31, 1863. 
 Is farming at Chapin, Franklin County, Iowa. 
 
 Sergeant William H. Robbins. Age 22 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Apple River, 111.; appointed Sergeant at the organization 
 of the Company ; was twice wounded at Chickamauga, a piece of shell 
 injuring his left leg and a bullet passing through his left arm and lung r 
 was left on the field and became a prisoner, being paroled eleven days
 
 782 HISTORY or THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 later ; was never again able for field service, and was discharged at Chi- 
 cago Jan. 6, 1865. Is in poor health and resides at Scales Mound, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Jasper N. Lindsay. Age 24 ; born in Scales Mound, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Scales Mound ; appointed Sergeant at the organi- 
 zation of the Company ; was detailed in Pioneer Corps April 6, 1863, and 
 transferred to 1st U. S. V. V. Engineer Regiment July 18, 1864, serving 
 until the close of the war ; contracted a disease of the spleen in the ser- 
 vice, which has given him much trouble since. Is a farmer and mail car- 
 rier at Semiahmoo, Whatcom County, Washington Territory. 
 
 Sergeant Daniel W. Dimmick. Age 22 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 
 111.; farmer; enlisted from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the 
 erg mization of the Company, and subsequently promoted to Sergeant ; 
 was in all the engagements of the Atlanta campaign and at Franklin and 
 Nashville ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a farmer and stock dealer, and re- 
 sides at Monticello, Wis. ; P. O. address, Apple River, 111. 
 
 Sergeant James S. Lewis. Age 29 ; born in Canada ; farmer and 
 teacher ; enlisted from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organiza- 
 tion of the Company, and promoted to Sergeant April 6, 1863 ; was in 
 hospital for some months, and transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps 
 April 23, 1864 ; finally discharged from service May 29, 1865. Is farming 
 at Rush, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Royal J. Cooper. Age 23 ; born in Pottsdam, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal in November, 1862 ; to 
 Sergeant in April, 1863, and to Hospital Steward Nov. 1, 1864 ; was 
 severely wounded in the left foot at Chickamauga, and had both haver- 
 sack and canteen shot off ; was slightly wounded in the left hip at Look- 
 out Mountain, and seriously wounded in the left shoulder at Atlanta Aug. 
 19, 1864 ; the last wound unfitted him for field service, and led to his pro- 
 motion as Hospital Steward ; m. o. with Regiment. Is engaged in busi 
 ness as a painter and decorator at Nora, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 Sergeant William F. DeGraff. Age 19 ; born in Apple River, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal and served as 
 one of the Color Guard at Chickamauga, where he was severely wounded 
 in the thigh, being disabled four months ; returning he was promoted to 
 Sergeant ; at the battle of Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, was mortally 
 wounded, being shot in the breast, and dying at Chattanooga May 16, 
 1864. 
 
 Sergeant Calvin Frisby. Age 23 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted at 
 Apple River ; promoted to Corporal in April, 1863, and to Sergeant in 
 1864 ; w;is almost constantly with the command, but escaped wounds ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Is employed with a plow manufactory at Dixon, 
 111. 
 
 Sergeant George C. Bennett.^- Age 31 ; born in Kanawha, West Vir- 
 ginia ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal and 
 Sergeant; was wounded at R6cfky Face Ridge, and at Resaca had his
 
 ROSTEK OF COMPANY E. 783 
 
 canteen and haversack shot off ; m. o. with Regiment. Is an iron worker 
 at Portsmouth, Ohio. 
 
 Sergeant Peter F. Fleming. Age 19 ; born in Ireland ; came to Syra- 
 cuse, N. Y., with his parents when eighteen months old, and to Jo 
 Daviess County in 1854 ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales Mound ; promoted 
 to Corporal Jan. 1, 1864, and to Sergeant March 1, 1865 ; was never absent 
 from the command, and participated in all of its engagements ; had a 
 bullet through his pants leg at Chickamauga, one through his coat at 
 Rocky Face Ridge, slightly wounding his side ; had his gun stock shat- 
 tered in front of Atlanta, and was wounded in the left shoulder at Love- 
 joy's Station, Sept. 4, 1664 ; m. o. with Regiment ; was for two and one- 
 half years Captain of Company H, 3d Regiment I. N. G., at Lena, 111.; 
 for eight years has been a day guard in the State Treasurer's Office at 
 Springfield, 111. 
 
 Corporal William A. McDonald. Age 20 ; born in Apple River, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organiz'a- 
 tion of the Company ; discharged for disability April 14, 1863. Is farm- 
 ing at Jefferson, Green County, Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Thomas H. Maynard. Age 18 ; born in Apple River, 111.; 
 clerk ; enlisted from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company ; was detailed as Orderly at Brigade Headquarters for a 
 time, and subsequently employed in the Medical Purveyor's office at 
 Nashville, serving there until the close of the wars discharged at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., May 15, 1865. Is a traveling salesman for Doggett, Bassett & 
 Hills, Chicago, and resides at Apple River, 111. 
 
 Corporal William F. Bostwick. Age 18 ; American ; clerk ; enlisted 
 from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the Com- 
 pany ; was with the command most of the time, but escaped wounds ; m. 
 o. with Regiment. 
 
 Corporal William Hill. Age 43 ; born in New York ; carpenter ; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company ; received a gun-shot wound in the left knee at Chickamauga, 
 and was on crutches for a year or more ; was discharged from hospital in 
 Chicago Aug. 25, 1864. Is working at his trade in Apple River, 111. 
 
 Corporal Edgar Warner. Age 23 ; born in Apple River, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Apple River ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Corporal Absolam Power. Age 29 ; born in Bath County, Ky. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; was promoted to Corporal and 
 served with the Color Guard for a time ; had an ankle badly sprained on 
 the Duck River march, and was sent to hospital ; discharged at Louis- 
 ville, Ky., Oct. 26, 1863. Is a lead miner at Apple River, 111. 
 
 Corporal Henry Cashman. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Apple River; promoted to Corporal; was killed at -Chickamauga 
 Sept. 20, 1863.
 
 R, 
 
 784 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Corporal James Junken. Age 22 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; promoted to Corporal ; was slightly wounded at Lookout 
 Mountain ; at Kenesaw Mountain, June 22, 1864, he was shot through the 
 neck, dying from the effects of the wound in the field hospital next day. 
 
 Corporal John H. Pooley. Age 19 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal in 1863 ; at Chickamauga 
 was shot through the right thigh and disabled for three months ; at Kene- 
 saw Mountain, June 20, 1864, he was shot through the left thigh, and had 
 a narrow escape from death, owing to gangrene ; his disability proved 
 permanent, and he was transferred to the V. R. C.; was finally discharged 
 at Mound City, 111., June 16, 1865. Is now a photographer at Galena, 111. 
 
 Corporal John Grabham. Age 22 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal Jan. 1, 1864 ; at Peach Tree 
 Creek had bullets through his cap box, canteen and coat ; was in every 
 engagement, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at 
 Twin Falls, Kansas. 
 
 Corporal Lloyd Wardell. Age 31 ; American ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; promoted to Corporal in 1864 ; was in all of the engage- 
 ments, and at Chickamauga had two bullets through his hat ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at Hanover, Jo Daviess County. 111. 
 
 Corporal William Faith. Age 32 ; born in Vermilion County, 111. ; 
 miner ; enlisted from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal in January, 
 1865 ; was always with the command ; had a scalp wound at Chicka- 
 mauga, and several bullet holes in his clothing ; was slightly wounded in 
 the hand and on the neck near Burnt Hickory or Dallas ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Resides at Excelsior, Wis. 
 
 Corporal John D. Glidden. Age 22 ; American ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Scales Mound ; promoted to Corporal ; was present for duty almost 
 constantly ; m. o. with Regiment. Is working at his trade in Cedar 
 Rapids. Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Newton Power. Age 18 ; born in Apple River, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Apple River ; promoted to Corporal in January, 1865 ; wa& 
 in many engagements, and once had a bullet through his haversack, but 
 escaped wounds. Resides at Apple River, 111. 
 
 Robert C. Allison. Age 23 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was wounded through the limb on the evening of September 18, 
 1863, at Chickamauga, and died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 12, 
 1863 ; his body was taken home for interment. 
 
 Solomon Bixby. Age 27 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was wounded in the arm at Chickamauga and in the left hand at 
 Rocky Face Ridge, the last injury disabling him for a long time ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Resides at Mineral Point, Wis. 
 
 John A. Bush. Age 28 ; born in St. Louis, Mo. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Apple River ; was twice wounded at Chickamauga, one ball frac-
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Capt. RICHARD GARRET?. 
 JAMES COLE. 
 WM. E. SpRAiiVE. 
 
 Lieut. L. S. RivENBOisn. 
 
 Lieut. H. H. KICIIAUD^ON 
 
 Serg't P. FLEMING. 
 
 Corp'l JOHN H. POOLEY 
 Serg't D W. DIMMICK. 
 Corp'l JOHN (JRABIIAM.
 
 -
 
 ROSTEK OF COMPANY E. 785 
 
 turing his left leg and the other passing through his left side ; he fell 
 into the enemy's hands, and was a prisoner ten days ; was seriously dis- 
 abled, and did not rejoin the Regiment until the spring of 1865 ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is a mason and plasterer, and resides at Apple River, 
 111. 
 
 William H. Burbridge. Age 41 ; born in Bath County, Ky. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Rush ; had two buck shot in his right leg at Chickamauga, 
 and had the breech of his gun shot away ; was transferred to V. R. C. 
 April 30, 1864, and was discharged at Indianapolis, Ind., July 7, 1865. Is 
 farming at Warren, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 Stephen F. Blackstone. Age 21; American; farmer; enlisted from 
 
 Apple River ; kilUttfat Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 -- 
 
 William Buckley. Age 20 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; slight wound in face at Chickamauga ; not otherwise 
 wounded, although participating in all of the engagements of the com- 
 mand ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Highmore, Hyde County, 
 Dakota. 
 
 Samuel Barber. Age 22 ; born in Grant County, Wis. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Scales Mound, as Wagoner, and served in that capacity to the 
 close of the war ; m. o, with Regiment.i Is farming at Steele City, Neb. 
 
 Elijah Coverly. f!g-1& ;. bo^h & yijjgiaia^ farmer and miner; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; was in numerous engagements, and once had a 
 bullet through his hat, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Died 
 at Apple River Nov. 23, 1884. 
 
 James Coverly. Age 15 ; born in Apple River ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren Jan. 14, 1864; was a son of Elijah Coverly ; at m. o. of 
 Regiment was transferred to Company E, 21st Illinois, and finally i cached 
 home in January, 1866. Is farming at Mount Tabor, Oregon. 
 
 James Cole. Age 38 ; born in Chautauqua County, Pa. ; carriage 
 maker ; enlisted at Apple River, but was credited to Erie County, Pa. ; 
 was slightly wounded in side and severely wounded through the left arm 
 at Chickamauga, being permanently disabled ; was transferred to V. R. 
 C. April 28, 1864, and discharged at Louisville, Ky., at the close of the 
 war. Is farming at East Springfield, Erie County, Pa. 
 
 James M. Cole. Age 38 ; American ; carpenter ; enlisted from Apple 
 River as Musician, and served with the Regimental Band ; discharged for 
 disability May 22, 1863. Address unknown. 
 
 Albert Denure. Age 19; born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Warren ; had the measles at Danville, Ky., and, 
 although not fully recovered, made the trip to Nashville with the Regi- 
 ment'; the exposure caused a relapse, and he died in hospital at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., April 28, 1863. 
 50
 
 786 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 George W. Dimmick. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; at Chickamauga was wounded under 
 the left eye, the bullet passing out under the left ear ; it is understood 
 that he was also wounded in the body ; he was supposed to be killed and 
 so reported, but fell into the hands of the enemy, and was taken to Rich- 
 mond ; he lost the sight of the injured eye, and became nearly blind ; 
 had small pox during his imprisonment ; he was at Richmond, Danville, 
 Andersonville and Florence ; always cheerful and ready to do anything 
 in his power for his companions. He died at Wilmington, North Caro- 
 lina, about at the time of his release from prison. 
 
 Thomas Davy. Age 44 ; born in England ; blacksmith ; enlisted 
 from Scales Mound, but is credited to Chicago ; date of muster, Oct. 
 21, 1864 ; did not join the Regiment for some months, being employed in 
 the hospitals ; had previously served five months in the 142d Illinois ; m. 
 o. with Regiment. Is in poor health, and resides at Lena, Stephenson 
 County, 111. 
 
 Alfred Elderkin. Age 19 ; American ; farmer ; residence, Monticello, 
 Wis. ; enlisted from Apple River ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 
 1863. 
 
 Sherod B. Eaton. Age 20 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; discharged for disability May 5, 1863. Resides at Duncombe, 
 Iowa. 
 
 William Edge. Age 19 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Benjamin F. Easton. Age 25 ; born in Burlington, Iowa ; harness 
 maker ; enlisted from Warren ; transferred to V. R. C. April 30, 1864, and 
 was finally discharged at Nashville June 30, 1865. Is farming at Warren, 
 Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 Samuel Fenn. Age 24 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River. Died at Stevenson, Ala., Oct. 10, 1863. 
 
 Joseph E. Fletcher. Age 18 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River. Died in hospital at Danville, Ky., Feb. 17, 1863. 
 
 Joshua B. Going. Age 34 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Scales Mound ; wounded in left foot at Rocky Face Ridge May 9, 
 1864, causing the loss of a toe ; had several bullets through his clothing ; 
 his wound disabled him for field service, and he was transferred to the 
 V. R. C. April 10, 1865 ; discharged at Quincy, 111., July 15, 1865. Re- 
 sides at Gilford, Tuscola County, Mich. 
 
 Simon Griburg (Kreitsburg). Age 26 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Scales Mound ; was always with the Regiment, but escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Schappsville, 111. 
 
 James Gunn. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed at Apple River. Died at Danville, Ky., Feb. 21, 1863.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY E. 787 
 
 Richard Harrison. Age 28 ; horn in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Scales Mound ; served as Brigade Butcher and in the Q. M. department 
 most of the time ; m. o. with Regiment. Address unknown. 
 
 Daniel Herrington. Age 28 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; killed at Chickarnauga, Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 John Harding. Age 20 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River. Died at Evansville, Ind., Dec. 24, 1863. 
 
 William Hubbard. Age 20 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River. Died at Harrodsburg, Ky., Jan. 25, 1863. 
 
 Charles F. Hayth (carried on the rolls as Heath). Age 17 ; born in 
 Shullsburg, Wis. ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; was wounded in 
 the ankle at Chickamauga ; remaining near the battle-field to care for 
 some wounded comrades he fell into the enemy's hands; was at Rich- 
 mond, Andersonville and other prisons, being released near the close of 
 the war; discharged May 21, 1865. Died at Shullsburg, Wis.; Oct. 18, 
 1865. 
 
 William W. Jellison. Age 28 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; while loading his musket at Chickamauga a 
 bullet struck his ramrod and carried it out of his hand ; at Rocky Face 
 Ridge or Resaca a bullet grazed his temple, knocking him down, but 
 causing no permanent injury ; while outside the lines after forage, near 
 Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 2, 1864, he was captured by the enemy ; was at Ander- 
 sonville and Florence, and finally released near Wilmington, N. C., as 
 narrated in Chapter XXXIII. Resides at Dorrance, Russell County, 
 Kansas. 
 
 Marcus Jellison. Age 26 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was a brother of William W. Jellison ; was with the command 
 most of the time ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Wilson, Kansas. 
 
 George W. Jennings. Age 28 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted at Nora ; 
 was in numerous engagements, and was slightly wounded in the wrist at 
 Rocky Face Ridge ; m. o. with Regiment. It is reported that he died in 
 Nebraska a few years since. 
 
 Andrew King. Age 35 ; born in Ireland ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; was severely wounded in the left hand at Chickamauga, 
 causing a permanent disability ; was also struck on the side by a bullet ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Apple River, 111. 
 
 Thomas Keyes. Age 33 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River. Died at Nashville, Tenn., from erysipelas, March 5, 1863. 
 
 Roderick Kellogg. Age 44 ; American ; musician ; enlisted from 
 Warren as musician, serving with the Regimental Band while with the 
 command ; was discharged for disability Jan. 15, 1863, and is understood 
 to have died at the Soldier's Home in Dayton, Ohio, some years since.
 
 788 HISTOKT OF THE 96iH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 James Lewis. Age 26 ; born in England ; wagon maker ; enlisted 
 from Warren, Jo Daviess County, 111. ; served with the Band a part of 
 the time ; discharged for disability March 31, 1863. Address unknown. 
 
 David H. Lamberton. Age 27 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was in several engagements ; m. o. with Regiment. Re- 
 sides at Freeport, 111. 
 
 Thomas Martin. Age 27 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Galena ; 
 was terribly wounded at Chickamauga, being hit by no less than twelve 
 missiles of various sizes, one of the wounds being from a cannister shot, 
 which buried itself in his eye ; he fell into the hands of the enemy, and 
 was a prisoner ten days ; after being paroled he was in Chattanooga for 
 a time ; the missile mentioned was removed, and he was thought to be 
 recovering nicely, and was sent to Nashville ; on the trip an artery was 
 opened in the wound, causing a hemorrhage, which so weakened him as to 
 result in his death Dec. 19, 1863. 
 
 Herrick Millett. Age 27 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Monti- 
 cello, Wis. ; was in several engagements, but served much of the time as 
 a teamster ; while the Regiment was in Chicago awaiting final payment 
 he left Camp Do\iglas to go to the lake shore for the purpose of fishing, 
 and in crossing the railroad track was struck by a passing train, and so 
 badly injured as to cause his death within two or three days. 
 
 Henry Mack. Age 28 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was mortally wounded at Chickamauga, being shot through the 
 thigh ; fell into the hands of the enemy, and was a prisoner ten days ; 
 being paroled he was taken to hospital in Chattanooga, where he died 
 Oct. 12, 1863. 
 
 William Matthews. Age 37 ; American ; miner ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; died in field hospital at Chattanooga from heart disease, Oct. 14, 
 1863. 
 
 Wallace Montgomery. Age 33 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Scales Mound ; was captured near Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 2, 1864, and was a 
 prisoner until near the close of the war. Was killed by lightning at Lake 
 City, Minn., Aug. 15, 1883. 
 
 Thomas J. Moore. Age 18 ; born in Shullsburg, Wis. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Scales Mound ; had a bullet through cap box at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, and was once nearly covered by the dirt ploughed up by a 
 cannon ball ; was in most of the engagements ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is mining at Scales Mound, 111. 
 
 Frederick Mueller. Age 35 ; born in Germany ; lead smelter ; en- 
 listed from Galena Oct. 8, 1864, joining the Regiment in time to partici" 
 pate in the battle of Nashville ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to 
 Company E, 21st Illinois, and was finally discharged Oct. 10, 1865, at 
 Victoria, Texas. Is a lead smelter at Galena, 111.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY E. 789 
 
 Isaac P. Noggle. Age 32 ; American ; undertaker ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; detailed with Pioneer Corps in April, 1863, and transferred 
 to 1st U. S. V. V. Engineer Regiment July 34, 1864, serving with that 
 command until the close of the war. Resides at Bristow, Iowa. 
 
 Dennis O'Leary. Age 22 ; American ; miner ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; at Chickamauga was wounded in the right hip, and fell into the 
 hands of the enemy ; being paroled ten days later he was taken to the 
 field hospital near Chattanooga, where he died from his injuries Oct. 26, 
 1863. 
 
 William G. Oberlin. Age 25 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; was almost constantly with the command, and 
 participated in nearly every engagement ; at Kenesaw Mountain was 
 slightly wounded, a bullet cutting his face ; also had his gun struck with 
 a bullet ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Arcola, Douglas County, 
 111. 
 
 Hiram N. Perry. Age 21 ; born in Quincy, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was badly used up by the Duck River campaign, in March, 
 
 1863, and compelled to leave the command ; was discharged for disability 
 from hospital at Nashville, Tenn., July 6, 1863. Has held various town- 
 ship offices, and is a prominent citizen and prosperous farmer at Wiota, 
 La Fayette County, Wis. 
 
 Frank Pool. Age 18 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; died from pneumonia at Harrodsburg, Ky., Nov. 30, 1862, being 
 the first death in the Company ; was a brother of Lieutenant Robert 
 Pool, of Company A. 
 
 Orlando Phippin. Age 20 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was wounded in the head at Kenesaw Mountain June 22, 1864, 
 and disabled for several weeks ; m. o. with Regiment. Is understood to 
 be in California. 
 
 Duane Patch. Age 38 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; discharged March 8, 1863. Address unknown. 
 
 Richard J. Poston. Age 26; American; clergyman and teacher; en- 
 listed from Scales Mound ; was detailed with the 18th Ohio Battery for 
 several months, and was also engaged in recruiting for a colored regi- 
 ment ; returning, was m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Springfield, Ohio, 
 and is a minister of the gospel. 
 
 Francis Redfern. Age 18 ; bern in Hancock, Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Apple River Jan. 11, 1864, joining the Regiment before the opening 
 of the Atlanta campaign ; was wounded at Kenesaw Mountain June 23, 
 
 1864, and died next day in the field hospital. 
 
 James Shay. Age 38 ; born in Ireland ; wagon maker ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; deserted at Cannelton, Ind., Feb. 3, 1863.
 
 790 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Brainard E. Strong. Age 28 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; died at Harrodsburg, Ky., Jan. 10, 1863. 
 
 John Sage. Age 22 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; 
 died in hospital at Nashville March 20, 1863. 
 
 William E. Sprague. Age 18 ; born in Chautauqua County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Apple River ; was slightly wounded in the knee 
 at Lookout Mountain ; was absent from the command but one month, 
 and participated in nearly every engagement ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 a hardware and implement dealer at Stewartsville, DeKalb County, Mo. 
 
 William B. Scace. Age 18 ; born in Albany, N. Y.; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Monticello, Wis. ; was wounded in arm at Rocky Face Ridge May 
 9, 1864 ; the disability was such as to cause his discharge at Chicago 
 March 8, 1865 ; was a farmer in Franklin County.. la., from 1869 to 1880, 
 when he removed to Chicago, where he is engaged in furnishing building 
 material to contractors, employing a number of men and teams. Resi- 
 dence, 397 West Lake Street. 
 
 John W. Smith. Age 18 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; was Company Cook most of the time, but took part in numerous 
 engagements, and was generally with the conimand ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Resides near Scales Mound, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 James A. Smith. Age 18 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound Oct. 29, 1863 ; was credited to Dixon ; was in all of the engage- 
 ments following Lookout Mountain ; at m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to Company E, 21st Illinois, and was finally discharged at Camp 
 Butler Jan. 18, 1866. Is farming at Clay Center, Kansas. 
 
 Thomas Scott. Age 18 ; born at New Diggings, Wis. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Scales Mound ; at Chickamauga was wounded on the knee by 
 a piece of shell, but did not leave the command ; was absent from the 
 Regiment but three weeks, on detached service, and took part in all of its 
 engagements ; m. o. with Regiment. Is railroading, and resides at Scales 
 Mound, 111. 
 
 Terhan Shaffer. Age 24 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; died in hospital at Harrodsburg, Ky., Dec. 29, 1862. 
 
 James B. Stevenson. Age 19 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; was in nearly every engagement, and was m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Resides at Garrison, Kansas. 
 
 James A. Thomas. Age 20 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; at the battle of Chickamauga was shot through the thigh, the 
 bones being shattered and an artery severed, causing almost instant 
 death. 
 
 Edward Trusty. Age 29 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Scales 
 Mound ; deserted from hospital at Chicago, 111., Jan. 22, 1864 ; surren- 
 dered himself to Captain Adams, Provost Marshal of the Third District
 
 .ROSTER OF COMPANY E. 791 
 
 of Iowa, April 19, 1865, under the President's proclamation, and was dis- 
 honorably discharged the service with loss of pay and allowances. Re- 
 sides at Chickasaw, Iowa. 
 
 George Teal. Age 18 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was wounded in the arm at Chickamauga, and in the right leg at 
 Rocky Face Ridge ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Lamoni, Iowa. 
 
 Harry Tummond. Age 18 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Scales Mound ; was Clerk at Brigade and Division Headquarters during 
 most of his time of service ; discharged for disability July 12, 1863. Is 
 teaming at Kirksville, Mo. 
 
 Joseph Tinkler. Age 25 ; born in England ; mason ; enlisted from 
 Scales Mound ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 John Williams. Age 24 ; American ; mechanic ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was on detached service about the hospitals during most of his 
 term of service ; m. o. with Regiment. Lives somewhere in Michigan. 
 
 Jabez White. Age 43 ; born in Bloomfield, N. J. ; farmer; enlisted 
 from Apple River ; was sick in hospital much of the time, and was dis- 
 charged from hospital at Quincy, 111., Nov. 24, 1864, and died at his home 
 in Rush, Jo Daviess County, 111., five days later. 
 
 James Wollam. Age 24; born in Columbia County, Ohio; farmer; 
 enlisted from Apple River ; was constantly with the command, but 
 escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Died in 1875 at Wilson, Kansas.
 
 792 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Rapid Recruiting Where the Men were from Their Age and Nationality 
 Officers Chosen Captain Green aspires to the Colonelcy Mustered 
 In The First Man Killed Battle Losses Two Men Die in Prison- 
 Ten Deaths in Hospital Forty-five Recruits reach the Company 
 Changes among the Officers Company Statistics The Roster. 
 
 THE manner in which Company F was recruited was not 
 unlike that by which many other organizations were brought 
 into the service in the summer of 1862. The nucleus for the 
 Company seems to have been the overflow from Company I, 
 although Thomas A. Green, Charles E. Rowan and others had 
 begun recruiting before the latter Company was fully organ- 
 ized. Almost without exception the enlistments for the origi- 
 nal Company date from August 11 to August 15. A portion 
 of those of the latter date were probably recruited a little 
 later in the month, but, by agreement of the recruiting officers, 
 placed at that date. 
 
 Thirteen townships or neighborhoods in Jo Daviess County 
 were represented on the rolls. Galena furnished the larger 
 number, having thirty-one ; Hanover had twenty, Guilford 
 eight, Council Hill and Vinegar Hill seven each, Guilford 
 and Mill Creek six each, Pleasant Valley five, Elizabeth and 
 Irish Hollow three each, and other neighborhoods one or two 
 each ; three were from Carroll County, and four from across 
 the state line of Wisconsin. 
 
 The records show that of the original Company thirty-two 
 were married and sixty- seven were single ; forty-seven were 
 born in the United States, seventeen in Germany, thirteen in 
 England, twelve in Ireland, four in Canada, two in Scotland, 
 two in Switzerland and one in Wales. The average age was 
 twenty-six years. 
 
 The Company was organized at Galena, about the middle 
 of August, by the election of Thomas A. Green as Captain,
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY F. 793 
 
 diaries E. Rowan as First Lieutenant, and Nelson R. Simms 
 as Second Lieutenant, the latter a soldier in the Mexican 
 war. Going into camp at Galena, members of the Company 
 made an earnest effort to secure the election of their Captain 
 as Colonel of the Regiment, but without avail. They were 
 at Camp Washburn until September 4, when they went to 
 Rockford and became a part of the NINETY-SIXTH. Drawing 
 the letter " F " the Company was assigned to the second place 
 from the right of the line. From that time its history runs 
 parallel with that of the Regiment, as it was seldom detached 
 except for a day at a time on picket duty. It bore its full part 
 in each campaign and battle, losing more than an average in 
 killed and mortally wounded. The first man killed was 
 James M. Scott, who was shot on the picket line in front of 
 Franklin, on the night of April 14, 1863. At Chickamauga 
 Captain Rowan, while serving on the staff of the Brigade 
 commander, was captured by the enemy, being a prisoner for 
 several months. Lieutenant Simms, who was in command of 
 the Company, was mortally wounded. Corporal John R. 
 Oatey, Hiram L. Bostwick, James Fimley, and Walton Reed 
 were killed, and Corporal Augustus Armbruster and Frederick 
 W. Miller were mortally wounded, the fatalities thus number- 
 ing seven in this one engagement. Bennett Holtkamp was 
 captured, and subsequently died in prison. Color Corporal 
 John A. Robison lost an arm, and Joseph Gammon and 
 Edward Wearne were so severely wounded as to be disabled 
 for further field service. Besides the eleven mentioned, none 
 of whom ever again marched with the command, William 
 Calvert was wounded in the leg, Hugh Williams in the hand, 
 Patrick Conway in the hip, John Hocking in the thigh, being 
 a prisoner ten days ; James Brown in the body, Thomas 
 Graham in the face, Joseph Gammon in the face, and John 
 Roddin in the hip ; others received minor wounds that did 
 not take them from the command. 
 
 At Lookout Mountain William S. Nash was severely 
 wounded in the chin and shoulder, being disabled three 
 months. At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, the Company 
 occupied an especially exposed position in the gap, and sus-
 
 794 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 tained about one-third the entire loss of the Regiment. Ser- 
 geant Fowler was mortally wounded. Corporal Kneebone was 
 shot in the body, Corporal Trevarthan in the hip, Joseph 
 Shannon in the hand, Erhard Dittmar in the side, Andrew 
 Hindman in the leg, John Miller in the breast, James Stewart 
 in the right hand, John Stahl in the shoulder and head, and 
 Anton Schap in the right leg. 
 
 At Resaca, May 14, 1864, Richard Spencer was severely 
 wounded, being shot through the body and falling into the 
 hands of the enemy, being a prisoner but two days, how- 
 ever. Corporal Thomas Trevarthan and Hugh Williams were 
 slightly wounded, and First Sergeant Joseph B. Leekley was 
 captured, dying at Andersonville after long months of suffer- 
 ing. On the second day at Resaca Andrew Hindman was 
 severely wounded in the shoulder. At Dallas, a fortnight 
 later, Sergeant* Franklin Pierce was wounded in the shoulder. 
 In the engagements about Kenesaw Mountain William R. 
 Buchanan was mortally wounded, dying within a few hours, 
 and Edward Hancock was wounded in the ankle. Both of 
 the Company Musicians sustained injuries, Quincy Robinson 
 having a slight bullet wound, and John Golden having an 
 arm fractured by falling with a box of ammunition which he 
 was carrying to the line. 
 
 At Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, Thomas Kimmins 
 was wounded. At Lovejoy's Station William Calvert and 
 Andrew W. Jelly were mortally wounded, and John Lister 
 lost a finger. At Nashville Francis S. Bailey and Sergeant 
 Michael Sullivan were mortally wounded. The former had 
 been with the Company but a few days. 
 
 Ten of the original Company and one recruit died from 
 disease. William Yan Alstine died March 12, 1863 ; Daniel 
 Goble died*Feb. 9, 1863 ; W. I. Edgerton, March 13, 1S63 ; 
 William Sturges, March 18, 1863 ; Corporal Chauncey Wake- 
 field, March 23, 1863 ; Corporal Henry Trefz, March 31, 1863 ; 
 William Trudgian, Sept. 14, 1863 ; Jacob Elberth, Sept. 25, 
 1863; George Sidner, Nov. 12, 1863; James Telford, Nov. 
 6, 1.864, and Carl Wertenburch, March 10, 1865. 
 
 In the autumn of 1864 forty recruits joined the Company,
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY F. 795 
 
 a few arriving in time to take part in the retreat from Pulaski 
 and the battle of Franklin, and nearly all in time to bear their 
 part in the battle of Nashville and the subsequent campaigns. 
 Still later five others joined the command. Of the entire 
 number twenty-seven were from Galena, eight from Guilford, 
 three from Hanover, two from Elizabeth and one each from 
 Thompson, JRice, Dubuque, Victory and Chicago. Of these 
 recruits Francis S. Bailey was mortally wounded at the battle 
 of Nashville, Carl Wertenburch died at Huntsville, Ala., and 
 a few were discharged for disability. Nearly all were trans- 
 ferred to Company H of the 21st Illinois when the NINETY- 
 SIXTH was mustered out, and went to Texas, where James 
 Diehl was taken sick and died. So far as the records show 
 all of the others survived, and were honorably discharged. 
 
 After the resignation of Captain Green in November, 1862, 
 Lieutenant Rowan was promoted to the vacancy, holding that 
 rank until the close of the war, and being the second in rank 
 of the Captains when mustered out. He was brevetted Major 
 for gallant services. Second Lieutenant Simms was promoted 
 to First Lieutenant, Sergeant Dawson to Second and then to 
 First Lieutenant, and Corporal Pierce, through the various 
 grades, to Second Lieutenant. 
 
 The surviving members of the Company feel a just pride 
 in the part it bore during its three years of service. 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain Thomas A. Green. Age 80 ; born in Pennsylvania ; attor- 
 ney-at-law ; enlisted from Galena ; was elected Captain at the organiza- 
 tion of the Company, and was a prominent candidate for Colonel at the 
 organization of the Regiment, lacking but a few votes of a majority at 
 the election ; resigned Nov. 24, 1863. Is practicing law at Denver, Col., 
 and has extensive mining interests in that vicinity. 
 
 Captain Charles E. Rowan. Age 24 ; born in Sommerville, N. J. ; 
 merchant ; enlisted from Galena ; elected First Lieutenant at the organi- 
 zation of the Company ; promoted to Captain Nov. 24, 1862 ; at Chicka- 
 mauga, while serving on the staff of the brigade commander, was cap- 
 tured by the enemy ; for an account of his prison experiences reference 
 is made to Chapter XXXII. Returning in the early spring of 1864, he 
 served in the subsequent campaigns with distinction, and at times was in 
 command of the Regiment ; was more than once mentioned for conspi-
 
 796 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 cuous gallantry, and was brevetted Major ; m. o. with Regiment. Resi- 
 dence unknown. 
 
 First Lieutenant Nelson R. Simms. Age 33 ; born in Cincinnati, 
 Ohio ; chairmaker ; enlisted from Galena ; elected Second Lieutenant at 
 the organization of the Company ; promoted to First Lieutenant Nov. 
 24, 1862 ; served in the army during the Mexican war ; at Chickamauga, 
 Sept. 20, 1863, was shot through the hip, and died as a result of his in- 
 juries at Nashville Sept. 29, 1863. 
 
 First Lieutenant William Dawson. Age 24 ; born in Jo Daviess 
 County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from Hanover ; appointed Second Sergeant 
 at the organization of the Company ; promoted to Second Lieutenant 
 Nov. 24, 1862, and to First Lieutenant Sept. 29, 1863 ; had previously 
 served thirteen months in the 12th Illinois ; was one of six brothers in 
 the army, whose aggregate service was nineteen years ; served with dis- 
 tinction and was m. o. with Regiment. Died at Leadville, Col., in 1885. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Franklin W. Pierce. Age 30 ; born in Worcester, 
 Mass. ; farmer ; enlisted from Hanover ; appointed Third Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant, then to First Ser- 
 geant, and, Feb. 5, 1865, to Second Lieutenant ; was wounded in the 
 shoulder at Dallas, or New Hope Church ; was almost constantly with 
 the command ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming near Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 First Sergeant Joseph B. Leekley. Age 26 ; born in Dubuque, Iowa ; 
 attorney and teacher; enlisted from Council Hill, 111.; was captured at 
 the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864, and died at Andersonville, Ga., 
 Sept. 25, 1864 ; at the clese of the war his remains were disinterred and 
 removed to Council Hill, Jo Daviess County, 111., for final burial. 
 
 First Sergeant Andrew Campbell. Age 22 ; born in Galena, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Irish Hollow ; promoted to Corporal, Sergeant and 
 First Sergeant ; served in many engagements but escaped wounds ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Died in Jo Daviess County a few years since. 
 
 Sergeant Charles G. Luttman. Age 24 ; born in York, Pa. ; miller ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; was appointed Sergeant at the organization of the 
 Company ; had previously served one year as First Sergeant in Company 
 F, 12th Illinois, and taken part in the battles of Belmont, Fort Donelson 
 and Shiloh ; was on detached service as chief clerk of a court martial and 
 as commander of escort at Brigade headquarters much of the time ; had 
 a bullet through his coat at Chickamauga, and two through his hat at 
 Lookout Mountain ; m. o. with Regiment ; was so unfortunate as to lose 
 his right arm in 1877. Resides at Neenah, Wis. 
 
 Sergeant Hiram L. Bostwick. Age 27 ; born in Geauga, Ohio ; en- 
 listed from Hanover ; appointed Sergeant at the organization of the 
 Company ; was killed at the battle of Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Sergeant Augustus Wirth. Age 38 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Galena ; appointed Sergeant at the organization of the Com- 
 pany ; transferred to V. R. C. Feb. 8, 1864.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY F. 797 
 
 Sergeant John C. Lee. Age 24 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 carpenter and builder ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; had previously served 
 three months in Company F, 12th Illinois ; appointed First Corporal at 
 the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant Nov. 24, 1862 - r 
 detailed in Fourth Battalion Pioneer Brigade in June, 1863, and trans- 
 ferred to 1st Regiment U. S. V. V. Engineers July 18, 1864, serving with 
 that command to the close of the war ; returning to Elizabeth he repre- 
 sented the Canton, Ohio, Wrought Iron Bridge Company for many years ; 
 he was active in politics, being for several terms a member of the County 
 Republican Central Committee, and an acknowledged leader in all social 
 and business matters in the neighborhood where he resided. He died at 
 Elizabeth, 111., April 22, 1886. 
 
 Sergeant Robert A. Fowler. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 
 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from Hanover ; was appointed Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; was mortally 
 wounded at Rocky Face Ridge May 9, 1864, and died at Chattanooga May 
 11, 1864. 
 
 Sergeant Michael Sullivan. Age 19; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; promoted to Corporal, and was with the Color Guard for a 
 time, carrying the regimental flag for some weeks after Corporal Swan- 
 brough was wounded at the battle of Lookout Mountain ; was subse- 
 quently promoted to Sergeant, and returned to the Company ; at the bat- 
 tle of Nashville, Dec. 16, 1864, was wounded in the hip and died in hos- 
 pital at Louisville, Ky., Jan. 10, 1865. 
 
 Sergeant James Stewart. Age 38 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Hanover ; promoted to Corporal in August, 1864, and to Sergeant in 
 February, 1865 ; served in the U. S. Navy from August, 1850, to Septern- 
 tember, 1851 ; was wounded in the right hand at Rocky Face Ridge May 
 9, 1864, and had a bullet through the cartridge box the same day ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is farming at Freeman, Hutchinson County, Dakota. 
 
 Sergeant Conrad Winter. Age 18 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Thompson ; promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is farming at Schappsville, 111. 
 
 Sergeant John Kneebone. Age 21 ; born in England ; miner ; en- 
 listed from Council Hill ; promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; was 
 wounded in the body at Rocky Face Ridge ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 reported as having died in Montana several years since. 
 
 Sergeant Louis Romer. Age 34; born in Prussia; mason; enlisted 
 from Guilford ; promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; took part in many 
 engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides At 
 Schappsville, 111. 
 
 Corporal Henry Trefz. Age 36 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the Company ; 
 died in Nashville, Tenn., March 31, 1863. Is buried in the National 
 Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn.
 
 798 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Corporal John McCarty. Age 19 ; born in Galena, 111. ; blacksmith ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company ; in. o. with Regiment ; was accidentally killed at Des Moines, 
 Iowa, while firing an artillery salute in 1868. 
 
 Corporal John R. Oatey. Age 23 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Council Hill ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the 
 Company ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Corporal Augustus Armbruster. Age 20 ; born in Germany ; saddler ; 
 unlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal ; shot through the shoulder 
 and mortally wounded at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863, dying Oct. 7, 1863. 
 Is buried in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga. 
 
 Corporal William Irwin. Age 47 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the Company ; 
 had a bullet through the sole of his shoe at Pumpkin Vine Creek ; parti- 
 cipated in all of the engagements of the command, but was never 
 wounded ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a farmer and justice of the peace at 
 West Hill, Platt County, Neb. 
 
 Corporal John A. Robison. Age 25; born in Carroll County, 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Carroll County ; appointed Corporal at the organi- 
 zation of the Company ; at Chickamauga had his right arm shattered, 
 rendering amputation necessary ; was discharged at Chicago March 16, 
 1864. Has held numerous township and village offices, and resides at 
 Savanna, Carroll County, 111. 
 
 Corporal Chauncey Wakefield. Age 38 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Galena ; promoted to Corporal ; died of disease at Franklin, 
 Tenn., March 25, 1863. Is buried at Stone's River, Tenn. 
 
 Corporal Simeon Spencer. Age 20 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Council Hill ; promoted to Corporal Dec. 1, 1864 ; had several 
 bullets through his clothing and equipments while trying to assist his 
 brother, Richard Spencer, who was wounded at the battle of Resaca ; was 
 thrown out of the works at Pine Mountain and rendered temporarily in- 
 sensible by the explosion of a shell in the works, his cartridge box being 
 torn off and his clothing torn by fragments of the missile ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at Council Hill, 111. 
 
 Corporal Robert Pimley. Age 19 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Pleasant Valley ; promoted to Corporal ; participated in most of 
 the engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment, and died on 
 his farm near Elkader, Iowa, about 1882. 
 
 Corporal Philip Fablinger. Age 21 ; born in Cumberland County, 
 Md.; farmer ; enlisted from Hanover ; was once slightly wounded in the 
 leg by a piece of shell, had a bullet through his cartridge box and others 
 through his clothing, but was never disabled, although in nearly every 
 engagement ; m. o. with the Regiment. Is farming at Bellevue, Iowa.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY F. 799 
 
 Corporal John Rodden. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Irish Hollow ; promoted to Corporal in January, 
 1865 ; participated in all of the engagements of the command except 
 Lookout Mountain ; at Chickamauga was slightly wounded in the hip, 
 but not disabled ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming near Galena, 111. 
 
 Corporal Andrew Hindman. Age 18; born in Pittsburgh, Pa.; en- 
 listed from Sinsinawa ; promoted to Corporal ; wounded in the right leg 
 at Rocky Face Ridge, and in the shoulder at Resaca, May 15, 1864 ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is reported to have died since the war. 
 
 Corporal Anton Schap. Age 18 ; born in Germany ; blacksmith ; en- 
 listed from Mill Creek ; promoted to Corporal ; was wounded in the right 
 leg at Rocky Face Ridge ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides in Schappsville, 
 111. 
 
 Corporal Thomas Trevarthan. Age 23 ; born in England ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Council Hill ; promoted to Corporal ; never missed a battle ; 
 had a bullet through his cartridge box at Chickamauga, and a slight 
 wound in the hip and his sleeve cut at Rocky Face Ridge, and a slight 
 wound in the face at Resaca ; was never in hospital ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is farming at Council Hill, 111. 
 
 Corporal John Stahl. Age 21 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Thompson ; promoted to Corporal in July, 1863 ; was wounded in 
 the arm and head at Rocky Face Ridge, and in the shoulder at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, but not disabled ; was absent on furlough at the muster out, 
 but joined the Regiment in Chicago. Is in business at Apple River, 111. 
 
 Corporal Thomas Graham Age 21 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Vinegar Hill ; was wounded in the cheek at Chickamauga ; 
 promoted to Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment. Is reported to have died 
 since the war. 
 
 Corporal Thomas Shannon. Age 44 ; born in Ireland ; stone mason ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; was a ready Irish wit, and brave soldier ; had pre- 
 viously served in the Mexican war ; promoted to Corporal ; discharged 
 for disability Jan. 9. 1865, and died at his home in Jo Daviess County 
 several years since. 
 
 William R. Buchanan. Age 21 ; born in Ohio ; enlisted from Victory, 
 Wis. ; was mortally wounded at Kenesaw Mountain June 21, 1864, dying 
 the same day. 
 
 Sampson Bastian. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Guilford ; was wounded in the face at Chickamauga ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Resides near Galena, 111. 
 
 George W. Bailey. Age 22 ; born in Canada ; potter ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; m. o. with Regiment. Is reported to be living near Minneapolis, 
 Minn. 
 
 James Brown. Age 27 ; born in Scotland ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Council Hill ; was seriously wounded in the back at Chickamauga, and
 
 800 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 disabled for a long time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is reported to have died 
 in Colorado about 1880. 
 
 Thomas Bonjour. Age 18 ; born in Switzerland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vinegar Hill ; was detailed in the 9th Ohio Battery Feb. 23, 1863, 
 and in the 18th Ohio Battery July 26, 1863, serving with the latter about 
 eight months, then returning to the Regiment ; at Chickamauga had a 
 horse killed under him ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a farmer at Apple 
 River, 111., and has held several township offices. 
 
 Richard Calvert. Age 28 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover ; transferred to the V. R. C. Jan. 16, 1865, and discharged at the 
 close of the war. Resides at Hanover, 111. 
 
 William P. Clark. Age 21 ; born in Utica, N. Y.; lawyer; enlisted 
 from Galena ; was with the Regiment but a few weeks, being transferred to 
 the 3d Missouri Cavalry Oct 7, 1862. 
 
 Patrick Conway. Age 24 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Pleasant Valley ; was captured while outside the lines near Franklin 
 Tenn., March 8, 1863, in company with James Pimley, as described in 
 Chapter XXXII, and confined in Richmond, Va., for some months, return- 
 ing to the command in time to participate in the battle of Chickamauga, 
 where he was severely wounded in the hip ; recovering he again came to 
 the front, participating in nearly all of the engagements of the command, 
 and being mustered out with Regiment. Is farming at Westfield, Iowa. 
 
 John Craig. Age 25 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from Hanover; 
 was with the command almost constantly until taken sick at Gaylesville, 
 Ala., in October, 1864, when, after a prolonged illness at Chattanooga, he 
 was sent to Madison, Ind., being discharged at the latter place May 26, 
 1S65. Resides at Hanover, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 William^ Calvert. Age 29 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover ; was severely wounded in the leg at Chickamauga ; recovering 
 he rejoined the Regiment, and at the battle of Lovejoy's Station, Ga., 
 Sept. 2, 1864, was mortally wounded, dying at Jonesboro two days later. 
 
 Erhard Dittmar. Age 20 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Woodbine ; at Missionary Ridge, the day following Chickamauga, he was 
 slightly wounded ; at Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., May 9, 1864, he was severely 
 wounded in the left side, being disabled two months. Returned to the 
 command and participated in the campaigns and battles following, and 
 was m. o. with Regiment. Is farming near Woodbine, 111. 
 
 John G. Dittmar. Age 20 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Woodbine ; took part in all of the engagements of the command, but 
 escaped wounds ; was discharged at Louisville, Ky., June 8, 1865. Is 
 farming at Clay Center, Kansas. 
 
 'W. Irving Edgerton. Age 18; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Hanover. Died of disease March 13, 1863.
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 WILLIAM H. SCOTT. 
 Capt. CHAS. E. ROWAN. 
 Lieut. N. R. SIMMS. 
 
 Corp'l JOHN STAHL. 
 WILLIAM IBWIN. 
 J. Q,. ROBINSON.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY F. 801 
 
 Jacob Elberth. Age 45 ; born in Germany ; cook ; enlisted from 
 Galena. Died of disease Sept. 25, 1863. 
 
 Frank Garrow. Age 18 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Hanover ; m. o. with Regiment. Is reported to have died since the 
 war, but no data is received. 
 
 John Golden. Age 19 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from Hano- 
 ver ; served with Band most of the time ; at Kenesaw Mountain, June 
 20, 1864, he was sent for ammunition, and fell while crossing a stream on 
 a log, the box of ammunition striking and fracturing his arm, disabling 
 him rive months ; in. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Hanover, 111. 
 
 Joseph Gammon. Age 44 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from Irish 
 Hollow ; was wounded in the cheek and leg at Chickamauga, and per- 
 manently disabled ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps June 14, 1864. 
 Died in Missouri about 1882. 
 
 William E. Goodwin. Age 44 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Guilford ; discharged for disability Sept. 15, 1863. Resides at Scales 
 Mound, 111. 
 
 Daniel Goble. Age 16 ; born in Sparta, N. J. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Small Pox Died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 9, 1863. 
 
 Seber A. Guild. Age 22; born in Oswego County, N. Y. ; farmer; 
 enlisted from Pleasant Valley as. /W^gonej-.) discharged for disability Feb. 
 15, 1863 ; subsequently enlistea' Peb. 'l'3, -1885. in the 45th Illinois (reor- 
 ganized) Infantry, and was finally discharged at Springfield, 111., in Sep- 
 tember, 1865. Is farming at Yankee Hollow, 111. 
 
 Jacob Harwick. Age 38; born in Sparta, Tenn.; farmer; enlisted 
 from Small Pox. Died July 26, 1863 ; is buried in National Cemetery at 
 Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Jacob Hallaner. Age 32 ; born in Switzerland ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth ; m. o, with Regiment. Resides at Hannibal, Mo. 
 
 John Hocking. Age 22 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Vinegar Hill ; at Chickamauga was badly wounded in the hip, and fell 
 into the hands of the enemy ; was a prisoner nearly two weeks, and 
 when paroled and taken to Chattanooga maggots were crawling in his 
 wound ; was in hospital at Murfreesboro two months, and at home three 
 months ; was declared exchanged in May, 1863, and assigned to duty in 
 Block House No. 8 ; during a five months' stay at this point he was in 
 one engagement ; returned to the Regiment and was present at its final 
 muster out. Resides at Scales Mound, 111. 
 
 Hendrick Holtkamp. Age 43 ; born in Prussia ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; discharged for disability June 12, 1863. Died at Galena 
 since the war. 
 
 Bennett Holtkamp. Age 18; born in Prussia; farmer; enlisted from 
 Galena; was captured at Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 20, 1863, and died at 
 
 51
 
 802 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Andersonville Sept. 13, 1864 ; was a son of Hendrick Holtkamp. Is 
 buried in the National Cemetery at Andersonville, Ga. 
 
 William Handley. Age 44 ; born in Butler County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Hanover ; discharged for disibility at Nashville, Tenn., 
 June 20, 1863. Is farming at Oak Hill, Clay County, Kansas. 
 
 Edward Hancock. Age 21 ; born in Scales Mound, 111.; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Thompson ; had a finger hit and side of face grazed at Look- 
 out Mountain, and at Kenesaw Mountain, while on duty as a stretcher 
 bearer, received a wound in the ankle, which disabled him five weeks ; 
 served as teamster the first year, and as a stretcherman, except while dis- 
 abled by wound, from April, 1864, until the close of service ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is a large farmer and stock raiser at Big Foot Prairie, Mc- 
 Henry County, 111. 
 
 William A. Hamilton. Age 24 ; American ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 East Fork ; m. o, with Regiment. Died at his home in Jo Daviess County 
 several years since ; was a brother of H. H. Hamilton, of Company K. 
 
 Charles N. Hammond. Age 27 ; born in Bath, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Hanover ; detailed with Pioneer Battalion April 7, 1863, and 
 was transferred to 1st U. S. V. V. Engineers July 25, 1864, serving with 
 that command until the close of the war ; has since been supervisor of 
 his township. Is farming at Hanover, 111. 
 
 George Jeffers. Age 18 ; born in Hanover. 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover ; was a son of Quartermaster Jeffers ; promoted to Quarter- 
 master Sergeant Sept. 26, 1864 ; returned to Company rolls and detailed 
 in the Q. M. Department in Chattanooga, serving with his father ; m 
 o. with Regiment. Is in the mercantile business at Hanover, 111.; was 
 postmaster at Hanover ten years. 
 
 Andrew W. Jelly. Age 19 ; born in Guilford, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Guilford ; was mortally wounded at Lovejoy's Station, Ga,, Sept. 
 2, 1864, and died at Chattanooga eight days later. Is buried in the 
 National Cemetery at Chattanooga. 
 
 Gottlieb Kramer. Age 27 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 
 Edward Kearnaghan. Age 38 ; born in Ireland ; blacksmith ; enlisted 
 from Hanover ; served as blacksmith at headquarters much of the time ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Hanover, 111. 
 
 Thomas Kimmins. Age 29 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover; was wounded at Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 20, 1864; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Died at his home in Jo Daviess County about 1883. 
 
 John Lister. Age 25 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Savanna ; had a finger shot off at Lovejoy's Station ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Resides at Lemars, Plymouth County, Iowa.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY F. 803 
 
 Thomas H. Lawrence. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 hotel keeper ; enlisted from Galena ; discharged for disability Jan. 25, 
 1863. Resides at Pliny, Saline County, Neb. 
 
 Edward Mahood. Age 21 ; born in Ireland ; blacksmith ; enlisted 
 from Hanover ; participated with the Regiment in most of its engage 
 ments ; was detailed as a blacksmith at Corps and Division Headquarters 
 for a time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Pawnee City, Neb. 
 
 Frederick W. Miller. Age 26 ; born in Prussia ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Savanna; died at Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 2, 1863, from wounds re- 
 ceived at the battle of Chickamauga. Is buried in the National Cemetery 
 at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Rigdon Metcalf. Age 26 ; born in East Galena, 111. ; miner ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; was rarely if ever absent from the command, but was 
 taken sick before his discharge and died from chronic diarrhoea at Galena 
 July 1, 1865. 
 
 B. F. Munson. Age 43; born in Delaware, Ohio; farmer; enlisted 
 from Hanover ; m. o. with Regiment. Reported to reside near Wells, 
 Nebraska. 
 
 John Miller. Age 30 ; born in Germany ; enlisted from Galena ; was 
 wounded in the breast at Resaca ; m. o. at Louisville, Ky., June 9, 1865. 
 
 William S. Nash. Age 18 ; born in Oswego County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Pleasant Valley ; was wounded in chin and left shoulder at 
 Lookout Mountain, and absent three months ; disabled by sunstroke for 
 four weeks in the summer of 1864 ; not absent except when disabled, as 
 stated above ; m. o. with Regiment. Is an insurance and collection agent 
 and auctioneer at Plum River, 111. 
 
 Joseph Perkins. Age 22; born in England; miner; enlisted from 
 Vinegar Hill ; detailed in Pioneer Battalion April 7, 1863, and transferred 
 to 1st U. S. V. V. Engineers July 25, 1864, serving with that command 
 until the close of the war. 
 
 James Pimley. Age 23 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Pleasant Valley ; was captured at Franklin, Tenn., March 8, 1863, and a 
 prisoner for several months, most of the time at Richmond, Va. ; was 
 exchanged and returned to the Regiment in September, 1863, and was 
 killed at the battle of Chickamauga. 
 
 George Pulham. Age 25 ; born in Canada ; sailor ; enlisted from 
 Victory, Wis. ; was in all of the engagements of the command until April, 
 1864 ; was then absent in hospital, because of scurvy, until flnally dis- 
 charged at Springfield, 111., June 29, 1865. Is a grain buyer at Wykoff, 
 Minn. 
 
 Walton Reed. Age 21 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Vinegar Hill ; killed at the battle of Chickamauga.
 
 804: HISTORY OF THE 96ra B.EGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Joseph Rogers. Age 27 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover; was captured by Gen. Pegrain's forces at Danville, Ky., in 
 March, 1863, but soon escaped ; discharged for disability at Columbus, 
 Ohio, April 24, 1863. Is farming near Galena, 111. 
 
 John Quincy Robinson. Age 15; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 school boy ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; served as drummer with the Regi- 
 mental Band ; although a mere lad, and of slight build, he shared in 
 almost every march and campaign ; was slightly wounded at Kenesaw 
 Mountain while carrying water to the men in the works ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is now a merchant at Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 William Sturges. Age 44; born in Liverpool, N. Y, ; enlisted from 
 Council Hill. Died March 18, 1863 ; is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery, 
 Louisville, Ky. 
 
 Joseph Shannon. Age 25 ; born in Holmes, Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Pleasant Valley ; was wounded in the hand at Rocky Face Ridge 
 May 9, 1864, and so disabled as to cause his transfer to the Veteran Reserve 
 Corps, where he served until near the close of the war ; was 6 feet 7| 
 inches in height, and undoubtedly one of the tallest men in the service. 
 He died from consumption some years since. 
 
 William Sidner. Age 21 ; born in Pike County, Mo.; farmer and 
 miner; enlisted from Vinegar Hill ; was injured by a runaway team at 
 Danville, Ky., and discharged because of hernia Sept. 18, 1863 Is 
 Assistant Marshal at Omaha, Neb. 
 
 Richard Spencer. Age 20 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; was detailed with the 5th Indiana Battery from December, 1863, 
 until April, 1864 ; was in all of the engagements in which the Regiment 
 participated until shot through the body at Resaca May 14, 1864 ; when 
 wounded fell into the hands of the enemy, and was a prisoner two days, 
 being recaptured May 16 ; was in various hospitals, and was finally dis- 
 charged at Camp Douglas, Chicago, March 19, 1865. Is now farming at 
 Pliny, Saline County, Kansas. 
 
 John Sincock. Age 19 ; born in Galena, 111, ; lead smelter ; enlisted 
 from Galei\a ; had a bullet through his hat at Lookout Mountain ; was. 
 almost constantly with the command, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at Galena, 111. 
 
 James M. Scott. Age 18; born in St. Clair County, 111; cook; en- 
 listed from Galena ; was shot and instantly killed on the picket line at 
 Franklin, Tenn , April Hi, 1863. Is buried in the National Cemetery at 
 Stone's River, Tenn. 
 
 Gottlieb Stadel. Age 20 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Mill Creek ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Schappsville, 111. 
 
 Warren A. Scott. Age 22 ; born in Iowa ; boatman ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; was absent without leave from Feb. 9, 1863, to April 4, 1863, but 
 returned voluntarily ; being required to make good his time he was trans-
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY F. S05 
 
 ferred to the 21st Illinois at m. o. of Regiment, and served with that com- 
 mand until Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at 75 Helltnan Street, Los Angeles, 
 California. 
 
 George Sidner. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; miner ; was 
 accidentally wounded in the left hand and died, probably as a result of 
 the wound, at Jeffersonville, Ind., Nov. 12, 1863. 
 
 William Trudgian. Age 20 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Guilford ; died at Tullahoma, Tenn., Sept. 14, 1863. Is buried in National 
 Cemetery at Stone's River, Tenn. 
 
 James Telford. Age 27 ; born in Scotland ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; died at the Government Insane Asylum, Washington, D. C., 
 Nov. 6, 1864. 
 
 William Van Alstine. Age 43 ; born in Oswego, N. Y. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Council Hill ; discharged for disability at Danville, Ky., Feb. 
 38, 1863, but was too ill to return home, and died March 12, 1863. Is 
 buried in the " Soldiers' Lot" in the Danville City Cemetery. 
 
 Franz H. Warus. Age 39 ; born in Germany ; farrier ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 
 Hugh Williams. Age 19 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Woodbine ; was wounded at Chickamauga in the hand ; also in the left 
 hand at the battle of Resaca ; was in hospital at Louisville, Ky., when 
 the Regiment was mustered out ; discharged soon afterward. Resides at 
 Milo, Warren County, Iowa. 
 
 Edward Wearne. Age 21 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Hazel Green, Wis. ; was with the Regiment in all its campaigns and 
 marches up to Chickamauga ; he had a shot through his hat on Friday, 
 and on Saturday he was shot through the right thigh ; after some months 
 in hospital and on furlough he was transferred to the 17th Regiment 
 Veteran Reserve Corps, stationed at Inuianapolis, Ind., where he was m. 
 o. July 30, 1865. Is farming at Wessington, Beadle County, Dakota. 
 
 Andrew White. Age 43 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena; discharged for disability April 11, 1863. Was killed in Galena 
 in 1864. 
 
 William Wright.- Age 25 ; born in Jo Daviess Countj r , 111.; miner; 
 enlisted from Galena ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Galena, 111. 
 
 RECRUITS TO COMPANY F. 
 
 William Allendorf. Age 22 ; born in Baltimore. Md.; miner ; enlisted 
 from Galena Oct. 7, 1864, joining the Regiment at Franklin ; transferred 
 to 21st Illinois ; was discharged because of sickness at New Orleans, La., 
 Oct. 6, 1865. Is mining at Galena, 111. 
 
 Francis S. Bailey. Age 42 ; born in England ; potter ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864, joining the Regiment just before the battle of Nash-
 
 806 HISTORY OF THE 96 r TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 ville, where he was mortally wounded, dying Dec. 17, 1864. Is buried in 
 the National Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Henry Buckner (Birknell). Age 37 ; born in Germany ; miner ; en- 
 listed from Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; m. o. at Nashville June 1, 1865. Resides 
 at Galena, 111. 
 
 Edward Brown. Age 35 ; born in Wurtemburg, Germany ; teamster ; 
 enlisted from Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; was at Nashville and in campaign fol- 
 lowing ; transferred to Company H, 21st Illinois at m. o. of Regiment ; 
 finally m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct 10, 1865. Is teaming at Galena, 111. 
 
 Thomas Bastian. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Guilford April 13. 1865 ; at m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to the 21st Illinois ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is 
 reported to have been killed by a boiler explosion in Colorado in 1884. 
 
 Frederick Berkmeyer. Age 41 ; born in Germany ; machinist ; en- 
 listed from Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; discharged at Springfield, 111., Sept. 8, 
 1865. Died in Galena, 111., July 20, 1882. 
 
 William Barr. Age 18 ; born in Washington County, 111. ; laborer ; 
 enlisted from Hanover Oct. 11, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 
 1865 ; m. 6. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Is farming at Liberty, Gage 
 County; Nebraska. 
 
 Henry Bahr. Age 18 ; born in Lancaster, Pa. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Thompson Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Victoria, Texas, Nov. 1, 1865. 
 
 Robert Dawson. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County. 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Sept. 26, 1864, joining Regiment at Chattanooga 
 and participating in the battles of Franklin and Nashville ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; was a brother of Lieutenant Dawsou. Is a real estate and 
 loan agent at Fairfield, Nebraska. 
 
 James Diehl. Age 39 ; born in Pennsylvania ; miner; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865, and died in 
 Texas Sept. 2, 1865. Is buried in the National Cemetery at Galveston. 
 Texas. 
 
 Christian Deerstein. Age 34 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Guilford Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. 
 o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Galena, 111. 
 
 George Evans. Age 19 ; born in England ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 7, 1864; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Monticello, Iowa. 
 
 Louis Eckhardt. Age 34 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864 : transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Died at Burlington, Iowa, in 1885.
 
 ROSTKR OF COMPANY F. 
 
 John Fritz. Age 41 ; born in Germany ; cabinet maker ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1665 ; m. o. ;it 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 18)5. Resides at Galena. III. 
 
 Louis Fablinger. Age 18 ; born in Maryland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover Feb. 23, 1865; had previously served with 140th Illinois nearly 
 six months ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, 
 Texas, Dec. 16, 1862. Is a tinsmith and hardware merchant at Hanover, 
 111. 
 
 Nicholas Fablinger. Age 19 ; born in Maryland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Hanover Feb 23, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois ; m. o. at San. 
 Antonio, Texas, Dec 16, 1865. Resides at Bellevue, Iowa. 
 
 Christopher Grotjohn. Age 18 ; born in Germany ; teamster ; enlisted 
 from Galena Oct. 10, 1864; at Nashville had his clothes torn by a shell 
 and his musket struck by a bullet ; discharged at Nashville May 25,. 
 1865. Is railroading and resides at Moberly, Mo. 
 
 Valentine Gruber. Age 50 ; born in Bavaria ; laborer ; enlisted from; 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; was in the engagement at Nashville ; transferred to- 
 21st Illinois June 9, 1864 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides 
 at Galena, 111. 
 
 William E. Gordon. Age 28; born in Lincoln, Mo.; farmer; en- 
 listed from Guilford Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois and dis- 
 charged Aug. 11, 1865, at Springfield. 111. 
 
 Godfrey Hoffman. Age 3 > ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Guilford Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Galena, 111. 
 
 Edward Hagus Age 18 ; born in Germany ; clerk ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; promoted 
 to Corporal ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Denver,, 
 Col. 
 
 Andrew Haverstreet. Age 35 ; born in Germany ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Galena Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Galena, 111. 
 
 William J. Irwin. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth Oct. 11, 1864 ; was in the battle of Nashville ; transferred 
 to 21st Illinois June 9. 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 18G5 ; was 
 a son of William Irwin, of the same Company. Is postm ister at West 
 Hill, Nebraska. 
 
 Solomon Kilmer. Age 36 ; born in Bradford, Pa.; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Guilford Oct 8. 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 
 Philip Kostenbader. Age 36; born in Germany ; railroad employe ; 
 enlisted from Galena Oct. 8, 1864; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9,
 
 808 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Is a freight handler in Illi- 
 nois Central Depot at Galena, 111 
 
 William Lee. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; miner ; en- 
 listed from Galena Oct. 7, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; 
 m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at McGregor, Iowa. 
 
 Charles Lankan. Age 42 ; born in Germany ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 
 Louis Pharo. Age 25 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 10, 1864 ; had previously served three years in the 15th Illi- 
 nois ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, 
 Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Allison, Iowa. 
 
 George C. Ronheild. Age 80 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted 
 from Galena, Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. 
 o. at Victorja, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Cedar Falls, Iowa. 
 
 John Spoor. Age 19 ; born in Illinois ; mason ; enlisted from Galena 
 Oct. 12, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, 
 Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 
 William H. Scott. Age 16 ; born in Galena, 111.; clerk ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 9, 1864 ; was in battle of Nashville ; transferred to 21st Illi- 
 nois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Is an engineer 
 at Eureka, Nevada. 
 
 George W. Scott. Age 40 ; born in New York ; butcher ; enlisted 
 from Chicago Feb. 23, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. 
 o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Resides at Chicago, 111. 
 
 William Stidworthy. Age 33; born in England; farmer; enlisted 
 from Guilford Oct. 10, 1864 ; was in the battle of Nashville ; transferred 
 to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. .Is a 
 hardware merchant at 1003 Fourth Street, Sioux City, Iowa. 
 
 Charles Sager. Age 35 ; born in Germany ; mason ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 10, 1864 ; was at Nashville ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 
 9, 1865 ; promoted to Corporal ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 Is a mason, and resides at Galena, 111. 
 
 Valentine Smith. Age 26 ; born in Germany ; barber; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 10, 1864 ; was in battle of Nashville ; transferred to 21st 
 Illinois June 9, 1865 ; promoted to Sergeant ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, 
 Oct. 11, 1865. Is farming at Galena, 111. 
 
 Samuel C. Sanderson. Age 22 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Rice Oct. It, 1864; was at Franklin and Nash- 
 ville ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, 
 Oct. 10, 1865. Is mining at Bellevue, Iowa. 
 
 John Schroeder. Age 41 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 10, 1864, joining the command in January, 1865 ; transferred
 
 ROSTER or COMPANY F. 809 
 
 to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Re- 
 sides at East Dubuque, 111. 
 
 John Trevarthan. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111 ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Guilford Oct. 9, 1865 ; bad his knee dislocated while load- 
 ing timber at Huntsville ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Resides at Whitten, Hardin County, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Frank Tohler. Age 32 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 7, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 
 Martin Tresider. Age 19 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Guilford April 18, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Resides at Ridgeway, Wis. 
 
 Sebastian Weber, Age 25 ; born in Germany ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 12, 1864 ; took part in the battle of Nashville and the cam- 
 paign following ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Vic- 
 toria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. Is mining at Galena, 111. 
 
 William Williams. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Woodbine Oct. 11, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 
 1865 ; m. o. in October, 1865. Is farming at Syracuse, Otoe County, Neb. 
 
 Burnhardt Werich. Age 26 ; born in Germany ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 
 George H. White. Age 17 : born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; miner; 
 enlisted from Galena Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 
 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 11, 1865. 
 
 Carl Wurtenburch. Age 40 ; born in Germany ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Dubuque, Iowa, Oct. 8, 1864. Died at Huntsville, Ala., March 10, 1865.
 
 810 HlSTUliY OF THE 9GTH .REGIMENT, Il.L. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 BY CAPT. B. G. BLOWNEY. 
 
 Two Companies where One was Expected The Election of Officers 
 Sworn into the Service " Bully for the Boy with the Glass Eye " 
 In Tents at Rockford Appointment of N on-Commissioned Officers 
 The Captain is Made Lieutenant Colonel An Outsider Chosen to 
 Fill the Vacancy Sword Presentations A Case of Assault and 
 Battery Thanksgiving Dinner at Harrodsburg Subsequent Changes 
 among the Officers The Company's Long Casualty List Seven 
 Times "VTounded Facts and Figures Answers to the Roll Call. 
 
 AMONG those most active in recruiting in Lake County 
 under the July, 1862, call of President Lincoln, was Isaac 
 L. Clarke, Esq., of Waukegan. Associated with him were 
 Dr. Saulsbury, of Hainesville, B. G. Blowney, of Waukegan, 
 and several others. The first recruits were enrolled about 
 July 24. The second call for 300,000, coming early in 
 August, so stimulated enlistments, that by the close of the 
 first week of that month it was evident that the Company 
 would be more than filled, and that some of the men would 
 have to be rejected or go into other organizations. At this 
 juncture the question was raised whether still another 
 Company might not be filled. 
 
 Saturday, August 9, the men from the western part of the 
 County determined to organize a Company by themselves, 
 and met at Hainesville for this purpose. Mr. Clarke was 
 consulted in this movement by a few of the men and en- 
 couraged them to go ahead, only saying that he would find 
 a full Company when he was ready to organize. 
 
 Monday, August 11, pursuant to a notice published in a 
 local paper, the men whose names were entered upon a 
 muster roll held by Mr. Clarke and his associates in the 
 eastern part of the County, gathered at Dickinson's hall, in 
 the City of Waukegan, for the purpose of electing officers
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY G. 811 
 
 and formally organizing the Company. Notwithstanding the 
 fact that a full Company had been organized on Saturday, 
 there were more than ninety present prepared to be sworn in, 
 and this number was increased within the week, so that there 
 was finally quite an overflow into the fourth Company of the 
 County. When the rolls were revised and completed, it was 
 found that there were twenty-one who had enlisted from 
 Waukegan, including Captain Isaac L. Clarke, afterwards 
 Lieutenant Colonel ; seventeen were from the town of Vernon, 
 afterward increased to nineteen by the addition of two 
 recruits at Cleveland, Tenn., in April, 1864 ; sixteen from the 
 town of Warren, fifteen from the town of Liberty ville ; five 
 from the town of Benton ; four from the town of Fremont, 
 afterward increased to five, by the addition of one recruit at 
 Cleveland, Tenn., in April, 1864 ; four each from the towns 
 of Newport and Shields ; three from the town of Ela ; two 
 from the town of Goodale (now Grant), and one each from 
 the towns of Antioch and Avon ; twelve out of the fifteen 
 townships in the County being represented ; and these, 
 together with the two who subsequently joined the Company 
 at Kockford, Ills., made the total number of those who served 
 with the Company, first and last, ninety-eight men. 
 
 The election of officers was quite an Interesting event. 
 Isaac L. Clarke was chosen for Captain by acclamation and 
 without dissent. After considerable balloting David James, 
 of the township of Warren, was chosen First Lieutenant, and 
 Benjamin G. Blowney of Waukegan was chosen Second 
 Lieutenant. The election over, the meeting adjourned, and 
 the men were allowed to return to their homes, with the 
 understanding that they should respond at any time when 
 they were called upon, and be ready to go into camp at 
 Waukegan or any other point to be designated. A few 
 remained in Waukegan from that time forward, but a 
 great majority went about their usual employment, continuing 
 at work until near the close of the month. 
 
 August 25 a United States Army officer was in town, and 
 the Company was formally sworn into the service. About Sep- 
 tember 1 the Company was again called together and remained
 
 812 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 quartered at the hotels, most of them being at the Waukegan 
 House and City Hotel, until their departure for cam]). On 
 one occasion all the men of the Company were called in 
 line at the court-house square, and examined by Surgeons 
 appointed for the purpose, each one being required to show 
 his hands to make sure that no lingers were off, open his 
 mouth to show that his teeth were in condition to bite off 
 cartridges, and answer questions as to whether he was troubled 
 with any disease, or suffering from any accident which would 
 incapacitate him for military service. On this occasion one 
 circumstance occurred that was somewhat amusing. Among 
 those who had enlisted was John A. Corbin, of the town- 
 ship of Yernon, who by some misfortune had lost his right 
 eye, but was wearing a bran new artificial one. that was an 
 excellent imitation of the missing optic. The Surgeon 
 looked Corbin over as closely as the rest, asked him some 
 questions as to his health, but made no inquiry as to his eye- 
 sight, and did not detect the fact that he had but one eye. 
 Several members of the Company were aware of Corbin' s 
 misfortune, and were watching with considerable interest the 
 somewhat rigid inspection by the medical men. They kept 
 their own counsel, however, until all had been accepted and 
 formally sworn in, when some one called out, as the Surgeons 
 inarched away well satisfied with their work, " Bully for the 
 boy with the glass eye." This expression afterward became 
 quite a by-word with the Regiment, and with the army for 
 that matter, and the writer is of the opinion that the phrase 
 may have originated with this very incident. "The boy 
 with the glass eye," was a gallant soldier, and though obliged 
 to shoot left handed, participated in nearly every engagement 
 of the Regiment, and was once severely wounded. 
 
 On the 5th of September this Company, with the other Com- 
 panies from Lake County, went to Rockford, 111., where they 
 became Company G of the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS. Just before 
 leaving each man was presented with a house-wife, or needle- 
 book, by the ladies of Waukegan and vicinity. 
 
 It had been expected that the Company would be permitted 
 to elect its own non-commissioned officers, but the com-
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY G. 813 
 
 missioned officers determined to appoint them, which was 
 accordingly done. The original list was as follows : 
 
 First Sergeant, Hiram W. Farns worth ; Sergeants, James 
 O. Havens, Thomas L. James, Amos Greenleaf and Benjamin 
 F. Shepard ; Corporals, Aaron Scott, Charles J. Miller, 
 Walter Drew, James Hickcox, Henry Gleason, James Free- 
 man, Judson A. Mason and John W. Swanbrough. 
 
 This list was well distributed through the County and 
 gave thorough satisfaction. Arrived at Camp Fuller, the 
 Company was assigned to barracks on a low part of the 
 ground, and where the water had accumulated, owing to the 
 heavy rains, so that it was impossible to reach them without 
 wading. The commissioned officers immediately reported the 
 fact to head-quarters, and a few Sibley tents were procured, 
 but this Company was the only one of the forty Companies in 
 camp at that time, who were quartered in tents. These were 
 occupied for several days and until the ground had been 
 drained off and the barracks were dried out. 
 
 In the evening, after the arrival in camp, the officers met 
 to ratify the list of Field Officers, which had been previously 
 agreed upon, and Captain Isaac L.Clarke became the Lieutenant 
 Colonel of the Regiment. This made a vacancy which it was 
 determined to till by election. It happened that James H. 
 Clark, of Chicago, who had accompanied them to camp, had 
 been in service for a time with the 14th Iowa, and was 
 familiar with Company drill. He had a few acquaintances in 
 the command, and being invited to take charge of the 
 Company on drill, so pleased the men, owing to familiarity 
 with the duties of an officer, as to win their approbation. 
 Being very pleasant and genial, and as there chanced to be 
 no person in the Company who was at all familiar with military 
 duties, some one conceived the idea of electing him to fill the 
 vacancy. He encouraged the plan, and when the election 
 came, was chosen Captain. He was a good drill officer, and 
 did much to put the Company in condition for efficient service, 
 but did not long remain witli the command, resigning 
 December 30, 1862.
 
 814 HISTORY OF THE 96'fH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 There appeared in the Itockford Register of September 2 T, 
 1862, the following article : 
 
 ANOTHER SWORD PRESENTATION. 
 
 The pleasant ceremony of sword presentations to officers continue 
 to be frequent at camp Fuller ; such a presentation was made the other 
 day to Lieutenant B. G. Blowney, of Co. G, NINETY-SIXTH Regiment, 
 forwarded by some of his friends from Waukegan, and presented by 
 George Kirk, Esq., a prominent citizen of that place. We understand 
 Lieutenant B. is a very worthy officer. The following letter was handed 
 him with the sword, to which he made the accompanying reply : 
 
 LIEUTENANT BLOWNEY : WAUKEGAN, Sept. 8, 1862. 
 
 Please accept this instrument of war, to fight the enemies of our 
 country, and may it never God willing be sheathed until the enemy is 
 subdued and the Union remains inseparable, and our country becomes, in 
 truth as well as in name, 'The land of the free and the home of the 
 brave.' Yours truly, 
 
 GEO. KIRK, S. M. DOWST, 
 
 W. H. ELLIS, Jos. MALLON, 
 D. BREWSTER. 
 REPLY. 
 
 I accept this sword, hoping to wield it with justice to my country 
 and honor to myself. We have our mission as a nation, not for a day, 
 but for all time, to vindicate the honor, the power and the good name of 
 the Republic ; to show not only how a good government can be formed, 
 but how it can be maintained. We have all the elements of true great- 
 ness, of glorious success, of national power. We have hitherto scarcely 
 lifted an avenging sword, but it is now, at least, uplifted in the most 
 sacred cause for which battle was ever waged, and when it falls who 
 shall describe its effect ! The cry to arms is resounding throughout the 
 land ; in response to that call, and for the honor of my country's flag, I 
 forsake the endearments of home, the embrace of loved ones, and the 
 associations of the most pleasant nature, to go forth as a soldier of my 
 country, to risk my life on the battle field, and share the exposure and 
 hardships of camp life. If I fall in defense of that flag, or if wounded 
 by my countrj 7 's foe, I shall have the consciousness of having done my 
 duty, which will ease the pain of dying, or sooth and comfort me during 
 the hours of suffering. 
 
 There were other sword presentations to Lieutenant 
 Colonel Clarke and Captain James, but no record of them has 
 been found. 
 
 There also appeared in the Rockford Register of October 
 4, 1862, the following : 
 
 Company G, NINETY-SIXTH Regiment, made a very handsome testi- 
 monial of an elegant photograph book to H. W. Taylor, Esq , for volun-
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY G. 815 
 
 tary professional services in conducting a suit brought by a soldier (James 
 Hickcox) of that Company, against a citizen for assault and battery. 
 The latter was fined ten dollars and costs. The assault was made while 
 the soldier was on patrol duty, in search of stragglers from camp. 
 
 Thanksgiving day, November 27, 1862, found the Regiment 
 stationed at Harrodsbnrg, Ky. ; Lieutenant Colonel Clarke 
 purchased eight turkeys, hired a woman in the country to 
 stuff and bake them, and gave the boys of Company G 
 a dinner, with plenty of baker's bread, butter procured of the 
 Sutler at thirty cents a pound, and milk to season the coffee 
 with. The repast was enjoyed right royally. Dinner over, 
 Captain James H. Clark passed around a box of cigars, and 
 the day, in general, was one of thanksgiving, at least, to the 
 inner man of Company G. 
 
 After the resignation of Captain James H. Clark, First 
 Lieutenant David James became Captain, and Second 
 Lieutenant B. G. Blowney became First Lieutenant. It was 
 determined to hold an election for Second Lieutenant. The 
 principal rivals were First Sergeant Farnsworth, and Second 
 Sergeant Havens. Some bad feeling was engendered during 
 the contest, and although Sergeant Havens received a 
 majority of the votes, the Colonel and some of Sergeant 
 Farnsworth's friends communicated with Governor Yates, 
 and recommended that the commission be given to the next 
 in rank, so that while Sergeant Havens had been elected, and 
 had acted in the capacity of Second Lieutenant for several 
 days, yet the commission was finally given to Sergeant Farns- 
 worth. The matter was not settled until about February 1, 
 1863. In May 1863, Lieutenant Farnsworth resigned, and 
 Sergeant Havens became Second Lieutenant. 
 
 The next vacancy among the commissioned officers was 
 occasioned by the death of Captain David James, from 
 wounds received at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. First 
 Lieutenant Benjamin G. Blowney was then promoted to 
 Captain, and Second Lieutenant James O. Havens was 
 commissioned First Lieutenant. In June, 1865, First 
 Sergeant John W. Swanbrough was commissioned as second 
 Lieutenant.
 
 8i6 HISTOKY OF THE 96 f rH KEGiMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 At the final muster in at Rockford, a few men were 
 rejected, and the Company, as finally organized, numbered 
 ninety-five men including Captain, afterward Lieutenant 
 Colonel Clarke. It subsequently received three recruits. 
 These were Albert A. Burge, William A. Noble, and Albert C. 
 Smith, all of whom enlisted in February, 1864, and joined the 
 command at Cleveland, Tenn., the following April ; making a 
 total enrollment of those who served with the Company of 
 ninety-eight men. 
 
 The Company sustained fifty-nine casualties in all; twenty- 
 two at Chickamauga, Ga. ; four at Lookout Mountain, 
 Tenn. ; two on the Dalton, Ga., reconnoisance ; two at 
 Rock*y Face Ridge, Ga. ; seven at Resaca, Ga. ; three at 
 Dallas, Ga. ; one on the skirmish line, Jurte 16, 1864 ; ten at 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga. ; five at Altanta, Ga. ; one at 
 Lovejoy Station, Ga. ; one at Ack worth, Ga. ; and one at 
 Nashville, Tenn., as follows : 
 
 At Chickamauga, September 20, 1863, William H. 
 Whaples was killed outright. There was always a little 
 uncertainty as to the fate of William H. Wheeler. He was 
 seen to fall, but in the intense excitement of the moment no 
 one learned exactly the nature of his wound. The lines being 
 borne backward he fell into the hands of the enemy. Rumor 
 had it that he was afterward paroled and taken to Chattanooga, 
 where he died. Thomas Davis was badly wounded through 
 the leg, and fell into the enemy's hands. Later he was 
 paroled and returned to Chattanooga, where he died October 
 25, 1863. Corporal Daniel Benson was severely wounded in 
 the hips, and also fell into the enemy's hands, as did Joseph 
 Darby, whose left arm was badly shattered. Both were 
 paroled and sent to Chattanooga about October 1. Lieutenant 
 B. G. Blowney was wounded by a bullet which cut across his 
 forehead, but did not leave the field. First Sergeant Aaron 
 Scott was severely wounded in the forefinger of the left hand. 
 Sergeant B. F. Shepard was severely wounded in 'the left leg, 
 and disabled for eight months. Sergeant Amos Greenleaf 
 was slightly wounded' in the arm. Corporal Walter Drew 
 was badly bruised in the side by a bullet, but did not leave
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 MYRON J. BROWN. 
 GEORGE PALMKK. 
 
 Serg't WALTER DREW. JAMES O'HERRIN 
 
 Capt. BENJAMIN G. BLOWNKY. Principal Musician CHAS. O. Biun. KOI 
 Q. M. Serg't BENJAMIN F. SHEPARD.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY G. 817 
 
 the command. Corporal James Hickcox was severely wounded 
 in the side and leg and unfitted for further field service ; he 
 still suffers from the wound. Corporal Henry H. Gage was 
 struck by a bullet, which cut across the fingers of his right 
 hand, but did not leave the command. Lewis Miller had a 
 severe fiesh wound in the hip which disabled. him for a few 
 weeks. D. H. Gail had a bad wound through the calf of the 
 leg, and was unfitted for field service. George Butler had 
 his left foot badly crippled, and never rejoined the command. 
 He is still quite lame as a result of the wound. John A. 
 Corbin had a severe flesh wound in the right hip or thigh, but 
 rejoined the .Regiment in a few months. William Joyce was 
 wounded in the foot, but did not leave the command. John 
 Ladd was slightly wounded in left thigh, but did not leave 
 the command except for one night. George M. Farnsworth 
 was struck on the hand by a piece of shell. Perrin P. Cole 
 was slightly wounded in the leg by a grape shot, or fragment 
 of shell. Myron Jrf.Bto.wn w.as hit in the groin by a cannister 
 shot, but did not leave the coiiinjan.d^ Joseph Palmer was 
 struck on the breast by the limb of a tree and badly bruised, 
 being unconscious for a time, but did not leave the command. 
 
 At Lookout Mountain, November 24, 1803, Corporal John 
 W. Swanbrough, who was acting Color Sergeant, was 
 wounded in the left foot, John King in the forehead, William 
 Joyce in the head, and Joseph K. Clark in the head. None 
 of these wounds proved so serious as to permanently disable 
 the men injured. 
 
 On the Dalton reconnoisance, February 25, 1864, Lieutenant 
 Havens received a severe wound through the left shoulder, 
 and Josiah Moulton, Jr., was struck in the face by a bullet, 
 which passed through both cheeks, and knocked out one or 
 more teeth. 
 
 At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, Sergeant Charles J. 
 Miller was wounded in the right shoulder, by a buck-shot or 
 squirrel rifle-ball, but did not leave the command. He still 
 carries the ball in his body. William Joyce was again 
 wounded in the face. 
 
 At Resaca, May 14, 1864, Edward Darby, 1st, was
 
 318 HISTORY OF THE 96'm REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 probably killed outright, his body falling into the hands of 
 the enemy. Lewis Miller was shot through the right leg, and 
 fell into the enemy's hands, the limb being so badly shattered 
 as to require amputation, which was performed by Rebel 
 Surgeons. Two days later he was recaptured, and taken to 
 a hospital at Resaca, where he died May 27. Carlos C. 
 Towner was slightly wounded in the head, and Samuel F. 
 Vose had his right shoulder dislocated ; Myron J Brown and 
 Corporal Deloss Rose were captured, the latter dying while a 
 prisoner of war. At the same battle, May 15, 1864, Nahum 
 Lamb was severely wounded in the right hand, losing the 
 middle finger, and being disabled for further service. 
 
 At Dallas, May 31, 1864, First Sergeant Aaron Scott, and 
 Corporal Henry H. Gage, were each wounded in the face, but 
 neither of them left the command. William A. Noble was 
 mortally wounded, dying July 21. On the skirmish line, 
 June 16, 1864, George N. Phillips was wounded in the left 
 arm. 
 
 At Kenesaw Mountain, June 19, 1864, Reuben Smith was 
 mortally wounded, being shot through the left shoulder, and 
 dying July 13. At the same place, June 20, 1864, Dennis 
 Shupe was killed ; Captain David James was mortally 
 wounded, being shot through the left shoulder, and dying in 
 hospital at Chattanooga, just a month later ; Corporal Walter 
 Drew was so severely wounded as to require amputation of 
 the left arm at the socket joint ; Christopher Boettcher was 
 mortally wounded, ^having seven bullet holes through his 
 bod} 7 , and died three days afterward. James L. Knox was 
 mortally wounded, being shot in the left arm and side, and 
 died in hospital at Dalton, Ga., June 29. Christian Knopf 
 was severely wounded in the left foot. Samuel F. Vose was 
 hit by a spent ball and also ruptured, which disabled him for 
 further service. On the same line, June 22, 1S64, William 
 Joyce was again wounded in the head, and June 23, 1864, 
 James Donahue, then Chief of Orderlies at Brigade head- 
 quarters, was severely wounded in the right leg. At Peach 
 Tree Creek, Ga., July 20, 1864, William H. Flagler was 
 slightly wounded in the leg ; At Altanta, August 2, 1864,
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY G. 819 
 
 First Sergeant Aaron Scott was killed, and August 15, 1864, 
 Corporal Peter Mowers was wounded in the left hand. 
 August 19, 1864, Corporal Edward Malone was wounded in 
 the left leg, and William Joyce was severely wounded in the 
 arm and thigh. 
 
 At Lovejoy's Station, Albert A. Burge stepped both feet 
 into a bed of hot ashes, burning them so badly as to disable 
 Mm for nearly a month. 
 
 At Ackworth, Corporal Jared O. Blodgett was taken 
 prisoner, October 5, 1864, while on a furlough to see a 
 brother in the 15th Illinois. 
 
 At Nashville, December 16, 1864, First Sergeant John 
 W. Swanbrough, while in command of the Company, was 
 severely wounded in the left hand. 
 
 At the battle of Nashville, Captain Blowney being sick, 
 First Sergeant John W. Swanbrough had command of the 
 Company, and gallantly led it until severely wounded in the 
 left hand, when Sergeant Charles J. Miller, being next in 
 rank, bravely commanded through the last charge, at the 
 capturing of the battery, and remained in command until the 
 lose of that compaign. 
 
 To William Joyce belongs the honor of having been 
 "wounded the most frequently of any man in the Regiment, he 
 having been hit no less than seven times, and five times 
 sufficiently to be reported in the list of casualties. 
 
 Forty-four members of the Company, exclusive of Lieutenant 
 Colonel Clarke, were killed or wounded ; twelve of whom 
 died of their wounds, viz. : William H. Whaples, William H. 
 Wheeler, Thomas Davis, Edward Darby, 1st; Lewis Miller, 
 William A. Noble, Dennis Shape, Christopher Boettcher, 
 James L. Knox, Reuben Smith, Captain David James, and 
 First Sergeant Aaron Scott. 
 
 In addition to the killed and wounded, fourteen different 
 members of the Company had bullet holes through their 
 clothing or equipments. 
 
 During its term of service Company G lost nine men by 
 death from disease. They were : Henry W. Ostrander, who 
 died at his home October 13, 1862 ; Leroy Demmon, and
 
 820 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Freeman James, who died the same day, January 18, 1863 y 
 at Danville, Ky. ; Asel Hawkins, who died at Danville, Ky., 
 February 18, 1863 ; John Vaughn, who died at Estill Springs, 
 Tenn., August 22, 1863 ; John Baker, who also died at 
 Estill Springs, September 6, 1863 ; John G. Thrasher, who. 
 died at Shellmound, Tenn., December 11, 1863 ; Thomas 
 Kinreid, who died at Nashville, Tenn., June 27, 1864, and 
 Corporal Deloss Rose, who died January 28, 1865, while a 
 prisoner of war at Florence, S. C. Nine of the Company were 
 prisoners at different times. They were : Thomas Davis and 
 William H. Wheeler, who were wounded at Chickamauga, 
 and fell into the hands of the enemy ; were afterward paroled, 
 and died soon after coming into our lines at Chattanooga ; 
 Daniel Benson and Joseph Darby, wounded at Chickamauga, 
 also fell into the hands of the enemy ; in a few days they 
 were paroled, and came into our lines at Chattanooga ; Lewis 
 Miller, who was wounded at Resaca, fell into the enemy's 
 hands ; he was recaptured two days afterward, and taken to a 
 hospital at Resaca, where he died some two weeks later. 
 Corporal Deloss Rose and Myron J. Brown, were also 
 captured at Resaca, and were in Andersonville and other 
 prisons ; Rose is supposed to have died while in prison 
 at Florence, S. C., while Brown made his escape near 
 Wilmington, N. C. Corporal Jared O. Blodgett was captured 
 October 5, 1864, at Ackworth, Ga., while on furlough to visit 
 a brother in the 15th Illinois ; was in Andersonville and other 
 prisons, until April 28, 1865, when he came into the Union 
 lines at Jacksonville, Florida. Edwin Drury was in the hands 
 of the enemy the night of October 13, 1864, when a portion 
 of General Hood's army was in possession of Dalton, Ga., at 
 which place he was then acting as Hospital Steward. He was 
 unmolested, not even being required to give parole. Seven 
 of the Company, including Lieutenant Colonel Clarke, were 
 commissioned officers ; and twenty, including Hiram W. 
 Farnsworth, James O. Havens and John W. Swanbrough, 
 afterward commissioned, were non-commissioned officers. 
 At the close of the war Captain Benjamin G. Blowney was 
 brevetted Major for meritorious conduct.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY G. ,821 
 
 At the final muster out of the Regiment there were only 
 forty-six members of the Company present ; twelve had been 
 killed or died of wounds, nine had died from sickness, 
 fourteen had been discharged for disability, four because of 
 wounds, and ten because of sickness or inability for service ; 
 ten were absent from the Company at the time of final muster 
 out, on detail service and otherwise, and were mustered out 
 at other times and places ; two recruits were transferred to 
 the 21st Illinois; two had resigned, and two, sad to relate, 
 had deserted. Thirty-three of the Company had been detailed 
 at different times for duty in and out of the Regiment, but 
 the most of them had returned, and were present at the final 
 muster out. 
 
 Sergeant Benjamin F. Shepard was promoted to the non- 
 commissioned staff as Quartermaster Sergeant, and Charles 
 O. Biddlecom was promoted to Principal Musician. Of those 
 who were discharged for disability, three subsequently enlisted 
 in other commands. They were : Edward Darby, 2d ; 
 George Palmer and Walter E. Drury. 
 
 Isbon S. Gleason and Levi Shupe were detailed in the 
 Pioneer Corps, and subsequently transferred to the 1st 
 Regiment of U. S. Engineers, where they served until the 
 close of the war, and where Gleason was promoted to 
 Corporal, and afterward to Sergeant. James Freeman was 
 transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, but subsequently 
 returned to the Company. Joseph Darby was also transferred 
 to the Veteran Reserve Corps, where he served until the close 
 of the war ; Albert A. Burge and Albert C. Smith, being 
 recruits, were transferred, at the muster out of the Regiment, 
 to Company G of the 21st Illinois, General U.S. Grant's old 
 Regiment ; John Harrington, who was detailed in the 9th 
 Ohio Battery for a time, was subsequently assigned to duty in 
 the 18th Ohio Battery, where he served in the battles of 
 Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain. He afterward returned 
 to the Company, and just before the last line of works was 
 taken at the battle of Nashville, he was detailed as stretcher 
 bearer, where he served until the close of the war. 
 
 The average age at enlistment of the ninety-seven who
 
 822 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 served with the Company, was twenty five years and six 
 months ; the eldest being Freeman James, who was sixty-four, 
 and the youngest being James Donahue, who was fourteen. 
 Of these ninety-seven men, forty were born in New York, 
 fifteen in Illinois, seven in England, six in Wales, five 
 in Vermont, four in Massachusetts, three in Ireland, two each 
 in Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, 
 Canada, and Germany ; and one each in Prussia, France, and 
 the Isle of Man. Of the sixty-five members now living, 
 (April, 1887), who served with the Company, thirty five 
 reside in Illinois ; six in Iowa ; five in Nebraska ; four 
 in Wisconsin ; three in Indiana ; two each in Ohio, Minnesota, 
 Kansas and California ; and one each in Michigan, Colorado, 
 Missouri and Arkansas. 
 
 Seventy-one of the Company were farmers at enlistment, 
 while the other twenty-six followed some sixteen different 
 branches of industry. Of the sixty-three members living 
 who were honorably discharged from service, twenty-four 
 only are farmers ; the other thirty-nine busy themselves 
 at about thirty-nine different kinds of employment. At this 
 writing eleven of the Company have died since they were 
 discharged or mustered out of the service. They are : Loyal 
 Cadwell, Sergeant Thomas L. James, Joseph I. Joslyn, 
 Henry P. Ostrander, Lieutenant Hiram W. Farnsworth r 
 Henry Nantz, John A. Corbin, William Joyce, Albert C. 
 Smith, Sergeant Edward Malone, and James Freeman. By 
 the suffrage of their fellow citizens since returning home, 
 fifteen have been honored with positions of public trust. 
 
 The Company had a James Freeman, who joined it from 
 Lake County, and was appointed Sixth Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; he has died since the war. It 
 also had a Freeman James, who joined it at Rockford r 
 Illinois ; he was a musician, and served as instructor and 
 leader of the Regimental band. The latter died during his 
 term of service. 
 
 The Company bore well its part, and did its full share in 
 making the history of the Regiment one of which its members- 
 may be proud.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY G. 823 
 
 For data and more minute details, relative to events and 
 statistics given in these preliminary remarks, reference is- 
 made to the personal sketches. The following is 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER.* 
 
 Captain Isaac L. Clarke. Age 38 ; born in Vermont ; attorney-at- 
 law ; elected Captain at the organization of the Company ; promoted to 
 Lieutenant Colonel at the organization of the Regiment. (See Roster of 
 Field and Staff.) 
 
 Captain James H. Clark. Age 25;boin in Lake County, 111.; just 
 out of the 14th Iowa Infantry ; was assisting at Rockford in drilling this 
 and other Companies, and upon the promotion of Captain Isaac L. Clarke 
 to be Lieutenant Colonel, was elected Captain ; resigned Dec. 30, 1862. 
 Is a fruit farmer at El Monte, Los Angeles County, California. 
 
 Captain David James. Age 23 ; born in South Wales ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from the township of Warren ; was elected First Lieutenant at 
 the organization of the Company ; promoted to Captain Dec. 30, 1862 ; at 
 the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, he was mortally 
 wounded, a bullet passing through his left shoulder, shattering the bone ; 
 he died from the effect of this wound in hospital at Chattanooga, Tenn.,. 
 July 20, 1864 ; his body was taken home for burial. A kind and efficient 
 officer, and brave as he was kind, his death was deeply lamented by every 
 one with whom he had been associated ; was a brother of Sergeant 
 Thomas L. James, and first cousin of Isaac L. James, of tbe same Com- 
 pany. 
 
 Captain Benjamin G. Blowney. Age 28 ; born in Ireland ; came to 
 the United States when 15 years of age, living in Chicago until 1855, 
 when he removed to Waukcgan ; was in harness and saddlery business ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; at organization of the Company was elected 
 Second Lieutenant ; promoted to First Lieutenant Dec. 30, 1862, and to 
 Captain July 20, 1864 ; at Chickamauga, Ga., while in command of the 
 Company, was struck on the head by a bullet, the wound bleeding pro- 
 fusely, but he did not leave the Regiment ; participated in every skirmish 
 and battle in which his command was engaged, except at Nashville, 
 Tenn., at which time he was sick; m. o. with Regiment ; was brevetted 
 Major for meritorious conduct. Is engaged in the harness and saddlery- 
 business at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant James O. Havens. Age 33 ; born in Westpovt, N. 
 Y. ; merchant; enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Second Sergeant at 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to First Sergeant ; then to- 
 Second Lieutenant May 19, 1863, and to First Lieutenant Aug. 9, 1864 ; 
 received gun-shot wound through left shoulder at Buzzard Roost, Ga., 
 
 *The names of William F.Carroll, Elmer W. Dinsenborry and Patrick H. McVey 
 were on the rolls of the Adjutant General by error, never having enlisted in Company G.
 
 824 HISTORY OF THE 96'm REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Feb. 27, 1864 ; was acting Adjutant of the Regiment for quite a period ; 
 and, after receiving his wound, being unfitted for field service, was 
 detailed on a court martial at Nashville, Tenn., for some months : m. o. 
 with Regiment. Has been Mayor of Glidden, Iowa ; is engaged in fruit 
 culture and farming at Glidden, Carroll County, Iowa. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Hiram W. Farnsworth. Age 36; born in Gow- 
 anda, N. Y. ; broommaker ; enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed First 
 Sergeant at organization of the Company ; promoted to Second Lieuten- 
 ant Dec. 80, 1862 ; was unfitted for duty by illness, and resigned May 19, 
 
 1863. Died at Nashville, Tenn., where he had been in business for seve- 
 ral years, June 20, 1874 ; was a brother of George M. Farnsworth, of the 
 same Company. 
 
 Second Lieutenant John W. Swanbrough. Age 18 ; born in New 
 YorK ; farmer ; enlisted from the town of Benton ; appointed eighth 
 Corporal at organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant June 21, 
 
 1864, and to First Sergeant Aug. 3, 1864 ; commissioned Second Lieuten- 
 ant June 8, 1865 ; at the organization of the Regiment was detailed as 
 Color Guard, and in a few months was appointed to cany the State Flag ; 
 at Chickamauga, Ga., the spear was shot from the flag staff, and the staff 
 itself splintered, and nearly severed just above his hands ; wrenching off 
 the broken handle, he still bore the blue colors aloft ; a few moments 
 later, Color Sergeant Bruner was severely wounded, and he then seized 
 the National flag, and, throwing the blue flag across his arms, carried 
 both until the close of the desperate fight, and always at the front ; once 
 he was struck down by a fallen limb, and was unconscious for a moment ; 
 regaining consciousness he found himself confronting the Rebel advance, 
 then distant but a few feet, but ran backward w,th ihe flags to where the 
 command was re-forming, miraculously escaping wounds ; the colors 
 were riddled with bullets, and his clothing was cut in one or more places ; 
 at the battle of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., while carrying the colors, he 
 was quite severely wounded in the left foot ; subsequently returned to 
 the Regiment, and carried the colors through all of the engagements of 
 the Atlanta campaign, until his promotion to First Sergeant, Aug. 3, 
 1864; at the battle of Nashville, Tenn., while in command of the Com- 
 pany, he was severely wounded in the left hand, his thumb being split 
 and stiffened, so that it is still partially disabled ; participated in every 
 engagement, and Was'more than once especially commended for gallantry; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Has creditably filled the office of sheriff of Lake 
 County, 111., for ten years ; is a breeder and trainer of trotting and car- 
 riage horses at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 First Sergeant Aaron Scott. Age 27 ; born in Massachusetts ; had 
 been a teacher, but at the time of his enlistment was in charge of the 
 Agricultural Department of the Reform School at Chicago, III.; enlisted 
 from Waukegan ; appointed First Corporal at organization of the Com- 
 pany ; promoted to Sergeant Dec. 30, 1862, and to First Sergeant May 19, 
 1863; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded in the forefinger of
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY G. 825 
 
 the left band while capping his gun, the ball, at the same time, shattering 
 his musket ; he was not long absent from the command ; at the battle of 
 Dallas, Ga., May 31, 1864, was wounded in the face, but did not leave the 
 Regiment : on the line confronting Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 2, 1864, and while 
 lying on a bunk slightly elevated from the ground, just in rear of the 
 breastworks, engaged m reading his Bible, he was struck in the left side 
 by a bullet, which entered his bod}', causing death in a few moments ; 
 after he was shot he said lo those of his comrades who had gathered 
 around him, " Boys, I wanted to go through with you, but I have staid 
 with you as long as I can." When asked by Surgeon Evans if he would 
 not like a little whisky, as it might revive him, he said, "No ! give me 
 some water." Beloved by all, a gallant soldier, and a man of fine intel- 
 lect and high Christian character, his death, occurring in so peculiar a 
 .manner, created a profound sensation. His grave is No. 6,590 in the 
 National Cemetery at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 Sergeant Charles J. Miller. Age 25 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Second Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant June 15, 1863 ; at the battle of 
 Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., May 9, 1864, was wounded in the right shoulder 
 by a buckshot or squirrel rifle ball ; the next morning the Surgeon probed 
 the wound to the depth of four inches, but could not find the ball, and 
 told him he would have to carry it as long as he lived ; he remained 
 with the Regiment, but could not wear his accoutrements for some days ; 
 he was never absent from the Regiment, and participated in all of its en- 
 gagements ; was in command of the Company when the battery was cap- 
 tured, in the final charge at the battle of Nashville, Tenn., and during 
 the campaign following that engagement ; in. o. with Regiment. Is 
 farming near Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Thomas L. James. Age 30 ; born in South Wales ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from the town of Warren ; appointed Third Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; was detailed as Sergeant of the Regi- 
 mental Pioneers, and served in that capacity much of the time ; was a 
 brother of Captain David James, and first cousin of Isaac L. James, of 
 the same Company ; m. o. with Regiment. Died at Lake Forest, 111., 
 Aug. 30, 1872. 
 
 Sergeant Amos Greenleaf. Age 25 ; born in Michigan ; shoemaker : 
 enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Fourth Sergeant at the organization 
 of the Company ; was slightly wounded in the arm at Chickamauga, Ga. ; 
 was in Ambulance Corps, and in the Quartermaster's Department, much 
 of the time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is engaged in the manufacture of 
 agricultural implements at Tiffin, Ohio. 
 
 Sergeant Benjamin F. Shepard. Age 30; born in Massachusetts; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren township ; appointed Fifth Sergeant at 
 organization of the Company ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely 
 wounded in left leg, and disabled for several months, but rejoined the 
 Regiment, and was promoted June 21, 1864, to Quartermaster Sergeant,
 
 826 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 serving in that capacity to the close of the war; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 farming in Warren ; address, Gurnee, Lake County, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Walter Drew. Age 31 ; born in New York ; teacher , en- 
 listed from Libertyville ; appointed Third Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant Aug. 3, 1864 ; at Chic sarnauga, 
 Ga., was struck in the side by a bullet, which felled him, and it was 
 thought for the moment that he was fatally wounded ; it proved to have 
 been a spent ball, however, and the injury, though painful, did not prove 
 serious, and in a few moments he was again at his post in the ranks, re- 
 maining until the close of the battle; participated in all subsequent en- 
 gagements until the battle of Ker.esaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, 
 when his left arm was shattered by a bullet, necessitating amputation at 
 the shoulder, and causing his discharge from hospital at Chicago, III., 
 Oct. 87, 1864. Subsequently engaged in the practice of law ; resides at 
 San Bernardino, California. 
 
 Sergeant Edward Malone. Age 34 ; born in Ireland ; butcher ; en- 
 listed from Waukegau ; promoted to Corporal Jan. 16, 1863. as a recog- 
 nition of his efficiency as a soldier, in apprehending and arresting two 
 men who had attempted to desert from a Battery attached to the Brigade ; 
 promoted to Serareant Dec. 1, 1864 ; at Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 19, 1864, was 
 severely wounded in left leg, but rejoined the Regiment at Franklin, 
 Tenn., Nov. 30, 1864; m. o. with Regiment. Was conspicuous for his 
 courage, and a great favorite both during his service and after his return 
 home ; died in Waukegan, 111., from heart disease, July 17, 1883. He 
 was the wit and humorist of the Company, always ready with some origr 
 nal and side splitting remark to liven up the drooping spirits of the men, 
 on "many a weary march and tented field"; he was a good soldier, 
 always ready for duty, twice promoted for gallant conduct, and after his 
 return home, living the life of an honorable, worthy citizen ; he died as 
 he had lived, honored by all his comrades. 
 
 Corporal James Hickcox. Age 24; born in Utica, N. Y. ; cabinet- 
 maker ; enlisted from Waukegan ; appointed Fourth Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; at Chickamagua, Ga , was twice severely 
 wounded, once by a shell in the right leg, and once by a ball in the right 
 side, the wounds disabling him for future field service ; his recovery was 
 largely due to the untiring efforts of the Sisters of Charity in the hospi- 
 tal at Nashville, Tenn.; rejoined the command March 27, 1864, and, at 
 his own request, was reduced to the ranks Sept. 14, 1864, to enable him to 
 accept of a detail in the Ambulance Corps, where he served to the close 
 of the war ; m. o. with Regiment. Is in the cabinet business, with resi- 
 dence at corner of Emerson and Fifth Avenues North, Minneapolis, 
 Minn. 
 
 Corporal Henry Gleason. Age 24; born in Owego, N. Y. ; farmer; 
 enlisted from Libertyville ; was appointed Fifth Corporal at the organi- 
 zation of the Company ; is a brother of Isbon S. Gleason, of same Com- 
 pany ; m. o. with Regiment. Is station agent at Winona Junction,. 
 Minn. ; address, Box 779. La Crosse, Wit-.
 
 KOSTER OF COMPANY G. 827 
 
 Corporal James Freeman. Age 34 ; born in New York ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; appointed Sixth Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; subsequently reduced to the ranks at his own request, to 
 enable him to accept a detail as Orderly at Regimental Headquarters ; 
 transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, but was returned to the com- 
 mand, and was m. o. with Regiment. He died at Diamond Lake, Lake 
 County, 111., July 19, 1886. 
 
 Corporal Judson A. Mason. Age 27 ; born in Chicago, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Vernon ; appointed Seventh Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; participated in all of the engagements of the Atlanta 
 campaign, and at Resaca, Ga., had a bullet through his blouse ; at Atlanta, 
 Ga., Sept, 19, 1864, was detailed in the Brigade Commissary Department, 
 and had charge of the cattle guards until the close of the war; m. o. 
 with Regiment. . Has held numerous town offices, and was County Treas- 
 urer of Lake County from 1877 to 1832 ; is farming; address, Half Day, 
 Lake County, 111. 
 
 Corporal Henry H. Gage. Age 20; born in Chicago, 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Avon ; promoted to Corporal Nov. 24, 186' ; at Chicka- 
 mauga, Ga., was wounded across the fingers of the right hand, but re- 
 mained with the command until the close of the engagement ; at Dallas, 
 Ga., May 31, 1864, was slightly wounded in head, but did not leave Com- 
 pany ; participated in every march, skirmish and battle in which the 
 Regiment was engaged, until the close of the Atlanta campaign, and was 
 always conspicuous for his bravery ; Sept. 17, 1864, after the capture of 
 Atlanta, Ga., was detailed as clerk at headquarters of the Fourth Army 
 Corps, and, three months later, was promoted to chief clerk, serving in 
 that capacity until the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment. Is living 
 at No. 2313 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 111., and is engaged in the real 
 estate business. 
 
 Corporal Deloss Rose. Age 24; born in Florence, N. Y.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Vernon ; promoted to Corporal June 15, 1863 ; at the battle 
 of Resaca, Ga , May 14, 1864, was captured by the Rebels in their despe- 
 rate charge upon the Union left, and taken to Andersonville prison ; he 
 was afterward transferred to the Florence. South Carolina, prison, where 
 Albert Barney, of Company D, same Regiment, reports having seen him, 
 much discouraged, and in a very weak and debilitated condition, late in 
 the fall of 1864, only a few days before Barney was exchanged as a pris- 
 oner of war. He died Jan. 28, 1865, of chronic diarrhoea, as appears 
 from the prison records, presumably at Florence, S. C. ; his body now lies 
 buried, No. 2712, in the National Cemetery at Salisbury, N. C., as reported 
 by the War Department at Washington, D. C. By his death the Com- 
 pany lost one of its most genial, whole-souled, companionable members. 
 
 Corporal Peter Mowers. Age 19 ; born in New York ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Vernon; promoted to Corporal June 21, 1864; at Chicka- 
 mauga, Ga., had his cap-box badly shot to pieces ; was wounded in the 
 left hand on the skirmish ine before Atlanta. Ga., Aug. 15, 1884; while
 
 828 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 at Huntsville, Ala., was on detail as safe-guard at the residence of Wil- 
 liam Rountree ; was conspicuous for his personal bravery in many en- 
 gagements ; m. o. with Regiment. Has been a mail contractor, and is 
 mail carrier, with address at Half Day, Lake County, 111. 
 
 Corporal Jared O. Blodgett. Age 23 ; born in Madison County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from the township of Warren ; promoted to Corporal 
 Sept. 20, 1864 ; at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., had a bullet through his pants, 
 just above and in front of the ankle, but escaped wounds ; at Ackworth, 
 Ga., Oct. 5, 1864, while on a brief furlough to enable him to visit a brother 
 in the 15th Illinois, he was, captured, and remained a prisoner of war in 
 Andersonville and other prisons until April 28, 1865, coming into the 
 Union lines at Jacksonville, Fla. ; never absent from Regiment but four 
 weeks during the first two years of his service ; discharged at Chicago, 
 111.,* July 5, 1865. Is engaged in farming and stock raising at Duncan, 
 Platte County, Neb. 
 
 Corporal Carlos C. Towner. Age 22; born in Rutland County, Vt. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Fremont ; promoted to Corporal Oct. 31, 1864 ; had 
 three bullets through coat at Rocky Face Ridge, Ga. : lost hat and lock 
 of hair at Resaca, Ga., where the enemy got so close to some of the Com- 
 pany on the skirmish line as to order their surrender ; he. threw down his 
 gun for that purpose, but changed his mind and ran, succeeding in mak- 
 ing his escape ; had bullet through coat at the battle of Nashville, Tenn.; 
 was absent four weeks in hospital, thus escaping the battle of Chicka- 
 tnauga, Ga. ; with that exception he was with the Company in every en- 
 gagement in which it took part ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides in Osage, 
 Mitchell County, Io\va. where he is proprietor of the West-End Hotel, 
 and has been City Marshal for four yea:s. 
 
 Corporal Daniel Benson. Age 22 ; born in New York ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from ihe township of W.irren ; promoted to Corporal Nov. 30, 
 1864; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded in the hips, and left 
 on the field, falling into the hands of the enemy ; remained a prisoner for 
 nine days, and was then paroled and sent within the Union lines at Chat- 
 tanooga, Tenn.; his injuries proved very serious, and it was several 
 months before he was a le to rejoin the command ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is farming at Scotia, Greeley County, Neb. 
 
 John Baker. Age 26 ; born in Salem, N. Y. ; farmer; enlisted from 
 Ela ; died from disease at Estill Springs. Tenn., Sept. '>, 1863 ; his grave 
 is No. 3,847, in the National Cemetery of Stone's River, Tenn. 
 
 John K. Beck. Age 21 ; born in Lake County, 111.; broom and brush 
 maker; enlisted from Waukegan ; was detailed with the Ambulance 
 Corps May 8, 1864, serving with that organization until Ihe close of the 
 war; m. o. with Regiment. Is a teacher at Richmond, Ind. 
 
 Charles O. Biddlecom. Age 21 ; born in Deerfield, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Newport ; served with the Regimental Band, and was pro- 
 moted to Principal Musician Feb. 6, 1865 ; was seldom absent from the
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY G. 8*29 
 
 command, and served with the Ambulance Corps in nearly every engage- 
 ment in which the Regiment participated ; m. o. with Regiment. Has 
 since held several township offices ; is farming in the town of Newport ; 
 address, Wadsworth, Lake County, 111. 
 
 John Blackler. Age 26 ; born in England ; butcher ; enlisted frora 
 Libertyville ; participated in several engagements, including Chicka- 
 mauga, Ga., and Lookout Mountain, Tenn., but was subsequently detailed 
 in Subsistence Department, as brigade butcher ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is a brother of Thomas Blackler, of same Company : resides at Highland 
 Park, Lake County, 111. 
 
 Thomas Blackler. Age 22 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Fremont ; was taken sick early during his term of service, and was dis- 
 charged, for disability, from hospital at Danville, Ky., Jan. 24, 1863; his 
 ailment has followed him through the years, and still gives him trouble ; 
 Is a brother of John Blackler, of same Company. Resides at South 
 Evanston, 111., being engaged in the market business. 
 
 Christopher Boettcher. A^e 20 ; born in Germany ; enlisted from 
 the town of Goodale (now Grant) ; was on detail in a Battery for some 
 time, returning April 19, 18G4 ; at the battle of Keuesaw Mountain, 
 Ga., June 20, 1864, was mortally v.ounded, having seven bullet holes 
 through him, and died in the field hospital June 23, 1864.* 
 
 * In volume 23, at page 60, of the " Roll of Honor," published at the Government 
 Piinting Office, Washington, D. C., 1869, containing the "Names of Soldiers who died in 
 defense of the American Union, interred in the National Cemeteries, etc.," is found 
 under the heading, " Marietta and Atlanta National Cemetery," among comrades 
 credited to the State of Indiana, the following : "No. 1,853; name, Christopher Bodtcber: 
 rank, private ; regiment, 3th battery ; date of death, June 20, 1864 ; sec. A. No. of grave, 
 1,031, original place of interment, near Kenesaw Mountain, Ga." There is a (*) affixed 
 to this entry, referring to a memoranda, which reads, ' Many names accredited to a State 
 are not to be found upon the rolls of the organizations to which they purport to belong. 
 Such, in all cases, are designated by a star (*), and must be left for future research." 
 
 The Superintendent of said cemelery writes, under date of January 18, 1887, in 
 answer to a letter of inquiry with reference to said Boettcher, that the record, as it 
 " appears in volume 23, page 60, R. H., is an error ; it should read, John Betscher, private 
 1st Ind. Battery, killed June 20, 1864, near Kenesaw Mt., Ga. ; interred in Sec. A, Grave No. 
 1,031. This is the record in this office, and is the name which appears on the headstone 
 at the grave." This change to John Betscher is, no doubt, an error. The query is, how 
 came the name of Christopher Bodtcher in said Roll of Honor ? It must have been 
 found at the head of the grave of some soldier when they were disinterring and removing 
 their bodies to the said National Cemetery. On the original morning reports of Company 
 G, still preserved, and now in possession of the writer, underdate of April 19, 1861, just 
 two months prior to the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., appear these words, "Chris- 
 topher Boettcher returned to Company from Battery." He was so severely wounded that 
 he probably never spoke a rational word after being shot ; he died among nurses and 
 attendants who were strangers to him, and was buried by them. Letters^r memoranda 
 were, no doubt, found in his pockets, which seemed to locate him definitely as connected 
 with the 5th Indiana Battery, and, from the information which said letters or memoranda 
 contained, they must have marked the grave where his remains were deposited, and 
 where the squad w'uo disinterred and removed them to said cemetery, found the infor- 
 mation that caused such entry to be made as is found in the "Roll of Honor" above 
 gtated.
 
 830 HISTORY OF THE 96 r m REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Myron J. Brown. Age 19; born in Fort Ann, N. Y. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Newport; at Chickamauga, Ga., was hit in groin, directly in 
 front of the hip joint, by a canister shot, during the first charge of the 
 Regiment ; turning half way around, he dropped on one knee, and thought 
 the shot had passed through his hip ; recovering from the shock, he dis- 
 covered that his pocket book and comb, which were badly damaged, had 
 saved him, and resumed firing at the enemy ; at the battle of llesaca, Ga., 
 May 14, 1864, was captured at the time the enemy turned the left, and 
 remained a prisoner of war nine months, being confined at Andersonville, 
 Ga., and at Sibley, N. C ; he escaped near Wilmington, N. C., was sent 
 to St. Louis, Mo., and finally discharged at Springfield, 111., June 24, 1865, 
 reaching Chicago in time to return to Waukegan with the Lake County 
 boys ; his health was seriously impaired by his prison experiences. Has 
 held several positions of public trust in Illinois and Nebraska, and is a 
 farmer and stock raiser at Osceola, Polk County, Neb. 
 
 Albert A. Burge. Age 18 ; born in Waukegan, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vernon Feb. 8, 1864, joining the command at Cleveland, Tent;., April 
 D, 18(54, and participating in most of the engagements that followed ; at 
 Lovejoy Station, Ga., he accidentally stepped both feet into a bed of hot 
 ashes, or a smouldering fire, burning them so badly as to disable him 
 nearly a month ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company G, 
 21st Illinois, and finally mustered out Dec. 16, 1865, and discharged at 
 Camp Butler, Springfield, 111., Jan. 25, 1866. Is farming at Augusta, 
 Butler County, Kansas. 
 
 George Butler. Age 22 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Benton ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded in the left foot, 
 being disabled for field duty, and was discharged from hospital at Chi- 
 cago, 111., Oct. 5, 1864. Is a carpenter at Waukegan, 111., and quite lame 
 from the effect of his wound. 
 
 Loyal Cadwell. Age .54 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Libertyville ; after a few weeks his health completely failed, and he was 
 discharged for disability at Lexington, Ky., Dec. 23, 1862 ; he returned 
 home and died at Libertyville, 111., May 4, 1864. 
 
 Joseph K. Clark. Age 38 ; born in Cortland County, N. Y.; brick- 
 maker ; enlisted from Shields ; was detailed in wagon train at Newport, 
 Ky., remaining one year ; at Lookout Mountain, Tenn., was slightly 
 wounded in the face by a buck shot or pistol bullet ; at commencement 
 of Atlanta campaign, May 2, 1864, was detailed as stretcher bearer, and 
 was with the command until the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Was Supervisor for six years in Livingston County, 111. ; is a farmer at 
 Sedgwick, Harvey County, Kansas. 
 
 Perrin P. Cole. Age 26 ; born in Erie County, Pa.; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vernon ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was slightly wounded in leg by a 
 grape shot or fragment of shell, and had his tin cup shot through ; at 
 Resaca, Ga., when on the skirmish line, he failed to hear the order to
 
 HOSTER OF COMPANY G. 831 
 
 retreat, remaining between the lines until face to face with the enemy, 
 and then making his way back, under a murderous fire from both direc- 
 tions ; was in every engagement until Kingston, Ga., was passed, when, 
 worn out by the hard service, he was sent to hospital, but rejoined the 
 Regiment in time to take part in the battle of Nashville, Tenn. ; m. o. 
 'with Regiment. Resides in Floyd County, Iowa, where he has an elegant 
 farm of 145 acres, finely stocked ; has been Town Clerk and Assessor 
 almost continuously, and is Secretary of the Floyd County Mutual In- 
 surance Company ; address, Charles City, Iowa. 
 
 Jeremiah Conklin. Age 27 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Fremont ; discharged for disability at Brentwood, Tenn., April 2, 
 
 1863. Is farming at Pierport, Manistee County, Mich. 
 
 John A. Corbin. Age 18 ; born in Vernon, Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Vernon ; he had lost his right eye in boyhood, and wore a 
 glass one ; made an excellent soldier, always shooting left handed ; at 
 Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded in the right thigh, but rejoined 
 the command in time to participate in all of the engagements except 
 Lookout Mountain, Tenn.; while at Huntsville, Ala., was on detail, as 
 :safe guard, at the residence of William Rountree ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Was accidentally drowned by the capsizing of a ferry boat at Elgin. 111., 
 April 28, 1881. 
 
 Edward Darby, ist. Age 25 ; born in Tioga County, N. Y. ; car- 
 penter ; enlisted from Vernon ; at the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 
 
 1864, when the enemy broke back the Union left, he was on the 
 skirmish line, and was undoubtedly shot and killed, as he was never 
 afterward s.een by any of the Regiment, although a few others were cap- 
 tured on that line. His friends long believed him alive, and hoped for 
 his return, but in vain ; was a brother of Henry and a cousin of Joseph 
 and Edward, 2d, of same Company. 
 
 Edward Darby, zd. Age 17 ; born in Tioga County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Vernon ; discharged for disability at Danville, Ky., March 
 22, 1863 ; he subsequently re-enlisted in Company E, of the 17th Illinois 
 Cavalry, at St. Charles, Kane County, 111., Feb. 20, 1864, and was finally 
 mustered out at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Nov. 23, 1865 ; is a brother 
 of Joseph, and cousin of Edward, 1st, and Henry, of same Company. Is 
 residing, in poor health, at Beloit, Wis. 
 
 Henry Darby. Age 23; born in Tioga County, N. Y. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Vernon ; was seriously ill in the early part of his term of ser- 
 vice, and was discharged for disability at Lexington, Ky., Jan. 18, 1863 ; 
 was a brother of Edward, 1st, and cousin of Joseph and Edward, 2d, of 
 same Company. Is residing, in poor health, at Libertyville, Lake 
 County, 111. 
 
 Joseph Darby. Age 21 ; born in Tioga County, N. Y. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Vernon ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded m the 
 left arm, the bone being shattered above the elbow ; he fell into the ene-
 
 832 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 iny's hands, and was a prisoner for ten days, when he was paroled and 1 
 sent withiu the Union lines at Chattanooga, Tenn.; by careful treatment 
 the arm was saved, although greatly shortened ; was transferred to the 
 Veteran Reserve Corps Oct. 7, 1864, serving there until the close of the 
 war; is a brother of Edward, 2d, and cousin of Edward, 1st, and Henry, 
 of same Companjr. Is a farmer, and resides at Diamond Lake, Lake 
 County, 111. 
 
 Thomas Davis. Age 21 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Fremont ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded, being shot 
 through the leg, and so disabled that he could not leave the field ; was in 
 the enemy's hands for nine days, and then paroled and sent within the 
 Union lines at Chattanooga, Tenn., where he died from his wounds Oct. 
 25, 1863. His body was taken home for burial. 
 
 "Leroy Demmon. Age 23 ; born in May field, Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted 
 frpm the township of Warren ; was sick with typhoid fever at Camp Ful- 
 ler, but got belter ; ambitious to be with his comrades, he rejoined the 
 command before fully recovered ; shortly afterward the Regiment made 
 the Lebanon march, and he accompanied it ; the expedition was a severe 
 one, even for those who were well, but particularly so for those who were 
 not strong. Returning to Danville he was taken to hospital, where he 
 died, Jan. 18, 1863 ; his body was sent home for burial. 
 
 James Donahue. Age 14 ; born in New York City ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vernon ; at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 23, 1864, was wounded 
 in right leg, under the knee, while serving as Chief of Orderlies at Bri- 
 gade Headquarters, to which position he was detailed Feb. 21, 1864 ; was 
 compelled to use crutches for ten months, and was in a critical condition 
 because of gangrene, for a time ; still suffers to some extent from the 
 wound ; m. o. trom hospital at Mound City, 111., in July, 1865. Is a 
 clerk in the Chicago Postoffice ; resides at 308 Noith Franklin Street, 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
 Edwin Drury. Age 19 ; born in Lake County, 111.; farmer; enlisted 
 from the township of Warren ; he was taken sick at Estiil Springs, 
 Tenn., was in hospital at Tullahoma and Nashville, Tenn., returning to 
 the Regiment at Nickajack Cove, Ga. ; at Resaca, Ga., a buck shot or 
 squirrel rifle ball passed through the rubber blanket attached to his knap- 
 sack ; at Dallas, Ga., he was again taken sick, and was in Division Hospi- 
 tal at Ackworth, Ga., and Convalescent Camp at Chattanooga, Tenn.; 
 he volunteered to assist in guarding a drove of cattle to the front, but, 
 being unable to stand the fatigue, was left at Dalton, Ga.; while in hospi- 
 tal there he was acting Hospital Steward for some months, and rejoined 
 the Regiment at Huutsville, Ala.; while at Dalton, Ga., the Rebel General 
 Wheeler, with his cavalry, attacked the place in force, and he was hit on 
 the left arm by a piece of brick which a shell from the enemy's guns had 
 dislodged from a brick house which stood inside the fort that the small 
 garrison were defending, and where those in hospital, who were able, had 
 gone for protection ; he was in the Rebel lines, virtually prisoner of war,
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 JOHN BLACKLEB. 
 THOMAS B. POCKLINGTON . 
 
 iUOGS. 
 
 Serg't CHARLES J. MII.LEK. 
 GEORGE LKHMANN. 
 
 THOMAS BLACKLEB. 
 JOHN LADD.
 
 lilt
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY G. 
 
 the night of Oct. 13, 1864, when a portion of Gen. Hood's forces were in 
 possession of Dalton, Ga. ; a number of Rebels, wounded during Wheel- 
 er's attack, were in his charge, with amputated limbs, unable to be moved ; 
 they having been well treated, and giving favorable report to the Rebel 
 officers, no doubt accounts for the reason he or his assistants were not 
 paroled or taken to Rebel prisons ; while with the Regiment he was in 
 every engagement in which it took part ; m. o. with Regiment. Since 
 the war he has been in the City Collector and other offices in Chicago, 
 111., and for a number of years was Chief Deputy County Clerk of Cook 
 County, 111.; is a second cousin of Walter E. Drury, of same Company : 
 he is associated with his brother, Horace G. Drury, in the tax abstract 
 and real estate business at Chicago, 111., with residence at Wilmette, Cook 
 County, 111., where he has been Village Trustee two terms. 
 
 Walter E. Drury. Age 19 ; born in Erie County, Pa ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from the township of Warren ; discharged for disability from 
 hospital at Louisville, Ky., May 21, 1863 ; subsequently re-enlisted in 
 Company E, 9th Illinois Cavalry, serving from Feb. 7, 1865, to Oct. 81, 
 1865. Has been County Superintendent of Schools of Burt County, JNeb.; 
 is a second cousin of Edwin Drury, of same Company ; is a lawyer and 
 banker at Fender, Dakota County, Neb. 
 
 Thomas W. Dwyer. Age 27 ; born in Schoharie County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Shields ; was detailed in the Ordnance Train, and 
 at Chickamauga, Ga., drove a team loaded with ammunition upon the 
 
 field, under a heavy artill^y^aH^ >mvske-t#y fire ;- ** Lookout Mountain, 
 Tenn., he participated with the Regiment, "and aTSo in some subsequent 
 engagements, but was on detached service a considerable part of the 
 time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a farmer in the township of Shields ; 
 address, Waukegan, Lake County, 111. 
 
 George M. Farnsworth. Age 26 ; born in St. Charles, Kane County, 
 111.; farmer; enlisted from Waukegan; at Chickamauga, Ga., had his 
 canteen strap shot off, and a bullet through his pants leg ; a fragment of 
 shell also lodged in his finger, and is still carried by him ; was a brother 
 of Lieutenant Hiram W. Farnsworth, of same Company ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Has been an alderman in Chicago, 111., and is a contractor 
 and builder, with residence at 371 Claremont Avenue, Chicago, 111. 
 
 William H. Flagler. Age 25 ; born in Washington County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Libertyville ; at Resaca, Ga., when the left was 
 driven back, a bullet struck his knapsack, going entirely through his 
 blanket and the contents of the knapsack, knocking him down, but not 
 seriously injuring him ; at Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 20, 1864, a bullet 
 struck his canteen, and inflicted a slight wound in his leg ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming near Libertyville, Lake Co., 111. 
 
 George H. Foote. Age 21 ; born in Canton, Conn. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vernon ; at Chickamauga, Ga., his coat was twice pierced with bul- 
 lets, and his haversack strap was severed ; at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., 
 53
 
 834 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 his gun stock was shivered in his hands by a bullet, but he escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Has been Town Collector for two years, 
 and is a farmer in the township of Vernou ; address, Half Day, Lake 
 County, 111. 
 
 Daniel H. Gail. Age 22 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Newport ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was badly wounded through the calf of 
 the leg, and so seriously disabled as to unfit him for active field duty ; 
 was on detached service several months ; in. o. with Regiment. Is en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of spring beds ; address, 46 Champlain Street, 
 Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 Isbon S. Gleason. Age 21 ; born in Owego, N. Y. ; carpenter and 
 joiner; enlisted from Liberty ville ; was detailed in Pioneer Corps at 
 Brentwood, Tenn., April 7, 1863, and transferred to the 1st U. S. Veteran 
 Engineer Regiment Aug. 25, 1864, serving with that command until the 
 close of the war, and being promoted to Corporal Sept. 1, 1864, and to 
 Sergeant Dec. 25, 1864. Is a contractor and builder at Libertyville, Lake 
 County, 111., of which village he has been a Trustee for four years. 
 
 John Harrington. Age 20 ; born in County Kerry, Ireland ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Libertyville ; was detailed in the 9th Ohio Battery, and from 
 there was assigned to the 18th Ohio Battery, for a time, and participated 
 with them in the battle of Chickamauga, Ga., and the engagements about 
 Chattanooga, Tenn.; rejoined the command March 3, 1864 ; was detailed 
 as stretcher bearer just before the last line of works was taken at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., and served as such until the close of the war ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. His address is Geneva, Adams County, Ind. 
 
 Asel Hawkins. Age 24 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Vernon ; died at Danville, Ky., Feb. 18, 1863 ; his grave is No. 170 in the 
 Cemetery at Danville, Ky. 
 
 Samuel M. Hutchinson. Age 20; born in Steuben County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Benton ; had a bullet through his hat while on 
 picket duty at Moccasin Point, opposite Lookout Mountain, Tenn. ; was 
 sent back to hospital from Blue Springs, Tenn., May 3, 1864, and was 
 mustered out at Jeffersonville, Ind., June 12, 1865. Is a manufacturer 
 and dealer in lumber at Hutchinson, Marathon County, Wis. 
 
 Freeman James. Age 64 ; born April 11, 1798, in "Wellington, Tolland 
 County, Conn.; was a drummer boy tor one year in the war of 1812, sta- 
 tioned at New London, Conn., under Captain Chauncey Ives ; enlisted 
 from Rockford, 111., Oct. 1, 1862 ; served as instructor and leader of the 
 Regimental Band ; taken sick at Danville, Ky. ; his advanced age ren- 
 dered his recovery seemingly impossible, and he died Jan. 18, 1863 ; his 
 grave is number 200 in the Cemetery at Danville, Ky. ; he was an uncle 
 of George James, of same Company. 
 
 George James. Age 40 ; born in Hadley, Mass. ; painter ; enlisted 
 from Waukegan ; served with the Regimental Band, and was its leader a 
 part of the time ; being a tine singer he organized a glee club, and kept
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY G. 835 
 
 it up during a considerable part of the service ; was a well known 
 character in the command, and was m. o. with Regiment. After his re- 
 turn he battled with the waves of adversity in Chicago for many years, 
 but finally, his health giving way, he drifted into camp at Milwaukee, 
 Wis., and, in 1886, had headquarters there at the Soldiers' Home. In 
 May, 1887, he was admitted to the Soldiers' Home at Quincy, 111. He 
 was a nephew of Freeman James, of same Company. 
 
 Isaac L. James. Age 36 ; born in South Wales ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from the township of Warren ; participated in several engagements, but 
 escaped wounds ; was detailed as Provost Guard at Brigade Headquar- 
 ters, Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 22, 1865, but returned to the Company and 
 was m. o. with Regiment ; he was first cousin and adopted brother of 
 Captain David James and Sergeant Thomas L. James, of same Company. 
 Is living, in poor health, at Waukegan, 111. 
 
 Thomas James. Age 30 ; born in South Wales : farmer ; enlisted 
 from the township of Warren ; deserted Feb. 1, 1863, at Louisville, Ky. ; 
 was no relative of any other James in the Company. 
 
 Joseph I. Joslyn. Age 45 ; born in Oneida County, N. Y. ; farmer : 
 enlisted from Benton : was ill for some months, and finally discharged at 
 Convalescent Camp, Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 13, 1883 ; he died at Nugent, 
 Linn County, Iowa, Nov. 20, 1872, of heart disease. 
 
 William Joyce. Age 19; born in New York; sailor; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; was probably the most frequently wounded man in the Regi- 
 ment ; at Chickamauga, Ga., he was struck by a bullet in the foot, and, 
 without leaving the line, sat down, and taking off his shoe, examined the 
 wound ; finding it not serious, he again put on the shoe, resumed his 
 place in the line, and fought on until night ; at Lookout Mountain, Tenn., 
 he was slightly wounded in the head ; at Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., he was 
 wounded in the face ; at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., he was again wounded 
 in the head ; and at Atlanta, Ga., he was severely wounded in the arm 
 and thigh ; he is said to have been wounded twice beside, but not reported 
 in the list of casualties ; the date and place of his final muster out are 
 not known ; he is supposed to have died from consumption at Atchison, 
 Kansas, in 1882. 
 
 William T. Kimber. Age 23 ; born in Milwaukee, Wis.; farmer ; en- 
 listed from the town of Warren ; deserted Feb. 1, 1863, at Louisville, Ky. ; 
 he afterward enlisted Aug. 24, 1864, under his mother's maiden name, as 
 a recruit for one year, at Tecumseh, Mich. ; he was assigned to Company 
 F, 26th Regiment of Michigan Infantry, then and all the time during his 
 service in that Regiment, on detached duty, guarding the Government 
 Bakery at Alexandria, Va. ; he was honorably discharged from such ser- 
 vice, because of close of war, June 4, 1865. Is farming in Missouri. 
 
 John King. Age 30 ; born at Three Rivers, St. Joseph County, Mich. ; 
 clerk and salesman ; enlisted from Waukegan ; was on detached service, 
 more or less, serving as wagon master for a time, and also as a clerk at
 
 836 HISTORY OF THE 96 r m REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 headquarters, but participated with the Regiment in numerous campaigns 
 and battles, and at Lookout Mountain, Nov. 24, 1863, was wounded in 
 the forehead, the bullet striking so as to cause the blood to flow quite 
 profusely, but not seriously disabling him ; m. o. with Regiment. Is in 
 the Land Office of the C. & N. W. Railway at Chicago ; residence, Wau- 
 kegan, 111. 
 
 Thomas Kinreid. Age 43 ; born in Isle of Man ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Goodale (now Grant) ; died from disease in hospital at Nashville^ 
 Tenn., June 27, 1864 ; his grave is No. 10,032, in the National Cemetery at 
 Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Christian Knopf. Age 21 ; born in Buffalo, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vernon ; at the battle of Resaca, Ga., a bullet passed through his 
 canteen and cut the strap of his haversack ; at the battle of Ke.nesaw 
 Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, he was badly wounded in the left foot, and 
 so seriously disabled as to unfit him for duty, and he was discharged at 
 Mound, City, 111., Oct. 27, 1864 ; was disabled for fully a year, and has 
 never wholly recovered ; is an uncle of Peter Knopf, of same Company. 
 Is fanning at Long Grove, Lake County, fll. 
 
 Peter Knopf. Age 18 ; born in Chicago, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Vernon ; at Lookout Mountain, Tenn., he had a bullet through his pants 
 over the right ankle ; was in every engagement and skirmish that the 
 Regiment was ever in, but escaped wounds ; is a nephew of Christian 
 Knopf, of same Company ; m. o. with Regiment. His occupation is that 
 of salesman ; address, Hyde Park, Cook County, 111. 
 
 James L. Knox. Age 21 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Newport ; was mortally wounded at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, 
 Ga., June 20, 1864, and died in hospital at Dalton, Ga., June 29, 1864 ; 
 his grave is No. 9,911 in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 John Ladd. Age 27 ; born in Lincolnshire, England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Libertyville ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was slightly wounded in 
 left thigh on Sunday evening ; went back to Rossville that night, but 
 never was in hospital or off duty on account of it ; was never absent from 
 the Regiment except on two weeks furlough from Shell Mound, Tenn.: 
 was in every engagement the command was ever in ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is a carpenter, unable to do much work, in consequence of poor 
 health, and resides at 1922 Chester Street, Little Rock, Ark. 
 
 Nahum Lamb. Age 20 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from the township of Warren ; at the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 15, 1864, 
 was severely wounded in the right hand, losing the middle finger, and 
 disabling him from duty ; was discharged, because of this wound, from 
 hospital at Chicago, 111., Oct. 28, 1864. Is a farmer in the township of 
 Warren ; address, Gurnee, Lake Ceunty, 111. 
 
 George Lehmann. Age 26 : born in Alsace, France ; baker ; enlisted 
 from Ela ; was seldom absent from the command, and participated 
 in nearly every engagement, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is proprietor of a barber shop at 2515 Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago, 111.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY G. 837 
 
 James H. Madden. Age 24 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Liberty ville ; was acting Hospital Steward, in hospital No. 11, at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., for a year and a half before his final muster out, on detail by 
 Gen. Sherman ; was discharged from hospital at Nashville, Tenn., because 
 of close of the war, May 26, 1865. Is a stock grower at Pueblo, Col. 
 
 Lewis Miller. Age 17 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 the township of Warren ; at Chickamauga, Ga., was severely wounded 
 through the hip, but rejoined the command in a few weeks ; at the battle 
 of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864, his right leg was shattered by a bullet, and 
 when the left of the army was temporarily driven back he fell into the 
 enemy's hands ; the Rebel Surgeons amputated his limb at the thigh bone, 
 and cared for him as best they could until May 16, when, the Union 
 army advancing, he, with Sergeant Smith, of Company I, and Richard 
 Spencer, of Company F, was left at a house that had been used as a tem- 
 porary hospital ; they were recovered by the advance and taken in an 
 ambulance to a hospital in the village of Resaca, Ga. ; he seemed to be 
 doing well for a few days, but the shock to his system proved too severe, 
 and he died, as the result of the wound, May 27, 1864 ; was a brother of 
 Reuben Miller, of the same Company ; his grave is No. 9,946 in the 
 National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 Reuben Miller. Age 18 : born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 the township of Warren ; participated in the battles of Chickamauga, 
 Ga., and Lookout Mountain, Tenn., but escaped wounds ; April 27, 1864, 
 was detailed as a guard with the Division Ordnance Train, serving in that 
 capacity until the close of the war ; was a brother of Lewis Miller, of the 
 same Company ; m. o. with Regiment. Is Superintendent of the large 
 stock and dairy farm of Hon. H. W. Blodgett at Lake Bluff, Lake County, 
 111. 
 
 Josiah Moulton, Jr. Age 17 ; born in Floyd, Oneida County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Benton ; at the engagement near Dal ton, Ga., Feb. 
 25, 1864, was quite seriously wounded in the face, but partially recovered 
 in a few weeks ; being unable to perform active field duty was detailed as 
 an Orderly at Gen. Rosseau's Headquarters, then at Nashville, Tenn., 
 where he served until near the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is in a broker's office at Indianapolis, Ind. ; resides 30 Virginia Avenue. 
 
 Henry Nantz. Age 42 ; born in Germany ; tailor ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; m. o. with Regiment. Died in Chicago, 111., of heart dis- 
 ease, July 22, 1881. 
 
 William A. Noble. Age 18 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Fremont Feb. 8, 1864, and joined the command at Cleveland, 
 Tenn., April 4, 1864 ; participated in all of the earlier engagements of the 
 Atlanta campaign ; at Dallas, Ga., May 31, 1864, he was mortally 
 wounded, being struck in the face, just below the right eye, with a bullet, 
 and dying from the effects of the wound, in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., 
 July 21, 1864 ; his grave is No. 9,912, in the National Cemetery at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn.
 
 838 HISTORY OF THE 96 r ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 James O'Herrin. Age 18 ; born in Troy, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Libertyville ; a bullet passed through his hat while on skirmish line 
 at Moccasin Point, Tenn., and one through his belt on skirmish line at 
 Cassville, Ga. ; was with the Regiment in every engagement ; was never 
 sick or off duty during his term of service ; m. o. with Regiment. Is 
 engineer on a steam excavator for Chicago & Northwestern Railway 
 Co., with residence at 215 W. King Street, Winona, Minn ; P. O. box 323. 
 
 Henry P. Ostrander. Age 57 ; born in Lanesborough, Mass.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Shields ; served as wagon master for a time ; was discharged 
 for disability at Shell Mound, Tenn., Jan. 1, 1864 ; was father of Henry 
 W. Ostrander, of same Company. Died at Topeka, Kansas, March 30, 
 1874. 
 
 Henry W. Ostrander Age 19 ; born in Kenosha, Wis.; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Shields ; was taken sick at Rockford, 111., shortly after the 
 muster in of the Regiment, and was permitted to go home, where he died 
 from typhoid fever Oct. 13, 1862 the first death to occur in the Regiment ; 
 he was a son of Henry P. Ostrander, of same Company. 
 
 George Palmer. Age 24 ; born in England ; carpenter ; enlisted from 
 Waukegan ; was seriously ill at Nashville, Tenn., and discharged for dis- 
 ability, from hospital, March 18, 1863 ; re-enlisted in the navy in 1864, and 
 was seriously injured in a railroad collision at Cairo, 111., while en route 
 to his command, receiving injuries from which he still suffers; is a 
 brother of Joseph Palmer, of same Company. Is a carpenter and builder 
 at Hainesville, Lake County, HI. 
 
 Joseph Palmer. Age 25 ; born in England ; cabinet maker ; enlisted 
 from Waukegan ; participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Ga., and 
 Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and the engagements about Buzzard Roost 
 Gap, Ga., doing his full duty, and was then detailed in the Commissary 
 Department, where he served until the close of the war ; at Chickamauga, 
 Ga., he was struck by the limb of a tree, and badly bruised on the breast; 
 being unconscious for a time, but, recovering, again took his place in the 
 ranks ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a brother of George Palmer, of same 
 Company. Is foreman in a large sash, door and blind manufactory at 
 Waukegan, 111. 
 
 George N. Phillips. Age 25 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Waukegan ; while on skirmish line June 16, 1864, was hit with a 
 piece of shell on the left side, which tore through his coat and vest, and, 
 glancing on his left arm, numbed it, so that he was obliged to carry it 
 in a sling for a few days ; did not leave the Company ; he was detailed at 
 the Division Quartermaster's Department Sept. 10, 1864, where he re- 
 mained to the end of the service ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at 
 Chester, Thayer County, Neb. 
 
 Thomas B. Pocklington. Age 20 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Libertyville ; participated in several engagements ; went to General 
 Field Hospital Aug. 25, 1864, at Atlanta, Ga., where he remained until
 
 HOSTEK OF COMPANY G. 839 
 
 the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a builder, and resides, in 
 poor health, at South Evanston, Cook County, Ill. % 
 
 Nathaniel Sherman. Age 21 ; born in Lake County, 111.; clerk ; en- 
 listed from Waukegan ; being a ready penman he was detailed in various 
 clerical capacities, most of the time at the headquarters of the Division, 
 but always in the field ; at the final muster out, when all were anxious to 
 go home, he volunteered to make out the final papers of the Regiment, 
 and labored so constantly and rapidly as to greatly facilitate matters and 
 expedite the final discharge of the command ; m. o. with Regiment. Has 
 been engaged in insurance and collection, and a justice of the peace at 
 Waukegan, 111., but remeved to Los Angeles, Cal., in March, 1887. 
 
 Dennis Shupe. Age 20 ; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Libertyville ; at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, 1864, he 
 was killed in the attempt to retake the breastworks from which the 35th 
 Indiana had been driven ; was a brother of Levi Shupe, of same Com- 
 pany ; his grave is No. 6,904 in the National Cemetery at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 Levi Shupe. Age 24 ; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted from Liberty- 
 ville ; detailed in Pioneer Corps at Brentwood, Tenn., April 7, 1863 ; 
 transferred to 1st Regiment U. S. Veteran Engineers Aug. 25, 1864. serv- 
 ing with that command until the close of the war ; was a brother of 
 Dennis Shupe, of same Company ; m. o. at Nashville, Tenn., June 30, 
 1865. Is teaming at Dysart, Tama County, Iowa. 
 
 Albert C. Smith. Age 18; born in Pittsford, Rutland County, Vt.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Vernon Feb. 2, 1864, joining the command at 
 Cleveland, Tenn., April 4, 1864 ; participated in most of the subsequent 
 engagements ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company G, 21st 
 Illinois, and finally mustered out Dec. 16, 1865. Was accidentally killed 
 while in railroad employ as night yard master at San Francisco, Cal., in 
 1883. 
 
 Reuben Smith. Age 18; born in Steuben County, N. Y. ; farmer; 
 enlisted from the township of Warren ; atKeuesaw Mountain, Ga., on the 
 eve of June 19, 1864, he was mortally wounded, being shot through the left 
 shoulder ; he died from the effect of this wound July 13, 1864 ; his grave is 
 No. 13,762 in the National Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 John Squier. Age 28 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Vernon ; served as teamster the most of the time ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is farming at Orchard, Mitchell County, Iowa. 
 
 John G. Thrasher. Age 18 ; born in Taberg, Oneida County, N. Y ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Vernon ; died from disease at Shell Mound, Tenn., 
 Dec. 11, 1863. Captain James wrote to his father: "Your son was a 
 noble soldier and a very amiable young man, possessing many good quali- 
 ties ; he was beloved by all who knew him. The country has lost a good 
 soldier, and his parents a devoted son ; he has died a martyr to his coun- 
 try, and yielded his life a willing sacrifice." His grave is No. 9,b60 in the 
 National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn.
 
 840 HISTORY OF THE 96'fH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 John Triggs. Age 23; born in Devonshire, England; farmer; en- 
 listed from Liberty ville ; participated in the battles of Chickarnauga, Ga. ; 
 Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Nashville, Tenn., but escaped wounds ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Is proprietor of an oyster and fish depot at 102 
 W. Adams Street, Chicago, 111. 
 
 John Vaughn. Age 25 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Libertyville ; died from disease at Estill Springs, Tenn., Aug. 22, 1863 ; 
 his grave is No. 5,283 in the National Cemetery of Stone's River, Tenn. 
 
 Samuel F. Vose. Age 22 ; born in Lake County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from the township 'of Warren; at Estill Springs, Tenn., he was 
 detailed at the Brigade Quartermaster's Department, where he remained 
 until after the. battle of Chickamauga, Ga. ; when he rejoined the Com- 
 patoy ; his right shoulder was dislocated at the battle of Resaca, Ga., 
 May 14, 1864 ; was absent from the Regiment one week and off duty four 
 weeks in consequence ; at Little Kenesaw, Ga., June 19, 1864, he came 
 near being captured at the same time that William H. Ehlers, of Com- 
 pany C, same Regiment, was ; they had mistaken the enemy for friends ; 
 on the same line, June 20, 1864, he was hit by a spent ball, felled to the 
 ground and ruptured, but remained with the Regiment until it reached 
 the Chattahoochee River, when he was sent to the General Field Hospi- 
 tal, where he remained until the close of the war ; was mustered out at 
 Chicago, 111., in July, 1865. Was supervisor one term at Francesville, 
 Ind. ; is a breeder and trainer of trotting and carriage horses at Liberty- 
 ville. Lake County, 111. 
 
 Christian Wendling. Age 18 ; born in Prussia ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Vernon ; was seldom absent from the command ; at Rocky Face Ridge, 
 GH., a bullet passed through his hat, and at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., a 
 bullet passed so close to him as to cut a hole in the stocking of his right 
 foot, but without injuring him ; m. o. with Regiment. Is working as a 
 carpenter, and resides at Wheeling, Cook County, 111. 
 
 William H. Whaples. Age 21 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Antioch ; was killed at the battle of Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 20, 1863 ; 
 that part of the battle ground fell into the hands of the enemy, and he 
 was buried by them in an unknown grave. 
 
 William H. Wheeler. Age 18 ; born in Warren, Herkimer County, 
 N. Y.; farmer; enlisted from Ela ; was badly wounded at the battle of 
 Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 20, 1863; Corporal Daniel Benson, who was 
 wounded at the same time, says, under date of Oct. 9, 1886, "After the 
 battle, Sunday, Sept. 20, I was helped back to a log house after dark ; on 
 the next Sunday, the 27th, the Rebels came with wagons, and carried us 
 all, about twenty in number, over on to the La Fayette Road, where I 
 found William H. Wheeler, Thomas Davis and Joseph Darby ; on Tues- 
 day, Sept. 29, an ambulance train came from the Union lines to take us 
 away ; Thomas Davis and myself got into one of the first ones, without 
 assistance, as we could walk a little. William H. Wheeler was lying on
 
 ROSTEK OF COMPANY G. 841 
 
 the ground, near where Davis and I lay ; his right thigh was broken close 
 to the body, and I was sure, at the time, that he could not live but a few 
 days ; the train was not large enough to take us all, and whether Wheeler 
 was taken that day, or the next, or died out there, I cannot say." The 
 minor that he was paroled and taken to Chattanooga, Tenn , where he 
 died, is no doubt correct, as we find, in Vol. XI, page 47 of the "Roll of 
 Honor," that " the original place of interment of James Wheeler, of 
 Company G, 96th Illinois, who died Oct. 5, 1863, was in section C, grave 
 No. 114, Chattanooga." As there was no other Wheeler in Company G 
 this must be intended for William H. The W T ar Department at Wash- 
 ington, D. C., under date of Sept. 29, 1886, report said James Wheeler's 
 grave as number 1,148, in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 Josiah H. Wright. Age 25 ; born in Oswego County, N. Y. ; ma- 
 chinist ; enlisted from Waukegan ; discharged for disability March 18, 
 1863. Is a machinist and scale repairer at Des Moines, Iowa ; residence, 
 121 Third Street.
 
 842 HISTOKY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 BY JOSEPH L. PIERCE. 
 
 Eastern Jo Daviess County's Response Ninety-One Men in Six Days 
 Voting for Officers Parting with Friends -Rockford Rations 
 Trading Men with the 92d A Sword for the Captain First Blood 
 ' for Company H The Chickamauga Record A Remnant Escape and 
 are Captured Thirty-Two Never Again in Ranks The Atlanta 
 Campaign Losses Along the Line Nashville Recruits Arrive A 
 Former Lieutenant Returns as a Private Reinforcing Russellville 
 A Worthy Tribute Some Company Statistics. 
 
 COMPANY H, of the NINETY-SIXTH Regiment Illinois Vol- 
 unteers, was raised in the eastern part of Jo Daviess County, the 
 rendezvous being at Warren, 111. The Company was recruited 
 by the combined efforts of Alexander Burnett, Samuel Hi 
 Bayne, Joseph L. Pierce, and others ; in fact, each man, as soon 
 as enrolled, became a recruiting officer. It is due to the patriot- 
 ism of the men to say that they required but little persuading, 
 in proof of which the records show that nearly the entire Com- 
 pany (ninety-one men) was enrolled in six days, between the 
 ninth and fifteenth of August, 1862. I must not forget to 
 give due credit to Judge Marvin, now residing at Freeport, 
 111., who rendered valuable assistance, by delivering patriotic 
 speeches at several points in the county. The Company was 
 composed of some of the very best material of the country, 
 young men just entering upon the active duties of life, with 
 bright anticipations of a happy and prosperous future ; middle- 
 aged men, in the very prime of life, with an established busi- 
 ness that must either be abandoned or left to the care of their 
 wives and children. It should be borne in mind that these 
 were not the men who had volunteered at the first call, confi- 
 dent of a speedy and a bloodless victory. On the contrary, 
 they were men who had watched the conflict with anxious 
 hearts, and would have much preferred to have been allowed
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY H. 843 
 
 to remain at home and follow their peaceful pursuits. It was 
 in the very darkest days of the struggle, when the weak- 
 kneed ones were crying, u Peace at any price," that these men 
 offered their services, their lives, if need be, to the Govern- 
 ment, for the preservation of the Union. 
 
 At the organization of the Company, Alexander Burnett 
 was chosen Captain by a unanimous vote. A ballot for First 
 and Second Lieutenants resulted in the election of Samuel H. 
 Bayne for First Lieutenant, and Reuben L. Root for Second 
 Lieutenant. 
 
 At an election held at Galena, Apple River, and Warren 
 by the six companies from Jo Daviess County for the choice 
 of a commander for the Regiment, the men of Company H 
 cast their ballots for the lamented Thomas E. Champion, at 
 that time Captain-elect of Company K, a choice of which they 
 ever after had reason to be proud. It is the intention to give 
 in the following pages as complete a history of the military 
 service of every man connected with the Company as space 
 will permit. It is with a feeling of pride that I present the 
 record of such battle-scarred veterans as our gallant color- 
 bearer, Sergeant M. M. Bruner, J. A. Francisco, H. S. Van 
 Dervort, Henry F. Hastings, and others. 
 
 After the organization of the Company, many of the men 
 returned to their homes for a few days to arrange their affairs, 
 and in order to spend as much of their time as possible with 
 the loved ones at home before their final departure for the 
 field of strife, realizing as they had never before the uncer- 
 tainty of life. The last days of August the Company, together 
 with Company K, went into camp in the fair-grounds at War- 
 ren. Here, for the first time, the men took their rations 
 soldier-fashion, i. <?., on tin plates, or a piece of bread in one 
 hand and a tin cup of coffee in the other. This was, of 
 course, a novelty, and considered no hardship. As many of 
 the citizens and relatives of the men were at all times present 
 during the days spent in the fair-grounds, the time was passed 
 pleasantly, and partook more of the appearance of a holiday 
 than of preparations for the fratricidal conflict in which they 
 were about to engage.
 
 84:4: HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 The afternoon of September 3 a guard was detailed, and a 
 camp guard was placed around inside the inclosure, and none 
 were allowed to pass or repass unless they had written per- 
 mission from their Company commander. This being the 
 first restraint that had been put upon their freedom, the men 
 began to realize that they were indeed soldiers. The next 
 morning the men were early astir ; breakfasts were eaten, and 
 everything put in readiness for the trip to Rockford. Between 
 eight and nine o'clock the men were called into line, and with 
 a beautiful flag, a present from the patriotic ladies of War- 
 ren, at the head of the Company, marched to the depot to 
 await the arrival of the train bearing the other Jo Daviess 
 County companies, and which was to convey them to Rock- 
 ford. There occurred the leave-taking between mothers and 
 sons, wives and husbands, sisters and brothers. How thank- 
 ful we should be to an allwise Providence who in mercy veiled 
 the future from the eyes of those dear ones, and left them 
 with the hope that when the cruel war was over they would be 
 again united, a hope in so many cases never to be fulfilled. 
 But the train is at hand. "All aboard" is the word. The 
 last silent pressure of the hand is given, with the averted 
 head to hide the unwelcome tear, and we are off. Arrived at 
 Rockford at 2 P.M., we are marched to Camp Fuller, where 
 we are formed in line and sworn into the service by Lieut. 
 Tibbatts, of the Regular Army. We were then marched to 
 and took possession of our quarters in the barracks. Before 
 breaking ranks the list of non-commissioned officers, which 
 had been under careful consideration from the time of the 
 organization, was read, as follows : First Sergeant, Joseph L. 
 Pierce ; Sergeants, George F. Barnes, Charles H. Yates, 
 Alvin J. Francisco, Marvin F. Carpenter. Corporals, Mar- 
 eellus J. Penwell, Michael Hileman, Chester J. Rees, Mathias 
 M. Bruner, Hezekiah S. Van Dervort, Horace Gray, John A. 
 Boothby, and Spencer W. Brown. The selections gave very 
 general satisfaction, and the men good-naturedly dispersed to 
 take possession of their quarters and select their bunk-mates. 
 The next day, September 5, 1862, the Company was called 
 into line, and, with the five other companies from Jo Daviess
 
 SKETCH* OF COMPANY H. 
 
 County, inarched to the parade ground to welcome the four 
 companies from Lake County, with whom they were formally 
 organized as a Regiment. The announcement that the Com- 
 pany had drawn the letter " H," and was to be the left center 
 company, was made the next morning at roll-call. Captain 
 Burnett made the announcement, and informed the men 
 that, as one of the centre companies, it would be necessary 
 that the Company should be promptly on the line whenever 
 the Regiment formed, a fact which the men easily understood 
 and never forgot. Although Company C is by courtesy called 
 the color company, Company H is, in point of fact, none 
 the less so, and the men of Company H considered them- 
 selves equally responsible for those colors. 
 
 September 4, 1862, Niles Carver, from Nora, a musi- 
 cian of some note, having enlisted as a musician in Com- 
 pany H, and having two sons, both drummers, in the 92d 
 Illinois, it was proposed to exchange two of our men who 
 would consent to the exchange for the two Carver boys. The 
 plan was successful, and the exchange was made. The Carver 
 boys were both excellent musicians, and were considered 
 quite an acquisition by the Regiment. 
 
 It is not our purpose to claim for the Company superiority 
 over any other company, nor will we yield that point to any ; 
 but we do point with pride to its record, not only as a com- 
 pany, but to the record of that splendid organization of which 
 it was an integral part, the NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT OF ILLI- 
 NOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 
 
 A very pleasant incident of our stay at Rockford took 
 place a few days after our arrival. The men of the Company 
 quietly made up a purse and purchased a fine sword for Cap- 
 tain Burnett, which was presented without ostentation. The 
 Captain thanked the men in a few well-chosen words, which 
 the boys knew came from the heart, and served to cement a 
 friendship which was broken only by death. 
 
 Company H claims the first blood shed in the Regiment, 
 which was a few days after our arrival, at Rockford. The 
 Quartermaster had drawn an outfit of uniforms, blankets, etc., 
 for the Regiment. They were piled on some boxes near
 
 846 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 headquarters and a guard placed over them. The guard hap- 
 pened to be a member of Company H, and one that knew his 
 duty, and would discharge that duty with fidelity. Another 
 soldier, also a member of the Company (a worthless, dishon- 
 est fellow, who afterward deserted), was hanging around, 
 handling the goods, etc. The guard drove him away a num- 
 ber of times, and warned him that if he did not keep away he 
 would get hurt. To this warning he paid no attention, and 
 again handled the supplies, when the guard quietly inserted 
 the point of his bayonet under the left nipple ; it struck a rib 
 apd came out under the arm. It is hardly necessary to add 
 that the man left the supplies alone after that. The writer 
 was soon on the ground, and upon inquiry was satisfied that 
 the guard had only done his duty, and with a few words of 
 commendation the matter was dismissed, and no action taken 
 upon it. 
 
 From Camp Champion, near Newport, Ky., Company H, 
 with four other companies, was sent forward, under com- 
 mand of Lieutenant Colonel Isaac L. Clarke, to Lexington, 
 Ky., where they were joined a few days after by the other five 
 companies, under Colonel Champion. Here many of the 
 men were taken sick, and the first death in the Company, 
 that of George Bryan, took place November 13, 1862. 
 
 Company H was present with and participated in all the 
 movements of the Regiment up to and including the battle of 
 Chickamauga, September 20, 1863, in this engagement suffer- 
 ing terribly. It went into action Sunday afternoon with 
 thirty -one men, under Captain Joseph L. Pierce, First Lieu- 
 tenant George F. Barnes, and Second Lieutenant Charles H. 
 Yates. 
 
 Of the thirty -four who went into" this action, twenty-seven 
 were killed or more or less severely wounded. Of the others, 
 hardly a man escaped without one or more bullets through 
 his clothing or equipments. Every man who went into 
 that first terrific charge displayed the coolness and courage of 
 a veteran. Not a man flinched ; not a man left the line, 
 unless severely wounded, until ordered to do so. Many of 
 the men, though wounded, continued to fight on. One man,
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY H. 847 
 
 in his eagerness, shot away his rammer, and reported the fact 
 to his Captain. There being plenty of extra guns at hand, he 
 was soon supplied with another, and went to work in earnest. 
 After the entire right wing had fallen back, including the 
 colors, Company H held tenaciously to its line and continued 
 the fight. The writer saw Colonel Champion approaching 
 from the right, and determined to await orders. Colonel 
 Champion came up and gave the order, "Captain Pierce, 
 draw off your men ! " "All right," was the reply. He then 
 turned to his men and gave the order to retire. Then, for 
 the first time, the men turned and fell back in good order, 
 Colonel Champion and the writer stepping in in the rear of 
 the line. 
 
 The casualties in this engagement may be stated as fol- 
 lows : Corporal Ward L. Morton, acting as one of the Color 
 Guard, was instantly killed ; Albert Farley was struck in the 
 forehead and instantly killed ; Corporal Henry Simons was 
 shot through the body, dying almost immediately ; First 
 Lieutenant George F. Barnes was shot through the lungs, and 
 died in Chattanooga October 3 ; James J. Curry was mortally 
 wounded, and died in hospital at Chattanooga October 1 ; Cor- 
 poral Thomas Morris was mortally wounded, and died at 
 Chattanooga October 13 ; Thomas K. Johnson was mortally 
 wounded, and died at Chattanooga November 10. The three 
 last were left upon the field and fell into the hands of the 
 enemy, but were paroled a few days later and brought within 
 our lines. Of those wounded, Captain J. L. Pierce was hit in 
 right arm and right side. First Sergeant John A. Francisco 
 was struck in the left leg below the knee, another ball striking 
 him in the side, and before the close of the fight was hit the 
 third time, the last ball passing through the right ankle, injur- 
 ing the bone to such an extent that he was never again 
 able for duty. Sergeant M. Hileman received several shots 
 through clothing, one striking him on the head and knocking 
 him down. M. M. Brunei-, Color Sergeant, was severely 
 wounded in the right arm and breast, so that he was never 
 again able for duty. Sergeant H. S. Van Dervort was shot 
 in the leg, the ball lodging between the bones, and still
 
 84:8 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. 1. 
 
 remaining there. Sergeant Charles P. Howard received a 
 ball in the right forearm, crushing both bones ; Corporal 
 Charles L. Mettz was wounded in the hand ; Corporal H. F. 
 Hastings in the arm ; Richard Cullen received a slight wound 
 in the side ; Edward McGinnis was wounded in the wrist ; 
 James Rees severely in the arm ; Patrick Farrell, 1st, in the 
 leg ; Patrick Farrell, 2d, in the arm ; Samuel Wilcox, in right 
 arm ; H. W. Nelson, in the shoulder ; George W. Andrews, 
 in the foot ; John H. Foster, in the face ; Norman P. Ward 
 was severely wounded in the thigh and left upon the field ; 
 fell into the hands of the enemy, and was allowed by them to 
 lie upon the ground for ten days without shelter ; James 
 McCafferty was wounded in the neck ; Henson Moore was 
 slightly wounded in the arm ; Charles D. Bunce was captured. 
 As before stated, there were thirty-one enlisted men and three 
 officers engaged in this action. Of these, three were killed 
 outright; four were mortally wounded, and died in a few 
 days ; ten were severely wounded, ten slightly wounded, and 
 one captured. 
 
 It is estimated that at Chickamauga Rosecrans had 55,000 
 men on the field. Of these, 1,687 were killed and 9,394 
 wounded ; that is, one man in every thirty-two killed, and 
 one man in every six was hit. It will be seen that the casual- 
 ties in Company H were largely in excess of the general 
 average ; for instance, of those killed or mortally wounded 
 there was one out of every five ; of those severely wounded, 
 there were ten, making, with the seven killed, just one-half 
 the men under fire. There were besides these, ten slightly 
 wounded, or three out of every four were hit. Comment 
 upon these figures is needless. The Company were evidently 
 in the line of duty, and that they performed that duty in an 
 efficient manner will not be doubted after reading the fol- 
 lowing extract from a story related by Gen. Longstreet, 
 while on a visit to the field of Chickamauga some years 
 after the war. He said to a friend who was riding over the 
 field with him : " Do you see that large stump yonder ? Right 
 here, Gen. H., who commanded one of my best brigades, and 
 who had been a judge of the Supreme Court of this his native
 
 H. S VAN DERVOKT, 
 Serg't Company H. 
 
 ALEX. BURNETT, 
 Capt. Company H 
 
 <;KO. F. BAKNKS, 
 Lieut. Company II. 
 
 MYBON B. CHAMPION, 
 Corp'l Company K. 
 
 FBANK CARVER, 
 Principal Musician.

 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY H. 849 
 
 state, and was withal a splendid officer, came riding up 
 to me and reported that his brigade had been annihilated ; all 
 cut to pieces ; he had met some new troops belonging to Gen. 
 Steedman's command. When he went into action with his 
 brigade he was superbly mounted, and had on a new plug 
 hat ; he came back mounted on an old artillery horse, his own 
 having been shot under him ; he was bareheaded, and covered 
 with dirt and dust." 
 
 Monday, September 21, some of those who had been 
 slightly wounded on Sunday reported for duty. Some who 
 had been on guard and a few who had been detailed for other 
 duty returned, making in all twenty-three men present. One 
 of these, C. W. Graham, was wounded on Monday, the 21st, 
 while the command was getting into position on Mission 
 Ridge. Monday night, twenty men, under the command of 
 Lieutenant Charles H. Yates, were placed on picket, and 
 were all captured but one, James Forsythe, who was killed. 
 Charles D. Bunce had been captured during the fight Sunday 
 afternoon. Those captured were : Lieutenant Charles H. 
 Yates, Sergeant MichaeJ Efileman, Corporals John A. Boothby, 
 Patrick Flannery, and Alphonzo Marshall ; Privates George 
 W. Andrews, Richard Cullen, Daniel M. Doud, John H. 
 Foster, Peter Hawks, William Ingersoll, Andrew Johnson, 
 John Kerby, Nathaniel Me Wain, George H. Stanchfield, 
 James M. Sallee, Adam Yroman, Edwin Vandyke, John V. 
 Wilkerson, and Alberto Wheelock. Of these, Boothby, Flan- 
 nery, Marshall, Andrews, Ingersoll, Kerby, Stanchfield, Vro- 
 man and Wheelock died in Southern prisons, and one, Edwin 
 Vandyke, has died since he came home. 
 
 The loss to the Company in the two days may be briefly 
 stated as follows : 
 
 Number killed or mortally wounded 8 
 
 Number so severely wounded as never to be able to rejoin the Com- 
 pany 8 
 
 Number taken prisoners 21 
 
 Total loss 37 
 
 Number of those taken prisoners who died in Southern prisons 9 
 
 Number of prisoners who never rejoined the Company 7 
 
 Total 16 
 
 54
 
 850 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 The remaining five rejoined the Company late in the spring of 
 1865, before the final muster-out. 
 
 On the morning of September 23, 1863, at roll-call, Cor- 
 poral Hastings and one other man answered to the call. 
 Corporal Hastings had been slightly wounded on Sunday, and 
 had been excused from picket on Monday night ; and R. B. 
 Chown had been detailed for other service, and so escaped 
 capture. 
 
 During the winter of 1863 and 1864 the Company was 
 very small. Some of the sick and wounded returned from 
 hospital ; some who were on detached service were recalled. 
 One recruit James M. Curtiss joined the Company in April, 
 1864, so that by the time the Atlanta campaign began the 
 Company numbered somewhere from fourteen to seventeen 
 men. February 25, 1864, during a sharp skirmish with the 
 enemy before Dalton, Henson Moore was wounded in the 
 hand. At Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., May 9, 1864, First Ser- 
 geant Chester J. Rees was severely wounded in the right 
 arm ; Wallace Andrews was also wounded in the arm, and 
 Oscar Robbins was slightly wounded in the breast. At Ken- 
 esaw Mountain, June 20, 1864, M. J. Penwell was wounded 
 in the left hand. June 23, 1864, Robert Burbridge was killed 
 on the skirmish line. At Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, 
 Corporal Peter Davison was severely wounded in the right 
 wrist. At the battle of Nashville, December 16, 1864, Ser- 
 geant H. S. Yandervort was again wounded, a ball which 
 had passed through the head of Corporal Hamilton, of the 
 Color-Guard, striking him in the left shoulder, and passing 
 downward and across the back and lodging under the right 
 shoulder blade, from which position it was extracted in Sep- 
 tember, 1865, with a portion of Hamilton's skull bone still 
 adhering to it. 
 
 In October, 1864, six recruits enlisted in the Company, 
 five of whom, John O. Jacobs, L. B. Sandford, James West- 
 wick, George Farr, and Nathaniel Jones, were from Galena, 
 and one, R. L. Root, was from Warren, 111. They joined 
 the Company at Nashville the fore part of December, just 
 prior to the battle of the 15th and 16th. In February, 1865,
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY H. 851 
 
 two more recruits, Barton C. Mettz and Nicholas Thorn, 
 were added to the Company, and joined us at Huntsville, 
 Ala. In April, 1865, seven more recruits were added to the 
 rolls, and joined the Company near Knoxville, Tenn., as fol- 
 lows : Wesley Grice, Thomas Grice, Charles Tucker, Homer 
 Bonham, Philo D. Potter, Millard M. Newman, and John 
 Powell, the last a veteran who had served in the three-months 
 service, and again in Company B, 45th Illinois, before enlist- 
 ing in the NINETY-SIXTH. All were afterward transferred to 
 the 21st Illinois. 
 
 April 16th, the day after the death of Abraham Lincoln, 
 the Regiment being then in East Tennessee, near the line of 
 North Carolina, Capt. Sizemore, a vindictive East Tennessee 
 partisan and scout, came and reported that the bushwhackers 
 had determined to attack the stockade at Russell ville, thirteen 
 miles in rear, and held by a few men of the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 under Lieutenant Dawson, of Company F. Company H was 
 detached from the Regiment and ordered to return to Russell- 
 ville and reinforce the party in the stockade. Striking tents 
 immediately, they left camp at sundown, and, in company 
 with Capt. Sizemore and four or five of his men, made a 
 lively night inarch of thirteen miles to Russellville. The 
 bushwhackers did not attack, a conclusion which was entirely 
 satisfactory to the reinforcing party. Not so with Capt. Size- 
 more, however ; he *'jtist wanted a chance at them." We 
 were joined a few days later by the Regiment. Our stay here 
 was a very pleasant part of our service. The citizens were 
 mostly loyal, and made it as pleasant for us as they could. 
 After our departure from Russellville for Nashville the history 
 of the Company is that of the Regiment, and will be left for 
 the Regimental historian. 
 
 An analysis of the roster shows that there were on the 
 rolls of the Company, from first to last, one hundred and nine 
 men. Of these, ten were killed in the service, nine died in 
 southern prisons, twenty-two died of disease during or since 
 the war, fourteen are missing, leaving forty-three known to be 
 living. Of those living, twenty-six are known to be drawing 
 pensions ; seven others are known to have just claims, and it
 
 852 HISTORY or THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 is but fair to suppose that the health of the others has been 
 more or less broken. 
 
 In conclusion, let me say that, for genuine loyalty, cour- 
 age, and devotion to duty, Company II was the peer of any 
 organization in the service. And I take this opportunity of 
 expressing my grateful thanks to the men for their uniform 
 kindness to me, and for the cheerful and faithful performance 
 of every duty under many trying circumstances. I will add 
 that, while I feel that my heart is big enough to take in the 
 whole NINETY-SIXTH, there will always be a warm corner 
 reserved for the " Boys of Company H." 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain Alexander Burnett. Age 52 ; born in Franklin County, N. Y. - r 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; was elected Captain at the organiza- 
 tion of the Company ; had previously been an officer in the Ohio Militia ; 
 was in command of the Company until about the middle of March, 1863. 
 On the march to Duck River in pursuit of the enemy March 9, 1863, was 
 exposed, without shelter, to a cold rain, nearly the whole of the night, 
 contracting a severe cold, which resulted in bronchitis and loss of voice. 
 He resigned May 27, 1863 ; never fully recovered his health, but died of 
 consumption at Warren, 111., March 2, 1885. 
 
 Captain Joseph L. Pierce. Age 31 ; born in Massilon, Ohio ; drug- 
 gist ; enlisted from Warren ; appointed First Sergeant upon the organiza- 
 tion of the Company. Had previously been a member of an independent 
 company ; was a brother of Surgeon B. G. Pierce ; their father was a 
 soldier of the war of 1812 ; and an older brother fell in the early strug- 
 gles of the "Lone Star State." At the request of Surgeon Charles 
 Martin, Dec. 25, 1862, he was detailed as Acting Hospital Steward, and 
 discharged the duties of that position to the entire satisfaction of the 
 Surgeon, and, as he believes, to the satisfaction of the sick ; promoted to 
 Second Lieutenant Feb. 6, 1863 ; detailed March 5, 1863, as Assistant 
 Surgeon ; served as Assistant Surgeon until about April 15, 1863 ; pro- 
 moted to First Lieutenant April 28, 1863 ; promoted to Captain May 27, 
 1863. At the battle of Chickamauga he was wounded in the right arm 
 and in the right side, both slight wounds, and not disabling him from 
 duty. In the winter of 1864 he contracted bronchitis and deafness, and 
 is now nearly totally deaf. He was constantly with the Regiment, 
 excepting during the month of November, 1864, at which time he was at 
 home ; rejoined the Regiment at Nashville, on the 2d of December, 1864, 
 and participated in the battle of Nashville, Dec. 15 and 16, 1864 ; m. o. 
 with Regiment in June, 1865. At the present time is meeting with a fair 
 measure of success as a farmer and stock raiser at Mount Vernon, Dane 
 County, Wis.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 853 
 
 First Lieutenant Samuel H. Bayne. Age 26 ; born in Philadelphia ; 
 clerk ; enlisted from Warren ; was elected First Lieutenant at the organi- 
 sation of the Company. He was an excellent officer, and an especial 
 favorite with the men. He was taken ill at Danville, Ky., of typhoid 
 fever, in January, 1863; partially recovering he rejoined the Company at 
 Franklin, Tenn., in April, 1863 ; continued ill health compelled him to 
 resign, and his resignation was accepted April 28, 1863. Is a merchant at 
 Salein, Neb. 
 
 First Lieutenant George F. Barnes. Age 33 ; born in Munson, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Nora ; appointed Second Sergeant at the organiza- 
 tion of the Company ; promoted to Second Lieutenant April 28, 1S63, and 
 to First Lieutenant May 27, 1863. He was mortally wounded at Chicka- 
 mauga Sept. 20, 1863, and died at Chattanooga Oct. 3, 1863 ; his remains 
 were taken home for interment. He was a good man and a brave officer. 
 
 First Lieutenant George Ferguson. Age 43 ; born in Glasgow, Scot- 
 land, June 12, 1819. In early life worked as a block printer ; emigrated 
 to Waukegan, 111., in 1845, where he has since resided ; merchant ; en- 
 listed in Company D.; appointed Sergeant at the organization of the 
 Company. By strict attention to duty he early attracted the attention of 
 Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Lu Clarke, and was by him appointed Hospital 
 Steward in April, 1863 ; he was a faithful and painstaking Steward. 
 While on duty at the Fieid Hospital he attracted the attention of Gen. 
 Stanley, and received the personal thanks and commendation of the 
 General for his painstaking efforts for the comfort of the sick and 
 wounded. In the spring of 1864 he was commissioned as First Lieutenant 
 and Quartermaster of the Regiment, but was not mustered as such, that 
 position having been filled by a detail from Company I. In the fall of 
 1864, was mustered as First Lieutenant of Company H, in obedience to 
 a special order of Gen. Geo. H. Thomas, said order being issued at the 
 request of Gen. Stanley. Was in command of Company H from Oct. 20, 
 1864, to Dec. 2, 1864; m. o. with the Company in June, 1865, and now 
 resides in Waukegan, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant Charles H. Yates. Age 29 ; born in Rochester, N. 
 T. ; harness maker ; enlisted from Nora ; had previously served six months 
 in the 15th Illinois ; appointed Third Sergeant at the organization of the 
 Company ; promoted to First Sergeant April 4, 1863 ; promoted to Second 
 Lieutenant May 27, 1863 ; was commissioned as First Lieutenant Oct. 3, 
 1863, but, being a prisoner of war at the time, was not mustered. He 
 was present with the Company up to and at the battle of Chickamauga, 
 where he bore himself bravely. Was a prisoner of war from Sept. 22, 
 1863, until some time in the winter of 1865, when, after one or two un- 
 successful attempts to regain his liberty, by means of a plan devised by 
 Lieut. A. T. Barnes, of tlie 15th Illinois, he escaped and made his way to 
 the Union lines. Rejoined the Company in the spring of 1865, and was 
 m. o. with Regiment in June, 1865. Present address unknown.
 
 854 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Reuben L. Root. Age 26 ; born in Andover, Ohio; 
 mechanic ; enlisted from Warren ; was elected Second Lieutenant at the 
 organization of the Company. He was taken sick at Danville, Ky., and 
 resigned Feb. 6, 1863 ; returned to Warren. Recovering his health, he 
 again enlisted as a private in the same Company Oct. 11, 1864, joining 
 the Company at Nashville in Dec. 1864 ; was engaged with the Company 
 at the battle of Nashville, Dec. 15 and 16, where he received two slight 
 wounds, one ball striking the left shin and one grazing the back of his 
 head. Promoted to Corporal in June, 1865. Transferred to Company E, 
 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; served with that organization until Oct. 12, 
 1865. Mustered out at Springfield, 111. Is engaged in mining near Denver, 
 Col., and is a Justice of the Peace ; present P. O. address, Denver, Col. 
 
 First Sergeant John A. Francisco. Age 21 ; born in Jackson, Mich- 
 igan ; had learned the mason's trade, but at time of enlistment was 
 studying law with Colonel Champion ; enlisted from Warren ; was 
 appointed Fourth Sergeant at the organization of the Company ; detailed 
 with Pioneer Corps, in April, 1863 ; but returned to the Company in three 
 months, and was promoted to First Sergeant. At Chickamauga was 
 wounded three times, one bullet striking his leg below the knee, bruising 
 it so that afterward the flesh sloughed off ; he fell to the ground, but 
 immediately got up, when he was hit a second time, the ball, although 
 not penetrating the flesh, passing through his canteen and striking his 
 waist belt with such force as to fracture a rib, and knock him down. He 
 still remained with the Company, and before the close of the fight, was 
 again struck, and knocked down, the bullet passing through his right 
 ankle, injuring the bone, and so disabling him as to cause his discharge 
 from the Marine Hospital, at Chicago, July 23, 1864. Is a Police Magis- 
 trate, and insurance and collection agent, at Warren, 111. 
 
 First Sergeant Chester J. Rees. Age 23 ; born in Lewis County, 
 New York ; teacher ; enlisted from Rush ; was appointed Third Corporal 
 at the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant, and then to 
 First Sergeant. Was wounded in the right arm, at Rocky Face Ridge, 
 May 9, 1864 ; m. o. with the Regiment June 10, 1865 ; since the war has 
 spent several years on the Pacific Slope ; was for a time engaged in 
 merchandising, but is now a prosperous farmer at Burlington Junc- 
 tion, Mo. 
 
 Sergeant Michael Hileman. Age 42 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Rush ; was appointed Second Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant, April 4, 1863. At the battle of 
 Chickamauga, he received six balls in his clothing and equipments, one 
 passing through his hat, grazing his head, and knocking him down ; 
 none of them were severe enough to disable him from duty. He was, 
 with others of the Company, taken prisoner Sept. 22, 1863, while on guard 
 on Mission Ridge. He was confined in the Royster House at Richmond, 
 until Dec. 13, 1863 ; at Danville, Va., until April 20, 1864 ; in Andersonville, 
 from April until Sept. 21, 1864 ; at Charleston, S. C., until Nov. 30, 1864 ;
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 855 
 
 removed to Florence, 8. C., and paroled in Dec. 1864 ; afterward ex- 
 changed, and rejoined the Company in April, 1865. For a more extended 
 account of his prison experience see Chapter XXXII ; m. o. with the Regi- 
 ment. Is a prosperous farmer and town officer at Eldorado, Buffalo 
 County, Dak. 
 
 Sergeant Marvin F. Carpenter. Age 40 ; born in Washington County, 
 New York ; farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; appointed Fifth Sergeant at 
 the organization of the Company ; was taken sick at Danville, Ky., and 
 discharged for disability April 27, 1863. Is a well to do farmer, near 
 Nora, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Mathias M. Bruner. Age 34 ; born in Philadelphia ; black- 
 smith ; enlisted from Millville ; appointed Fourth Corporal at the organ- 
 ization of the Company. By his soldierly qualities and prompt discharge 
 of all duties, he attracted the attention of the Commanding Officer, was 
 promoted to Sergeant, and assigned to duty as Color Sergeant ; a position 
 which he filled with honor, and to the entire satisfaction of the Com- 
 manding Officer, until he was stricken down at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 
 1863 ; a bullet having shattered his right arm, and entered his breast. 
 He was a splendid specimen of the soldier, being six feet one and one 
 half inches high, well proportioned, without any surplus flesh and brave 
 as the bravest. He never entirely recovered from his wounds, but was 
 discharged for wounds from hospital Jan. 22, 1864. Resides at Apple 
 River, 111. 
 
 Sergeant H. S. Van Dervort. Age 28 ; born in Pennsylvania ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Gratiot ; was appointed Corporal at the organi- 
 zation of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant. At Chickamauga, Sept. 
 20, 1863, was shot in the right leg, below the knee, the bullet lodging 
 between the bones, so that it could not be removed, and he still carries 
 it ; rejoined the Company in May, 1864, and participated in all the battles 
 and skirmishes of the Atlanta Campaign. At the battle of Nashville, 
 Dec. 16, 1864, he was wounded in a singular manner ; a bullet which had 
 passed through the head of Corporal Hamilton, of Company C, one 
 of the Color Guard, striking him in the left shoulder, passing along his back 
 just outside the spine, and lodging under his right shoulder blade, from 
 which position it was extracted eight months afterward, and two months 
 after his return home, a fragment of Hamilton's skull bone still adhering 
 to it. Early in the spring of 1865 he returned to the Company, and was 
 m. o. with the Regiment. Since his discharge from the service he has 
 been one of the most active business men of Warren, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Charles P. Howard. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 
 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; promoted to Corporal, and then to 
 Sergeant. At Chickamauga was severely wounded in the arm. Was for 
 some time employed in the Quarter Master's department ; returned to the 
 Company in the spring of 1865, and was m. o with the Regiment Is a 
 resident of Longmont, Boulder County, Col., and in prosperous cir- 
 cumstances.
 
 856 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Sergeant Henry F. Hastings. Age 20; born in Lafayette, Wis ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Morseville ; promoted to Corporal, and then to 
 Sergeant ; was slightly wounded at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863. After 
 the battle at Franklin, Tenu., Nov. 80, 1864, he was detailed as Sergeant 
 of the picket guard, and with the guard was the last to cross the bridge 
 before it was fired, and became a part of the rear guard to Nashville that 
 night. Was never absent from the Regiment from the time it left 
 Rockford until m. o. in June, 1865. Is a merchant at Perry, Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Marcellus J. Penwell. Age 26 ; born in Fayette County, 
 Indiana ; farmer ; enlisted from Plum River ; appointed First Corporal 
 at the organization of the Company. At Danville, Ky., while in charge 
 of a detail to cut and haul wood, in assisting to load some heavy sticks, 
 his foot slipped, straining him in the groin, resulting in a serious rupture, 
 from which he never recovered. At Kenesaw Mountain, June 20. 1864. 
 was wounded in the left hand. During the fall and winter of 1864 and 
 1865, was on duty as cattle guard at Division Headquarters. M. O. with 
 the Regiment. Crossed the plains in 1866, narrowly escaping death at 
 the hands of the Indians. Died at Webster City, Iowa, Dec. 17, 1871, of 
 strangulated hernia. Is buried at Shullsburg, Wis. 
 
 Corporal Horace Gray. Age 29 ; born in Geauga County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Ward's Grove ; appointed Sixth Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; was taken sick soon after the Regiment 
 entered Kentucky ; never recovered his health ; was discharged April 1, 
 1863, for disability, and died a few days after reaching home. 
 
 Corporal John A. Boothby. Age 18 ; born in Ashtabula County, 
 Ohio ; painter ; enlisted from Warren ; apppointed Seventh Corporal at 
 the organization of the Company ; taken prisoner on Mission Ridge 
 Sept. 22, 1863, and died in prison at Danville, Va., Dec. 25, 1863, from 
 the effects of cold and exposure, as is asserted by his comrades. Is buried 
 in the National Cemetery at Danville, Va. 
 
 Corporal Spencer W. Brown. Age 32 ; born in Otsego County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Wayne, Wis. ; appointed Eighth Corporal at 
 the organization of the Company. While in camp at Danville, Ky., he 
 was accidentally wounded in the knee joint by a sharp pointed pocket 
 knife in the hands of a comrade, resulting in his having epileptic fits, and 
 causing his discharge from the hospital, for disability, Feb. 9, 1863 ; has 
 never recovered his health. Is living in Iowa City, Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Ward L. Morton. Age 35 ; born in Freeman, Franklin 
 County, Me. ; farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; promoted to Corporal. He 
 was instantly killed at the battle of Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863, while 
 acting as Color Guard. 
 
 Corporal Patrick Flannery. Age 24 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; promoted to Corporal. He was captured, with 
 others of the Company, on Mission Ridge, Sept. 22, 1863, and died in 
 prison at Richmond, Va., Dec 8, 1863 ; is buried in the National Ceme-
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 857 
 
 tery at Richmond. He was a model soldier, and one of the neatest and 
 most painstaking men in the Regiment, his clothing, arms and equip- 
 ments being always in order. 
 
 Corporal Alphonzo Marshall. Age 19 ; born in Washington County, 
 Vt. ; farmer ; enlisted from Nora ; promoted to Corporal. He was cap- 
 tured on Mission Ridge, with the Company, Sept. 22, 1863. Died in 
 Audersonville Prison in May, 1864, from the effects of " Man's inhumanity 
 to man" ; is buried in the National Cemetery at Andersonville, Ga. 
 
 Corporal Henry Simons. Age 18; born in Green County, Wis. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Gratiot ; promoted to Corporal. At the battle of 
 Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, he was shot through the body and left upon 
 the field, dying almost immediately. Always cheerful, ready and prompt 
 to discharge every duty, he was an excellent soldier. 
 
 Corporal Thomas Morris. Age 22 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Gratiot ; promoted to Corporal. He was mortally wounded at the 
 battle of Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863, and fell into the hands of the 
 enemy, but was paroled a few days later and brought within our lines. 
 Died in hospital at Chattanooga Oct. 13, 1863. 
 
 Corporal Charles L. Mettz. Age 22; born in Calhoun County. 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren. During the march from Danville, Ky., 
 to Lebanon and return, was injured in the right leg and foot, resulting in 
 varicose veins, from which he has never recovered ; remained with the 
 Company, and at the battle of Chickamauga was wounded in the left 
 hand, disabling three fingers ; was promoted to Corporal Jan. 31, 1864, 
 for meritorious conduct at the battle of Chickamauga ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Was a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 1872 to 1874. 
 Present occupation, dry-goods merchant, at Falls City, Richardson 
 County, Neb. 
 
 Corporal Abner C. Bryan. Age 23 ; born in Geauga County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Ward's Grove ; promoted to Corporal ; was with 
 the Company most of the time, but escaped wounds ; suffered a disloca- 
 tion of the shoulder in a friendly scuffle with a comrade, which has always 
 given him more or less trouble ; m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Geneva, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Peter Davison. Age 21 ; born in Norway ; blacksmith ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; was with the Company until July 24, 1863, when he 
 was detailed as blacksmith at Brigade Headquarters ; after the battle of 
 Chickamauga the Company was so reduced that all the men on detail 
 were recalled, and he returned Nov. 13, 1863, and remained until February, 
 1864, when he was detailed to the Pioneer Corps ; returned to the Com- 
 pany in April, 1864. At Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, was severely 
 wounded in the right wrist, and was sent to Joe Holt Hospital, Jefferson- 
 ville, Ind. : the wound healed slowly, and he was discharged from the 
 hospital May 30, 1865, by reason of the close of the war. After his return 
 he, with his brother, established blacksmith and wagon shops at Wiota,
 
 858 HISTOKY or THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Wis., and built up quite a business. In 1881 he went to Elkhart, Ind., 
 where he is now running a blacksmith and machine shop. 
 
 Corporal Andrew Johnson. Age 28; born in Norway; farmer; en- 
 listed from Gratiot ; was with the Regiment in all of its movements until 
 after the battle of Chickamauga, where "Johnny put a bullet through 
 my hat." Was captured on Mission Ridge Sept. 22, 1863; confined in 
 Richmond, Va., until Dec. 13, 1863 ; in Danville, Va., until April 12, 1864, 
 and in Andersonville until Sept. 21, 1864 ; was then taken to Charleston 
 and Florence. S. C., and finally exchanged at Savannah, Ga., Dec. 9, 1864 ; 
 returned to command in the spring of 1865, and was promoted to Cor- 
 poral ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a farmer at Browntown, Green County, 
 Wis. 
 
 Corporal Patrick Farrell. Age 24 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was wounded in the arm at Chickamauga, but soon re- 
 turned to the command and served to the close of the war ; promoted to 
 Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment. Is understood to be in Texas. 
 
 Musician Niles Carver. Age 24 ; born in Kenebec County, Me. ; 
 hotelkeeper ; enlisted from Nora ; appointed Principal Musician at the 
 organization of the Regiment ; served as such until Jan. 20, 1864, when 
 he was discharged. Is farming at Blanchard, Page County, Iowa. 
 
 Musician Eugene Carver. Age 12 ; born in Milo, Me. ; son of Niles 
 Carver ; enlisted in the 92d Illinois, but was, with his brother Frank, trans- 
 ferred to Company II, in exchange for two men of Company H Thos. 
 H. Bartlett and Robert Heywood who were transferred to the 92d 
 Illinois. He was for a time the "Drummer Boy" of the NINETY-SIXTH, 
 and a good one. At Nashville, Tenn., was taken sick and sent to hos- 
 pital, and discharged March 7, 1863 ; after his discharge he returned to 
 the Company, and would have re-enlisted, but he was so young that the 
 writer objected, but kept him in his employ until late in the summer of 
 1863. After he came home he had the misfortune to lose a leg by the 
 cars. Is Deputy County Clerk in Santa Rosa, Cal. 
 
 Musician Franklin Carver. Age 17 ; born in Milo, Me. ; he, with his 
 brother Eugene, enlisted in Company G, 92d Illinois, but their father 
 having enlisted in Company H, an exchange of men was arranged, and 
 they were transferred to Company H, NINETY-SIXTH Illinois, in return 
 for Thos. H. Bartlett and Robert Heywood, who were transferred to the 
 92d Illinois. May 23, 1863, Frank was appointed Principal Musician, and 
 served as such until the m. o. of the Regiment at Camp Barker, June 10, 
 1865. Is farming in Nodaway County, Mo. ; post office address, Blan- 
 chard, Page County, Iowa. 
 
 Isaac Addudle. Age 19 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from Plum 
 River ; was an excellent soldier and noted for his high moral character. 
 He died in the Regimental Hospital at Estell Springs, Tenn., Aug. 31, 
 1863, and was buried with military honors His father came after his 
 remains and removed them to his home at Plum River, 111.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 859 
 
 Wallace Andrews. Age 25 ; born in Cleveland, Ohio : farmer ; en- 
 listed from Nora. At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, he was wounded 
 in the right arm ; m. o. with the Company, June 10, 18H5, and died a few 
 years ago in Iowa. 
 
 George W. Andrews. Age 21 ; born in Cleveland, Ohio ; enlisted 
 from Nora ; farmer ; was wounded in the foot early in the first charge at 
 Chickamauga, but remained with the Company, and continued to fight 
 until the close of the battle ; reported for duty the next day, and was 
 captured with the Company Sept. 22, 1863 ; was a prisoner at Richmond, 
 Va., until April, 1864, when he was taken to Andersonville, where he died 
 in June of that year. 
 
 Frederick Briggs. Age 40 ; born in Rutland, Vt. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Pleasant Valley. Deserted Sept. 9, 1863. 
 
 Thos. H. Bartlett. Age 30 ; born in Sangamon County, Illinois ;. 
 miner ; enlisted from Millville ; was transferred to the 92d Illinois at 
 Rockford, 111. ; served with that organization until the close of the war ; 
 resides at Apple River, 111. 
 
 Wm. B. Bryan. Age 23 ; born in Geauga County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Stockton ; at Lookout Mountain a ball passed through his 
 roll of blankets and cartridge box strap, but without injury to him. In a 
 skirmish near Dalton in Feb.. 1864, a ball passed through his hat without 
 injuring him ; served until the close of the war ; 'm. o. with the Regiment. 
 Resides at Geneva, Franklin County, Iowa, where he is a well to do 
 farmer, and nicely fixed, but unable to perform any manual labor by 
 reason of disease contracted in the service. 
 
 George Bryan. Age 21 ; born in Geauga County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Ward's Grove ; was the youngest of three brothers, all be- 
 longing to the same Company ; was taken sick at Lexington, Ky., and 
 died in hospital November 13, 1862 ; is buried in the Lexington City 
 Cemetery. 
 
 Robert Burbridge. Age 35 ; born in Illinois ; enlisted from Millville ; 
 miner ; was killed on the skirmish line near Kenesaw Mountain, June 23, 
 1864 ; is buried in the National Cemetery at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 Charles D. Bunce. Age 31 ; born in Wayne County, N. Y. ; enlisted 
 from Ward's Grove ; farmer ; captured at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863 ; 
 remained a prisoner until Dec. 16, 1864, when he was exchanged ; rejoined 
 the Company in the spring of 1865, and was m. o. with the Regiment 
 June 10, 18'35. Is living at Ames, Iowa. 
 
 Handford W. Crissey. -Age 39 ; born in Broom County, Conn. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Rush. He had previously been a soldier in the 
 war with Mexico ; was unwell much of the time after the Regiment left 
 Rockford, I ut remained with the Company until May, 1863; was dis 
 charged for disability, June 8, 1863 ; never recovered his health, but died 
 a short time after at his home in Rush, Jo Daviess County, 111.
 
 $60 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Erastus A. Charter. Age 19 ; born in Hartford, Conn. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Gratiot ; served for a time as Ambulance driver, and was 
 for some time an Orderly for Capt. Starkweather, of the Quarter Master's 
 Department ; m. o. with the Regiment. Lives at Warren, 111., near 
 which place he owns a farm and valuable lead mine. 
 
 James J. Curry. Age 23 ; born in Lexington, Ky.; farmer; enlisted 
 from Stockton ; had previously served nine months in Company E, 15th 
 Illinois ; was mortally wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 
 1863, and left on the field ; about ten days after he was paroled and 
 brought into the Union lines, and died in hospital at Chattanooga, Oct. 
 1, 1863. 
 
 Richard B. Chown. Age 18 ; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Stockton. During a hurried march in the-summer of 1864, was prostrated 
 with sunstroke, which so affected his eyes that he is nearly blind ; served 
 with the Company in all its marches until the close of the war ; m. o. 
 with the Regiment. For cheerfulness and good humor, under all cir- 
 cumstances, commend me to "Dick." Resides at Lanark, Carroll 
 Oounty, 111. 
 
 Lucius C. Crowell. Age 37; born in Angelica, N. Y. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Nora ; was a man of high moral character and full of patriot- 
 ism, but unable to endure the fatigue and exposure incident to a soldier's 
 life. After partially recovering from two or three attacks of disease, he 
 was taken ill with lung fever, and died at Chattanooga, Nov. 3, 1863. 
 
 Richard C. Cullen. Born in the County of Wicklow, Ireland, Sept. 
 28, 1848 ; enlisted from Warren Aug. 14. 1862, being at that time less than 
 14 years of age, although he looked and reported as 18 years of age ; came 
 to this country with his father in 1851 ; his father dying in 1856, he was 
 left an orphan at eight years of age, his mother having died in Ireland. 
 Was with the Company in all its marches up to and including the battle 
 of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, where he had his haversack shot away, 
 containing his rations for three days, which he had drawn that morning ; 
 two days later he was captured with his Company, and taken to Rich- 
 mond ; confined in the Pemberton Prison and the Royster Prison ; at 
 the latter place was taken with the small-pox and sent to hospital near 
 Richmond, Dec. 13, 1863 ; in Feb., 1864, was removed to Belle Isle ; 
 paroled March 22, 1865 ; joined the Company in the spring of 1865 ; m. o. 
 with the Company. Has been Constable for eight years. Justice of the 
 Peace four years ; Chairman of the Town Board for the last three years ; 
 Chairman of the County Bridge Committee two years ; was School Clerk 
 and Treasurer for a number of years ; and is at present Adjutant of 
 Cullen Post No. 176, G. A. R. at Gratiot, Wis. Is a prosperous farmer 
 and influential citizen. Postoffice address, Warren, 111 
 
 William Conley. Age 22 ; born in Oneida County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was taken ill at Lexington, Ky., and died in 
 hospital at Nashville, April 22, 1863. Is buried in the National Cemetery 
 at Nashville.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 861 
 
 Chas. F. Connery. Age 21 ; born in Wiota, Wis. ; farmer ; enlisted! 
 from Gratiot, Wis. ; was accidentally wounded in the hand at Fort Shaler, 
 Kentucky ; served during the summer of 1863 with the 18th Ohio Battery, 
 until after the battle of Chickamauga, when he was sent back to Nash- 
 ville after horses, and was taken with the small-pox and sent to hospital ; 
 rejoined the Company in the spring of 1865 ; m. o. with the Regiment. 
 He says the only official position he has held since the war was Post- 
 master at Durand, 111, and adds, that he did not hold that long after 
 Cleveland got in the saddle. Is blacksmithing at Durand, 111. 
 
 William W. Crocker. Age 33 ; was born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; sent to hospital in March, 1863 ; and transferred 
 to Veteran Reserve Corps Dec. 12, 1863. Resides at Shenandoah, Iowa. 
 
 Oscar W. Dunton. Age 31 ; born in Franklin County, Vt. ; enlisted 
 from Stockton ; farmer ; served as ambulance driver for a time, but his- 
 health failing, he was discharged for disability, Feb. 4, 1863. Present 
 address unknown. 
 
 Joseph P. Davis. Age 19 ; born in St. Louis, Mo. ; farmer ; enlisted 1 
 from Hanover ; died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., March 18, 1863. Is- 
 buried in the National Cemetery at Nashville. 
 
 Daniel M. Doud. Age 37 ; born in Burlington, Vt. ; mason ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; served for a time with the 18th Ohio Battery ; returned to 
 the Company in July, 1863, and remained with the Company until after 
 the battle of Chickamauga ; was captured two days later, with others of 
 the Company, taken to Richmond and confined in the Pemberton Prison ; 
 taken to Belle Isle, thence to Danville, Va. ; thence to Andersonville and 
 Florence, and from there to Charleston, where he was exchanged in 
 November, 1864; m. o. at Springfield, 111., May 27, 1865. Resides at 
 Tecumseh, Johnson County, Neb. 
 
 Adam Dittmar. Age 19 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Pleasant Valley ; was taken sick late in the summer of 1863, and sent to 
 hospital ; transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and discharged at 
 the close of the war. Is on the Police Force in Chicago, and resides at 
 No. 2409 Wentworth Avenue. 
 
 Thomas J. Edwards. Age 24; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; taken sick in the summer of 1863 ; sent 
 to hospital ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps. Present address un- 
 known. 
 
 Albert Farley. Age 16 ; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Nora ; was never absent from the Company for a day, except for guard 
 or fatigue duty ; always ready, prompt and cheerful up to the very 
 moment of his death. At the battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, the 
 writer noticed him working like a little hero, as he was, and stepped 
 up and gave him a kindly word of encouragement, to which he 
 replied pleasantly and cheerfully ; but alas ! the next moment he fell at 
 his commander's feet, and looked up in his face ; I shall never forget
 
 862 HISTORY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 that look ; a bullet had struck him in the forehead, and his spirit had 
 passed over to the other shore. 
 
 James Forsythe. Age 24 ; born in Harding County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Millville ; was with the Company up to and including the 
 battle of Chickamauga ; was killed on Mission Ridge Sept. 22, 1863, when 
 the other men of the Company were captured. His remains are interred 
 in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga. 
 
 Patrick Farrell, ist. Age 27 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; was wounded in the leg at the battle of Chickamauga Sept. 20, 
 1863 ; the wound soon healed, and ho returned to the Company, and par- 
 ticipated in the Atlanta campaign ; m. o. with the Regiment. Returned 
 to Warren, and engaged in farming ; when last heard from was at Gruudy 
 Center, Grundy County, Iowa. 
 
 Alvin B. Foss. Age 16 ; born in Maine ; enlisted from Nora ; had 
 previously served in Company B, 45th Illinois, from Sept. 4, 1861, until 
 May 9, 1862. In August, 1864, was wounded in the shoulder, slightly ; he 
 afterward lost his voice, and could only speak in a whisper for some 
 months after his discharge ; had a brother who was a member of Com- 
 pany K, and his father was a member of another regiment, and is sup- 
 posed to be the oldest Grand Army man living. The father and two sons 
 reside at Randall, Jewell County, Kansas. 
 
 John H. Foster. Age 18; born in Albany, N. Y. ; farmer; enlisted 
 from Warren ; at the battle of Chickamauga was slightly wounded on the 
 right cheek, but reported for duty the next day, and was captured, with 
 others, Sept. 22,' and confined in Libby, at Andersonville, Millen, 
 Florence, Savannah, Ga,, and at Wilmington, N. C. ; m. o. at Springfield, 
 111., May 24, 1865. Is a manufacturer of fertilizers at Marietta, Ohio ; 
 office at No. 89 East Front Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Francis L. Flanders. Age 19 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; served with the Company until September, 1868 ; in July, 
 1863, while carrying water up the bank of the stream at Wartrace, slipped 
 and caused a rupture in the groin ; sent to hospital Sept. 6, 1863 ; never 
 rejoined the Company ; m. o. June 8, 1865. Studied medicine after he 
 came home, and is now a physician at 601 East Sixteenth Street, Kansas 
 City, Mo. 
 
 Charles W. Graham. Age 28 ; born in Jefferson County, Mo. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren. In his memoranda for personal sketch, 
 Mr. Graham says : "I was wounded Sept. 21, 1863, at Chickamauga, on 
 the skirmish line ; a ball struck my gun and right hand, glanced and 
 tore the flesh on my left arm ; I was then taken prisoner, but eluded the 
 guard and came down Chickamauga Creek to Chattanooga." He was in 
 hospital at Nashville for some time ; never rejoined the Company ; m. o. 
 at Chicago in the spring of 1865. Is farming near Collins, Wis. 
 
 Edward W. Gates. Age 18 ; born in Aurora, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Morseville ; served with the Company until September, 1863, when
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 863 
 
 he was sent to hospital ; transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps ; m. o. 
 at Milwaukee, Wis. Is farming at Plum River, 111. 
 
 Robert Hay wood. Age 37 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; was transferred to the 92d Illinois at Rockford, 111., in exchange 
 for one of the Carver boys. His service with that organization was about 
 six months. Present address unknown. 
 
 Peter Hawks. Age 18 ; born in Pennsylvania ; enlisted from Warren ; 
 farmer ; was accidentally wounded in the hand at Danville, Ky. ; was 
 taken prisoner Sept. 22, 1863, with others ; was soon exchanged, and 
 returned to the Company in the spring of 1865 ; was transferred to the 
 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; served with that organization until Dec. 16, 
 1865. Resides at Chapin, Iowa. 
 
 William Ingersoll. Age 20 ; born in Calhoun County, 111. ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; farmer ; was taken prisoner Sept. 22, 1863 ; was taken to 
 Richmond about the 1st of October, 1863 ; removed to Danville, Va., Dec. 
 13, 1863. It is reported by his comrades that he was vaccinated with 
 impure virus and died from the effects Jan. 17, 1864. Is buried in Na- 
 tional Cemetery at Danville, Va. 
 
 Thomas K. Johnson. Age 20 ; born in Pennsylvania ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; harness maker. He was a small sized man but every inch a 
 soldier ; could endure more fatigue than the majority, and performed 
 every duty cheerfully. The Regiment never went into camp but 
 " Tommy " was in his place wijlh as heavy a knapsack as the best of them. 
 He was severely wounded at Chickamauga, Sept. 20, and left upon the 
 field, falling into the hands of the enemy ; was paroled a few days later 
 and brought inside the Union lines. It was hoped for a time that he 
 would recover, but his wound took an unfavorable turn, and he died at 
 Chattanooga, Tenn., Nov. 10, 1863 ; is buried in the National Cemetery 
 at Chattanooga. 
 
 William Klaproth. Age 30 ; born in Hanover, Germany ; had served 
 in the Prussian Army ; came to this country in 1856 ; married in 1860 ; 
 enlisted from Wayne, Wis. ; farmer ; was taken ill with some obscure 
 disease of the stomach, in Sept. 1863, and sent to hospital at Nashville ; 
 transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps ; m. o. at New Albany, Ind., July 
 8, 1865 ; never recovered his health, but died of cancer of the stomach 
 June 10, 1874. 
 
 John Kerby. Age 17 ; born in England ; enlisted from Gratiot ; 
 farmer ; was almost constantly on duty with the Company, until after 
 the battle of Chickamauga ; was engaged in that battle and bore his part 
 nobly ; was taken prisoner, with others of the Company, on Mission 
 Ridge, Sept 22, 1863 ; and after being confined in several prisons, died in 
 Andersonville, Aug. 14, 1864. Is buried in National Cemetery at Ander- 
 sonville, Ga. 
 
 Henson Moore. Age 29 ; born in Virginia ; enlisted from Millville ; 
 farmer ; was slightly wounded in the arm at Chickamauga, and again in
 
 864 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 the hand in a skirmish near Dalton, Feb. 25, 1864 ; discharged May 17, 
 1865. Resides at Waseca, Minn. 
 
 Nathaniel McWain. Age 28 ; born in Pawlet, Vt. ; enlisted from 
 Millville ; farmer ; served with the Company until after the battle of 
 Chickamauga, where he was wounded in the leg, but not disabled, and 
 had three bullets through his clothes and one through his haversack ; 
 taken prisoner at Mission Eidge Sept. 22, 1863 ; remained a prisoner until 
 near the close of the war, when he was exchanged and discharged, after 
 seventeen months at Danville, Andersonville, Charleston and Florence 
 prisons. Has held several township offices since the war, and is farming 
 at Dorset, Vt. 
 
 Edward McGinnis. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; enlisted from Warren ; 
 farmer ; was severely wounded in the wrist at Chickamauga, and sent to 
 hospital ; afterward transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps ; dis- 
 charged from hospital May 6, 1865. Residence, Salem, Neb. 
 
 James McCafferty. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted at 
 Rockford, 111., Oct. 1, 1862, from Nora ; was badly wounded at Chicka- 
 mauga, Sept. 20, 1863, and sent to hospital ; returned to the Company in 
 the spring of 1864, and served through the Atlanta Campaign ; was taken 
 ill and sent to hospital Dec. 7, 1864 ; returned to Company and was m. o. 
 June 10, 1865 ; died in Nora in 1881. 
 
 Hiram P. Millett. Age 23 ; born in Wayne County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Plum River was detailed in the Pioneer Corps April 7, 
 1863, and transferred to the 1st U. S. V. V. Engineers July 29, 1864, where 
 he served until the close of the war ; m. o. at Chattanooga in June, 1865. 
 Resides at Plum River, 111. 
 
 Hiram W. Nelson. Age 15 ; born in Rock County, Wis. ; clerk ;: 
 enlisted from Plum River ; at Chickamauga was hit four times, as 
 follows : One ball lodged in haversack ; one struck waist-belt buckle, 
 breaking it in two pieces ; one tore heel of shoe off, and one broke the 
 bone of his left arm ; was sent to hospital, and never rejoined the Com- 
 pany. In the spring of 1865 served as Orderly for Gen. Court Martial 
 at Nashville, of which Colonel Champion was President ; was discharged 
 from hospital May 20, 1865. Has been Street Commissioner of Spring- 
 field, Mo.; City Marshal of Marionville, Mo., and is now clerking in 
 Pierce City, Lawrence County, Mo. 
 
 Ranslaer Post. Age 31 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. ; enlisted 
 from Millville ; discharged for disability in May, 1863, and died soon 
 
 Sherman W. Perham. Age 18 ; born in Trumbull County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Wayne, Wis. ; was never able to endure the hard- 
 ships of a soldier's life ; discharged for disability March 7, 1863 ; never 
 recovered, but died a short time after reaching home.
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 JAMES M. SALLEE. 
 C'orp'l ANDREW JOHNSON. 
 
 Serg't II. F. HASTINGS. 
 
 First Lieut. GEORGE G. FERGUSON. 
 
 First Serg't CHESTER J. REES. 
 
 NOH.MAN P. WARD. 
 Corp'l M. J. PENWELL.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 865 
 
 Theophilus Pettibone. Age 36 ; born in Hartford, Conn. ; carpenter ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was detailed in Pioneer Corps, April 7, 1863, and 
 was transferred to 1st U. 8. V. V. Engineers, July 25, 1864, where he 
 served till the close of the war. Resides at Warren, 111. 
 
 James Rees. Age 33 ; born in Lewis County, N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rush. At the battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, he received a 
 severe wound in the left arm near the elbow ; never was able for duty 
 again, and was discharged from hospital at Chicago, June 25, 1864. Is a 
 mail agent, and resides at Glendale, Lewis County, N. Y. 
 
 Ransom Richards. Age 29 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; never could adapt his digestive organs 
 to army rations ; was discharged for disability Sept. 19, 1863 ; afterward 
 enlisted in the 45th Illinois, and died at New Albany, Ind., Feb. 24, 1865. 
 
 Oscar Robbins. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Gratiot, Wis. ; was for a time teamster in the supply train, but was with 
 the Regiment in a number of engagements ; at Rocky Face Ridge was 
 struck by a bullet in the breast, but only slightly bruised ; m. o. with the 
 Regiment. Is farming near Warren, 111. 
 
 John Reardon. Age 22 ; born in Ireland ; fanner ; enlisted from Gra- 
 tiot, Wis. ; deserted from the steamer at Fort Donalson, Feb. 4, 1863, 
 while en route to Nashville. ... >v . , 
 
 f <j - * 
 
 George H. Stanchfield. Age 27 ; born in Milo, Me. ; mason ; enlisted 
 from Nora ; was an excellent soldier ; served with the Company up to 
 and including the battle of Chickamauga ; was captured Sept. 22, 1863, 
 with others of the Company, and died in Andersonville Prison, June 26, 
 1864. No. of grave, 2532. 
 
 Finley Smith. Age 28 ; born in Coshocton County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Stockton ; was attacked with rheumatism soon after enter- 
 ing the service. It being evident that he would never be able to endure 
 the hardships of the service, he was discharged for disability, July 30, 
 1863. Resides at Battle Creek, Iowa. 
 
 James M. Sallee. Age 18 ; born at Benton, Lafayette County, Wis., 
 April 2, 1844, and, as he facetiously puts it, "came within one of being 
 born an April fool ; " farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; was with the Company 
 in every skirmish and battle until two days after Chickamauga, when he 
 was taken prisoner with others of the Company ; was confined in various 
 Southern prisons for a period of seventeen months and over ; exchanged 
 March 4, 1865, at Wilmington, N. C., and was discharged at Chicago in 
 May following ; is Clerk of the District Court at Phillipsburg, Phillips 
 County, Kan. 
 
 Adam Vroman. Age 35 ; born in Canada West ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rush ; was taken prisoner Sept. 22, 1863 ; and died in Andersonville 
 in May, 1864. 
 55
 
 866 HISTORY OF THE 96TH KEGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Edwin Van Dyke. Age 31 ; bora in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Millville ; was with the Company most of the time up to the 
 22d of Sept., 1863. when he was captured, with others, and spent a year 
 and five months in Southern prisons ; was present at the battle of Chick - 
 mauga, where he was conspicuous for his coolness and bravery ; never 
 rejoined the Company after his capture ; was discharged from hospital 
 at. Springfield, 111., July 22, 1865 ; never recovered from the effects of his 
 prison life, and died at Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 6, 1885. 
 
 Joseph T. Vick. Age 20 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush. Early in the winter of 1862 and 1863, while at Lexington, Ky., 
 was taken ill with the measles, and at Danville, Ky., was afflicted with 
 partial paralysis of one arm ; and discharged for disability, Dec. 29, 1862 ; 
 is. engaged in farming near Warren, 111. 
 
 John V. Wilkerson. Age 18 ; born in Scott County, Iowa ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was captured while on duty, with others of the 
 Company, on Mission Ridge, Sept. 22, 1863 ; was a prisoner in the hands 
 Of the enemy until the spring of 1865 ; never returned to the Company ; 
 was m. o. at Springfield, June 24, 1865 ; resides at Indian Valley, Idaho, 
 where he is a successful farmer and breeder of horses. 
 
 Samuel Wiicox. Age 23 ; born in Sangamon County, 111., farmer ; 
 enlisted from Wayne, Wis. ; at the battle of Chickamauga was wounded 
 in the arm ; the wound soon healed and he returned to the Company, and 
 served through the Atlanta campaign. In the fall of 1864, was f urloughed 
 home for a short time ; on his return in the winter of 1865, at Huntsville, 
 Ala., he was taken with the small pox, and sent to hospital ; partially 
 recovered, but had a relapse, and died in hospital at Huntsville, January 
 28, 1865. 
 
 John E. Wilson. Age 19 ; born in Sciota County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was taken ill with the measles at Lexington, Ky., 
 in November, 1862 ; his lungs became affected, and he was discharged 
 from hospital at Nashville, Tenn., April 30, 1863, for disability, and died 
 at his home in June, 1863. 
 
 Alberto Wheelock. Age 34 ; born in Jefferson County, New York ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Millville ; was taken prisoner Sept. 22, 1863, and 
 died in Andersonville, May 10, 1864 ; is buried in the National Cemetery 
 at Andersonville, Ga. 
 
 Norman P. Ward. Age 19 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Ward's Grove : was both a good'man and a good soldier. At the 
 battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863, he was severely wounded in the 
 right thigh, and remained a prisoner for ten days, when he was paroled ; 
 never returned to the Company ; was discharged from hospital at Spring- 
 field, 111., June 20, 1865 ; lives on a small farm near La Plata, Macon 
 County, Mo. ; and has poor health. 
 
 Solomon H. R. Zuck. Age 41 ; born in Erie, Penn. ; wagon maker ; 
 enlisted from Millville ; was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps in
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY H. 867 
 
 January, 1864 ; finally m. o. at Ne,w Albany, Ind , in June, 1865 ; died at 
 Apple River, 111., June 24. 1875. 
 
 RECRUITS TO COMPANY H.' 
 
 Homer Bonham. Age 18 ; born in Grant County, Wis. ; farmer ; en- 
 Qisted from Galena, 111., April 10, 1865 ; was transferred to Company E., 
 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 James M. Curtis. Age 18 ; born in La Grange County, Ind.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Hanover, 111., March 22, 1864 ; although a recruit, he fell 
 nuturally into the ways of the old veterans ; made an excellent soldier ; 
 served throughout the Atlanta campaign, and on every march and battle 
 until June 9, 1865, when he was transferred to the 21st Illinois ; served with 
 that command until Dec., 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas ; returned 
 lo Indiana, and for a time engaged in merchandizing. In the fall of 1871 
 went to Wakeeney, Kan., where at Christmas he was married to a very 
 estimable young lady. In 1874, the grasshoppers having destroyed the 
 crops, he went with his team to Arkansas to work until time to put in 
 another crop, and was drowned in Horsehead Creek, Feb. 27, 1875 ; it is 
 supposed he fell in while having a fit of epilepsy, to which he was 
 subject, having had his first one in April, 1864, soon after he joined the 
 Company. 
 
 George C. Farr. Age 16 ; born in England ; carpenter ; enlisted from 
 Galena, Oct. 8, 1864 ; joined the , Company in Dec. 1864, and served with 
 .-it until June 9th, 1865, when he was transferred to the 21st Illinois ; m. o. 
 'Oct. 12, 1865, at Victoria, Texas ; resides at Spencer, Iowa. 
 
 Wesley Grice. Age 42 ; born in Pennsylvania ; cooper ; enlisted from 
 Galena, April 3, 1865 ; joined the Company near Knoxville, Tenn., in 
 April, 1865 ; was transferred to the 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; served! with 
 that Regiment until Dec. 16, 1865, when he was m. o. at San Antonio, 
 Texas ; is farming at Ackley, Iowa. 
 
 Thomas Grice. Age 17 ; born in Ashland, Ohio ; cooper ; enlisted 
 from Galena, 111., April 3, 1865 ; joined the Company near Knoxville, 
 Tenn., in April, 1865 ; was transferred to the 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; 
 served with that Regiment until Dec. 16, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, 
 'Texas ; is a cooper at Wyandotte, Kansas. 
 
 Nathaniel Jones. Age 40 ; born in New York ; sawyer ; enlisted from 
 Galena, Oct. 8, 1864 ; was transferred to the 21st Illinois Veterans June 9, 
 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. 
 
 John O. Jacobs. Age 24 ; born in Indiana ; enlisted from Galena, 
 111., Oct. 7, 1864 ; engineer ; was transferred to the 21st Illinois, June 9, 
 1865 ; served with that command until Oct. 12, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, 
 Texas, and is reported to have been drowned while on his way home. 
 
 Barton C. Mettz. Age 28 ; born in Calhoun County, 111. ; harness 
 maker ; enlisted from Whiteside County, 111., Feb. 9, 1865 ; joined the
 
 868 HISTOKY or THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Company in the spring of 1865, in East Tennessee ; was transferred to- 
 the 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; served as Division harness maker most of 
 the time until m. o. Dec. 16, 1865, at San Antonio, Texas ; is still in the- 
 harness business, at Salem, Nebraska, where he is an influential citizen. 
 
 Millard M. Newman. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Galena, April 10, 1865 ; was transferred to Company E, 21st Illinois, 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Springfield, 111., Aug. 14, 1865 ; resides at Edge- 
 wood, Iowa. 
 
 Philo D. Potter. Age 18 ; born in Oneida County, N. Y. ; farmer ;. 
 enlisted from Galena, April 10, 1865 ; was transferred to Company E, 
 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 ' John Powell. Age 20 ; born in Pennsylvania ; enlisted from Warren, 
 April 4, 1865. He had previously enlisted at the first call for three 
 months men, in April, 1861 ; and in August, 1861, re-enlisted in Company 
 " B " 45th Illinois ; was discharged for disability Nov. 10, 1862 ; recover- 
 ing his health he enlisted in Company "H" April 4, 1865; was trans- 
 ferred to 1 the 21st Illinois June 9, 1865, where he served until Dec. 16, 
 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas ; is farming near Apple River, 111. 
 
 Reuben L. Root. Age 28 ; enlisted from Galena, 111., Oct. 11, 1864 - r 
 promoted to Corporal ; transferred to 21st Illinois. (See sketch of Second 
 'Lieutenant R. L. Root, this Company.) 
 
 Lucien B. Sanford. Age 19 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. - r 
 farmer ; enlisted from Forreston, Oct. 8, 1864 ; was transferred to the 
 21st Illinois Veterans June 9, 1865 ; promoted to Corporal and served 
 with that command until Oct. 12, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas ; resides 
 at Fountain City, Wis. 
 
 Charles Tucker. Age 28 ; born in Monroe County, N. Y. ; carpenter ; 
 enlisted from Courtland April 4, 1865 ; was transferred to the 21st Illinois, 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Nicholas Thain. Age 2b ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Derinda, 111., Feb. 8, 1865 ; transferred to the 21st Illinois Veterans, June 
 9, 1865 ; served with that organization until Dec. 16, 1865, when he was 
 honorably discharged ; resides at Derinda, Jo Daviess County, 111. 
 
 James Westwick. Age 20 ; bern in England ; enlisted from Galena, 
 Oct. 8, 1864 ; mechanic ; joined the Company in Dec. 1864, just prior to 
 the battle of Nashville ; transferred to 21st Illinois Veterans, June 9, 1865 ; 
 served with that command until Oct. 16, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas. 
 He went to Texas soon after the war, and nothing has been heard of him 
 s/nce, except a rumor that he went with a party of miners to Indian 
 Territory, and that they were all killed by the Indians.
 
 SKETCH or COMPANY I. 869 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Ten days' Recruiting A Change of Plans Full to Overflowing Officers 
 chosen Elizabeth Leads the Van In Camp at Galena Non-Com- 
 missioned Officers appointed Age and Nativity of the Men Their 
 Occupations The Captain made Major Rockford Reached At 
 John's Hill Battery Other Detached Service Losses in Battle 
 The Company Recruited Changes and Promotions The Number at 
 Muster out Record of the Members. 
 
 COMPANY I was mainly recruited between August 1 and 
 August 10, 1862. The first enlistment, so far as the records 
 ishow, was that of Jerome B. Hamilton, a school teacher in 
 Galena, whose name was placed upon the muster roll, July 
 23, and who immediately set about to recruit a Company. A 
 few days later John Gerome, of the Township of Rice, ob- 
 tained a recruiting commission from Governor Yates, and 
 early in August began circulating among the young men of 
 bis neighborhood. The purpose of these men was to secure 
 a Company, if possible, for what afterward became the 74th 
 Illinois, and thus be associated with Captain Hicks' Company, 
 which was also intended for that command. This purpose 
 was changed shortly after the call for the second three hun- 
 dred thousand, made August 6, when it was found that several 
 additional Companies were likely to be raised in Jo Daviess 
 County. John C. Smith, who had enlisted with Mr. Hamil- 
 ton, secured a recruiting commission about this time, and 
 having an extended acquaintance soon enrolled a large num- 
 ber of men. John Barker and John C. Lee, both of Elizabeth, 
 and other gentlemen from various towns in western Jo Daviess 
 bounty, also assisted materially in the work. As a result, the 
 Oompany was soon beyond the maximum limit, and quite a 
 number, with John C. Lee as their recognized leader, went 
 into what became Company F.
 
 870 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 The Company was organized at Galena, Monday, August 
 11, 1862, by the election of John C. Smith as Captain, John- 
 Barker as First Lieutenant, and John ~P. Tarpley as Second 
 Lieutenant. There was no contest over the Captaincy, but 
 for the Lieutenancies quite a spirited rivalry occurred. The 
 muster-in was by Captain George S. Pierce, of the United 
 States Army. 
 
 The Company went into camp on the Fair Ground about 
 the middle of August, but was not kept together closely until 
 about September 1, the men being allowed time to close up 
 their business affairs and prepare for the prolonged absence 
 from home that must follow their departure for the seat of 
 of war. The days passed pleasantly at Camp Washburn, as 
 the fair ground was then called, every day bringing many 
 visitors. Francis P. Quinn, who had served a term of four 
 years in the First IT. S. Dragoons, was the principal drill 
 master, but others soon learned the rudiments and came to- 
 his assistance. 
 
 During the stay at this camp the non-commissioned officers" 
 were appointed, as follows : First Sergeant, John M. Wood- 
 ruff; Sergeants, Thomas J. Smith, Whiting C. Woolsey, 
 Francis P. Quinn, and Jerome B. Hamilton ; Corporals, 
 George Marshall, John Reynolds, George W. Roberts, John, 
 Long, Arthur Spare, William B. Goss, Henry Bonitell and 
 George Dawson. 
 
 Some statistics relating to the Company may be of interest. 
 
 Of the original Company, twenty -four were born in Jo- 
 Daviess County, and five others in Illinois ; twelve were born 
 in Ireland, ten in New York,, eight in England, six in Penn- 
 sylvania, five in Wales, four in Germany, three in Missouri,, 
 two each in Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Canada, and Scotland, 
 and one each in Indiana, Wisconsin, New Jersey, France r 
 and Australia. 
 
 The average age was about twenty-four years and six 
 months; thirteen were eighteen years or under, ten were 
 nineteen, eight were twenty, seven were twenty-one, five were 
 twenty-two, eleven were twenty-three, four were twenty-four, 
 seven were twenty-five, seven were twenty-six, two were
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY I. 871 
 
 twenty-seven, three were twenty-eight, one was twenty-nine,, 
 six were thirty, and twelve ranged from thirty-one to forty- 
 four ; fifty-three of the number were farmers, ten were miners, 
 five were builders, three were teachers, and the others repre- 
 sented almost every calling conceivable. 
 
 The township of Elizabeth furnished thirty-one ; Galena, 
 twenty-four ; Derinda, six ; Pleasant Valley, five ; Rice, four ; 
 Council Hill, Woodbine, Stockton, Hanover, Thompson, and 
 Berryman, three each ; Guilford, two ; and Rush, Sand 
 Prairie, and Smelzer's Grove, one each. Of the thirty-six 
 recruits who joined the Company during 1864-5, nineteen were 
 from Elizabeth, four each from Derinda, Dunleith and Chi- 
 cago, three from Galena, and two from Hanover. More than 
 ope-half of these were farmers, and a half dozen were miners. 
 
 In the contest for the election of Field Officers, the Com- 
 pany had the satisfaction of seeing its own Captain made Major ; 
 whereupon First Lieutenant John Barker was made Captain ; 
 Second Lieutenant John P. Tarpley was made First Lieutenant ; 
 and George Moore was made Second Lieutenant ;. all three of 
 these being from Elizabeth. 
 
 The Company went to Rockford, with five other Compa- 
 nies from Jo Daviess County, on Thursday, September 4, and 
 the following day became a part of the NINETY-SIXTH REGI- 
 MENT, being assigned as Company I. Its experiences at Camp 
 Fuller were not unlike those of the other Companies of the 
 Regimept, and need not be recited in detail. Its first detached 
 service was in October, 1862, when it was assigned to duty at 
 John's Hill Battery, near Newport, Kentucky, doing guard 
 duty by itself tor about a fortnight, without incident worthy 
 of especial note. November 20, 1862, Company I, together 
 with Company C, was again detached from the Regiment, 
 and sent from Harrodsburg to Danville, Ky., and assigned to 
 duty in the village, on patrol guard. Ten days later the Regi- 
 ment marched to Danville, and the Company went into camp 
 with the Battalion. 
 
 December 30, 1862, this Company, together with Company 
 B, was sent from Danville to Hickman Bridge, making a 
 rapid march in a severe storm, arid 'suffering severely from
 
 872 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 cold and exposure, until January 3, 1863, when it returned to 
 Danville. The only other detached service that is recalled 
 was in the autumn of 1863, when it guarded a wagon train 
 from Chattanooga to Bridgeport and return, making a long, 
 hard march over mountainous roads, and being absent a little 
 more than a week. 
 
 The Company bore well its part in all of the campaigns 
 and battles of the command, and sustained severe losses. 
 At Chickamauga, John Adams, Truman F. Bennett, Henry 
 Bonitell, John Bowman and Gains W. Young were killed, or 
 so ^severely wounded as to live but a few hours. George 
 Evans, John Fablinger, James Hutchinson, Francis S. Koontz, 
 Daniel Malone, Frank M. Pogue, Thomas Reynolds, August 
 Steimlie, Hugh "Williams and Benjamin B. Wilson were 
 wounded. While on Moccasin Point, a few days later, Ser- 
 geant John Reynolds was struck by a spent ball and quite 
 severely hurt. 
 
 At Lookout Mountain, Lieutenant George W. Moore was 
 wounded in the leg, Harrison Gage in the arm, and Daniel 
 Malone in the leg. 
 
 At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, George Topping was 
 wounded in the face, his jaw being fractured. 
 
 At Resaca, May 14, 1864, Thomas J. Smith was shot 
 through both legs and fell into the hands of the enemy. He 
 was recaptured two days later and taken to the field hospital, 
 where he died June 9. 
 
 In a skirmish near Kingston, May 19, 1864, John E. Evans 
 was wounded in the foot. At New Hope Church, May 29, 
 1864, Edgar C. Langdon was wounded in the hand. In the 
 engagements about Kenesaw Mountain Sergeant John B. 
 Reynolds was wounded in the neck and shoulder, Sergeant 
 George Dawson in the head, Corporal Harrison Gage in the 
 back, William Bell in the hand, and Peter Damphouse in the 
 arm. 
 
 In an engagement near Atlanta, August 19, 1864, Corpo- 
 ral Robert D. Tarpley was wounded in the arm, and Corporal 
 Charles Shaw in the side. Hugh Williams was captured while 
 out with some foragers, August 2, 1864, and taken to Ander-
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY I. 873 
 
 sonville and Florence, dying at the latter place November 29, 
 1864. 
 
 At Lovejoy's Station, September 2, 1864, Patrick Hewitt 
 was killed. These embrace all of the battle casualties, as far 
 as they have been gathered, of men actually with the Com- 
 pany ; but First Sergeant Woodruff, who had been promoted 
 to First Lieutenant and Adjutant in a colored Regiment, was 
 killed at the battle of Nashville, December 16, 1864 ; Sergeant 
 Francis P. Quinn, Who was appointed Sergeant -Major at the 
 organization of the Regiment, but who was always looked 
 upon as a member of the Company, was desperately wounded 
 at Chickamauga, and for a few days a prisoner in the hands of 
 the enemy ; he subsequently went home on furlough and was 
 accidentally drowned in Chicago, in January, 1864. 
 
 Ten of the original members of the Company died from 
 disease during their term of service ; one recruit died just 
 after being transferred to the 21st Illinois, after the muster- 
 out of the Company, and one while en route to the command. 
 One man deserted in 1863, and one recruit, who had once 
 deserted and been apprehended, attempting to desert a second 
 time, was shot and killed by the guard while on his way to 
 the command. 
 
 Following Chickamauga, Captain Barker resigned, where- 
 upon First Lieutenant Tarpley was made Captain, and Second 
 Lieutenant Moore was promoted to First Lieutenant. The 
 Company being below the minimum number no Second Lieu- 
 tenant was commissioned at that time. In the spring of 1864, 
 Lieutenant Moore was assigned to duty as Regimental Quar- 
 ter-Master, and First Sergeant Thomas J. Smith was commis- 
 sioned First Lieutenant, his papers not arriving, however, 
 until after his death from wounds received at Resaca. First 
 Sergeant George Marshall was promoted to First Lieutenant 
 to date June 9, 1864, but was not mustered until the following 
 December. A number of recruits arriving in November and 
 December, 1864, the Company was again above the minimum 
 number, and First Sergeant John Long was commissioned 
 Second Lieutenant. 
 
 Twenty-six different men were non-commissioned officers
 
 874: HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 in the Company. Only twelve were discharged for disability 
 other than wounds, and but two were transferred to the 
 Veteran Reserve Corps much less than the average number. 
 
 Twenty-four of the recruits were transferred to Company 
 I, 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865, and went to Texas with that 
 command. 
 
 Fifty of the original Company were present at the final 
 muster out .at Nashville, June 10, 1864, and nine of the 
 recruits whose terms of service were soon to expire were per- 
 mitted to return home with the three years' veterans. In the 
 individual sketches which follow it is attempted to give a 
 concise statement of the history of each member of the 
 Company. 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain John C. Smith. Age30 ; born in Philadelphia, Pa., contractor 
 and builder c enlisted from Galena ; elected Captain at the organization 
 of the Company and Major at the organization of the Regiment. (See- 
 Roster of Field and Staff.) 
 
 Captain John Barker. Age 27 ; born in Canada ; bookkeeper ; en- 
 listed from Elizabeth ; elected First Lieutenant at the organization of the 
 Company, and Captain upon the promotion of Captain Smith to be 
 Major ; resigned Oct. 6, 1863 ; address, Scribner, Nebraska. 
 
 Captain John P. Tarpley. Age 30 ; born in St. Francis, Mo. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; elected Second Lieutenant at the organization 
 of the Company, and First Lieutenant at the organization of the Regi- 
 ment ; promoted to Captain October 6, 1863 ; participated in all of the 
 engagements of the command except Chickamauga, and won the respect 
 of all for courage and ability ; m. o. with Regiment. Is proprietor of a 
 hotel in Falls City, Nebraska. 
 
 First Lieutenant George W. Moore. Age 23 ; born in Ireland; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; elected Second Lieutenant at the organization 
 of the Regiment ; promoted to First Lieutenant Oct. 6, 1863 ; commanded 
 the Company at the battle of Chickamauga ; at Lookout Mountain com- 
 manded Company C, and was severely wounded in the leg, being disabled 
 for several weeks ; assigned to duty as Quarter-Master of the Regiment 
 Feb. 12, 1864, serving in that capacity until the close of the war ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is farming at Essex, Iowa. 
 
 First Lieutenant John M. Woodruff. Age 26 ; born in Worthington, 
 Ohio ; was Principal of one of the public schools of Galena ; appointed 
 First Sergeant at organization of the Company ; participated in the battle 
 of. Chickamauga with the Regiment ; discharged Oct. 25, 1863, for pro- 
 motion as First Lieutenant in a colored Regiment, and was killed while
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY I. 875 
 
 acting as Adjutant, in an assault upon Overton Hill, at the battle of 
 Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 16, 1864. 
 
 First Lieutenant Thomas J. Smith. Age 36 ; born in Pennsylvania ; 
 carpenter ; enlisted from Galena ; appointed Second Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to First Sergeant Oct. 26, 1863 ; 
 participated in all of the engagements of the Regiment until fatally 
 wounded at the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864 ; his wound, which 
 was through both lower limbs, was received as the left wing of the 
 Union army was driven back, and he was left in the enemy's hands, 
 remaining a prisoner two days and until the rebels were forced to leave 
 the field, when he was re-taken and conveyed to hospital at the village of 
 Resaca, where he died June 9, 1864. He had previously been recommended 
 for promotion to the rank of First Lieutenant, and his commission was 
 issued but did not reach the Regiment until after his death ; was a brother 
 of Col, J. C. Smith. , 
 
 First Lieutenant George Marshall. Age 20 ; born in Rock Island, 
 111., miner ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; appointed First Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; pr6moted to Sergeant and First Sergeant, 
 and commissioned First Lieutenant to date June 9, 1864, but not mustered 
 as such until Dec 20, 1864 ; was wounded in the hand at the battle of 
 Chickamauga ; was rarely absent from the command, and a popular arid 
 efficient, officer ; m. o. with Regiment. Is engaged in the hardware busi- 
 ness at Storm Lake, Iowa. 
 
 Second Lieutenant John Long. Age 24 ; born in Castleton, Ireland ; 
 harness maker ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; appointed Fourth Corporal at 
 the organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant and First Ser- 
 geant, and commissioned Second Lieutenant March' 11, 1865 ; participated 
 in nearly every engagement of the command ; m. o. with Regiment V 
 died at Elizabeth, 111., Dec. 13, 1881. 
 
 First Sergeant Arthur Spare. Age 20 ; born in Galena, 111. ; farmer \ 
 enlisted from Galena"; appointed Fifth Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; promoted to Sergeant and First Sergeant ; participated in 
 all of the engagements of the Regiment but was never wounded, although 
 his clothing was more than once cut by bullets ; in. o. with Regiment ; 
 is farming near Manchester, Iowa. 
 
 Sergeant Whiting C. Woolsey. Age 28 ; born in New York ; plas- 
 terer ; enlisted from Galena ; appointed Third Sergeant at the organization, 
 of the Company ; discharged for disability at Danville, Ky_, March 7, 
 1863. Resides in Batavia, N. Y. 
 
 Sergeant Francis P. Quinn. Age 28 ; born in Waterford, N. Y. ; 
 saddler ; promoted to Sergeant-Major (See Roster of Non-Commissioned 
 Staff). 
 
 Sergeant Jerome B. Hamilton. Age 25 ; born in Cataraugus County, 
 N. Y. ; teacher ; enlisted from Galena ; appointed Fifth Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; discharged for disability at Nashville, 
 Tenn., May 26, 1863.
 
 876 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Sergeant John Reynolds. Age 23 ; born in Bonmahon, Ireland ; 
 wagon maker; enlisted from Elizabeth ; appointed Second Corporal at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant Feb. 10, 1863 ; par- 
 ticipated in nearly every engagement of the command ; at Moccasin 
 Point was knocked down by a bullet which struck him in the shoulder, 
 but was not seriously injured ; and in one of the battles near Kenesaw 
 Mountain, June 17, 1864, was wounded in the neck and breast ; although 
 not so disabled as to keep him long from the command, the injury proved 
 serious and resulted in a lung disease from which he died ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; died at Elizabeth, 111., March 22, 1885. 
 
 Sergeant George Dawson. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; appointed Eighth Corporal at the 
 ouganization of the Company ; promoted to Sergeant in May, 1864 ; par- 
 ticipated in every engagement of the Regiment up to and including 
 Kenesaw Mountain, and was also at Franklin 'and Nashville ; was 
 wounded in the head at Kenesaw Mountain, June 21, 1864, and disabled 
 for one month ; never absent from the command except at that time ; 
 was a brother of Lieutenant Dawson of Company F ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Resides at Hanover, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Moses Furlong. Age 23 ; born in Jersey City, N. J. ; tin- 
 smith ; enlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; was 
 seldom absent from the command and took part in many engagements, 
 but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment ; resides at North Auburn, 
 Neb. 
 
 Sergeant John C. Darr. Age 26 : born in Pennsylvania ; carpenter ; 
 enlisted from Pleasant Valley ; promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; took 
 part in many engagements ; m. o. with Regiment ; died in Kansas about 
 
 1882. 
 
 Corporal George W. Roberts. Age 22 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 
 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from Derinda ; appointed Third Corporal at the 
 organization of the Comrjany ; died at Nashville, Tenn., April 26, 1863. 
 
 Corporal William B. Goss. Age 19 ; born in Carroll County, 111., 
 miner ; enlisted from Galena ; appointed Sixth Corporal at the organiza- 
 tion of the Company ; had previously been in the service for eight months 
 with the 45th Illinois ; participated in nearly all of the engagements of 
 the command, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment ; subsequently 
 enlisted in the Regular Army, serving until disabled by the fracture of a 
 limb ; is mining near Galena, 111. 
 
 Corporal Henry Bonitell. Age 25 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; missing at battle of Chickamauga and 
 undoubtedly killed. 
 
 Corporal Thomas E. Moore. Age 25 ; born in Ireland ; teacher ; 
 enlisted from Hanover ; promoted to Corporal ; participated in the battles 
 of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain, and in the early engagements 
 of the Atlanta campaign, but escaped wounds ; was then detailed to
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY I. 877 
 
 assist his brother, who was Quarter -Master, and remained in that service 
 until the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment. Is merchandizing at 
 Galena, 111. 
 
 Corporal George Green. Age 19 ; born in Racine County, Wis. ; 
 wagon maker ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; promoted to Corporal ; dis- 
 charged for disability at Nashville, June 26, 1863 ; subsequently re-enlisted 
 in another regiment and served to the close of the war ; is farming at 
 Ash Creek, Minn. 
 
 Corporal Robert D. Tarpley. Age 26 ; born in St. Francis, Mo. ; 
 miner ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; promoted to Corporal ; was in all of 
 the engagements until severely wounded in the arm near Atlanta, Aug. 
 19, 1864 ; partially recovered and was on detached duty most of the time 
 until the close of the war ; m. o. with Regiment ; was a brother of Cap- 
 tain Tarpley ; is farming at Utica, Mo. 
 
 Corporal William C. Travis. Age 35 ; born in Fulton, N. Y. ; civil 
 engineer ; enlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal ; discharged from 
 hospital at Nashville May 30, 1865 ; continued in poor health and died in 
 Galena shortly after the war. 
 
 Corporal Charles Shaw. Age 31 ; born in England ; farmer; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth ; promoted to Corporal and served with the Color Guard 
 at the battle of Lookout Mountain and much of the time following ; 
 participated in nearly every engagement, and was wounded in the side 
 near Atlanta, Ga., August 19, 1864 ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at 
 Elizabeth. 111. 
 
 Corporal Harrison Gage. Age 35 ; born in England ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Stockton ; participated in nearly every engagement ; was 
 struck in the arm at Lookout Mountain, and again wounded at Kenesaw 
 Mountain, June 19, 1864 ; was rarely sick during his entire term of ser- 
 vice, but while awaiting pay at Chicago, after the muster out of the 
 Regiment, was taken ill, and died at Camp Douglas, in the latter part of 
 June, 1865. 
 
 Corporal Alfred B. Foster. Age 24 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Thompson ; promoted to Corporal ; was almost 
 constantly with command, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment ; 
 is farming at Clay Centre, Kansas. 
 
 Corporal John Hill. Age 22 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth ; promoted to Corporal ; after serving almost constantly 
 with the Regiment, and participating in numerous engagements, was 
 taken ill at the close of the Atlanta campaign, and died at Atlanta, Ja., 
 September 23, 1864. 
 
 Corporal George Topping. Age 26 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Hanover ; promoted to Corporal ; at Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., 
 was struck by a bullet in the face, his jaw being fractured, but was only 
 absent about a month ; still carries quite a scar ; participated in every
 
 878 HISTOKY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 engagement except those occurring during that brief absence ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; is farming near Hanover, 111. 
 
 Corporal Francis Koontz. Age 23 ; born in Strasbourg, France ; 
 marble cutter ; enlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal ; was 
 wounded in the breast at Chickamauga, but not long disabled ; partici- 
 pated in nearly every engagement ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at 
 Roca, Lancaster County, Neb. 
 
 Corporal Thomas McDonough. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; promoted to Corporal ; participated in numerous 
 engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with Regiment ;.js at Little 
 Hockeys, Chateau County, Montana. 
 
 Corporal Thomas B. Bray. Age 27 ; born in England ; tinner; en- 
 listed from Elizabeth ; was detailed with Pioneer Corps, April 7, 1863, 
 and transferred to Company A, 1st Regiment U. 8. V. V. Engineers, July 
 18, 1864, and appointed First Corporal ; served with that command until 
 the close of the war; m. o. at Nashville, Tenn., June 26, 1865 ; is a 
 -merchant at Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Christian Abbey (Obley). Age 23; born in Germany; tailor ; en- 
 listed from Berryman ; participated in several engagements ; m. o. with 
 Hegiment ; is farming at Loran, Stephenson County, 111. 
 
 John Adams. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; enlisted from Galena ; 
 desperately wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, and left upon the 
 field, doubtless dying in a few hours. 
 
 William P. Beck. Age 39 ; born in Lewis County, N. Y. ; tailor ; 
 enlisted from Galena ; discharged for disability, September 20, 1863 ; is 
 farming at Parker, Turner County, Dakota. 
 
 William Bell. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Guilford ; was in nearly every engagement, and was 
 wounded in left hand at Kenesaw Mountain, June 18, 1864 ; m. o. with 
 Hegiment ; is teaming at Fulton, 111. 
 
 John Bennett. Age 21 ; born in Knox County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth ; died at Hospital No. 3, Nashville, Tenn., March 25, 
 1863. 
 
 Truman F. Bennett. Age 19 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Thompson; was killed at the battle of Chickamauga, 
 Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 William H. Bevard. Age 28 ; born in York County, Pa. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Rice ; was in several engagements ; died in hospital at 
 Nas&ville, Tenn.. August 6, 1864. 
 
 John Bowman. Age 40 ; born in Scotland, miner ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth ; killed at the battle of Chickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Almon Brower. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ;
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY I. 879 
 
 enlisted from Stockton ; was in nearly every engagement ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; is farming at Pitcherville, 111. 
 
 John Byers. Age 23 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover ; was always with the command ; m. o. with Regiment ; resides 
 at Marysville, California. 
 
 Dennis Crowley. Age 23 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Pleasant Valley ; was in many engagements, but escaped wounds ; was 
 sick in hospital, at Quincy, 111., at m. o. of Regiment ; is farming at 
 Plum River, 111. 
 
 William Conley. Age 23; born in Pike County, 111. ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Guilford ; discharged for disability at Danville, Ky., Decem- 
 ber 29, 1862 ; is farming at Guilford, 111. 
 
 William Daly. Age 39 ; born in Ireland ; fanner ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; discharged for disability at Nashville, Tenn., May 18, 1883. 
 
 Peter Damphouse. Age 20 ; born in Germany; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rice ; wounded in right arm at Kenesaw Mountain, June 21, 1864 ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; is reported to reside in Colorado. 
 
 Joseph Dirnberger. Age 35 ; born in Germany ; shoemaker ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; deserted February 9, 1863. 
 
 James Edwards. Age 44 ; born in Australia ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; discharged at Nickajack Cove, Ga., January 1, 1864 ; died 
 iu Galena, December 29, 1880. 
 
 John E. Evans. Age 24 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth ; wounded in the foot near Kingston, Georgia, May 19, 1864 ; 
 m. o. with Regiment ; entered the ministry after the war, and is pastor 
 of a church, and also postmaster, at Woodbine, Wts> Jt-ZZ. c 
 
 George Evans. Age 17 ; born in North Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena ; participated in every battle and skirmish in which the Regiment 
 was engaged, and at Chickamauga was wounded in the neck, but not 
 disabled ; at Kenesaw Mountain had a bullet through his haversak ; was 
 never absent from the Regiment except for about one month in the 
 spring of 1865, when on detached service at Russellville, Tennessee ; 
 m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at Apple River, Illinois. 
 
 John Fablinger. Age 18 ; born in Maryland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Sand Prairie ; severely wounded in the shoulder at the battle of 
 Chickamauga, and discharged at Jeffersonville, Ind., May 25, 1865; is 
 farming at Hanover, 111. 
 
 William J. Forbes. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Pleasant Valley ; was f urloughed from hospital, 
 and died at his home in Pleasant Valley, 111., Nov. 29, 1863. 
 
 John Gerome. Age 21 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rice ; participated in numerous battles, but escaped wounds ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; died in Wisconsin about 1884.
 
 880 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Abram Goddard. Age 25 ; born in Stukely, Canada ; farmer ; en 
 listed from Stockton ; discharged for disability from hospital at Hunts- 
 ville, Ala., March 1, 1865 ; resides at Otter Creek, Eau Claire County, 
 Wis. 
 
 Henry Goodburn. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; teamster ; 
 enlisted from Council Hill j was with the Regiment most of the time, 
 but drove team for a few months ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at 
 Marcus, Iowa. 
 
 Joseph Gray. Age 23 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Rice ; participated in numerous engagements, but escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with Regiment ; is a baker and confectioner at Cedar 
 Falls, Iowa. 
 
 ' Christopher Harvey. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 teamster ; enlisted from Council Hill ; was sick in hospital for a time, 
 and transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, July 25, 1864, serving in 
 that organization until the close of the war ; resides at 21 Meek Street, 
 Indianapolis, Indiana. 
 
 Louis Heck. Age 26 ; born in Maryland ; painter : enlisted from 
 Galena ; was detailed as wagoner much of the time ; m. o. with Regiment ; 
 died in Dubuque, Iowa, about 1870. 
 
 Patrick .Hewitt. Age 24 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Pleasant Valley ; was a brave and faithful soldier, and was killed in an 
 assault upon the enemy's lines at Lovejoy's Station, Ga., Sept. 2, 1864. 
 
 Thomas Hobson. Age 18 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Council Hill ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps September 12, 1863 ; 
 is farming near Sparta, Wis. 
 
 Thomas Holland. Age 22 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; detailed with Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863 ; and 
 transferred to 1st U. 8. V. V. Engineers, July 25, 1864, serving with that 
 command to the clos6 of the war ; is a carpenter, and resides at 
 Savanna, 111. 
 
 Owen Hughes. Age 26 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Woodbine ; was in nearly every engagement, but escaped wounds ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; is farming at Woodbine, 111. 
 
 Hugh R. Hughes. Age 29 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Woodbine ; m. o. with Regiment ; is farming at Lemars, Iowa. 
 
 James Hutchinson. Age 30 ; born in Scotland ; miner ; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth ; was severely wounded in the side at Chickamauga, his 
 wound disabling him for many months, but eventually rejoined the 
 command and was m. o. with Regiment ; is on a ranch at Hotchkiss, 
 Colorado. 
 
 Freeman Hopkins. Age 38 ; born in Warren County, N.Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Berryman ; m. o. with Regiment ; resides at Loran, 
 Stephenson County, 111.
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Corp'l THOS E. MOOBK. 
 WILLIAM M. PEBRY. 
 Serjr't W. C. WOOI.SEY. 
 
 Oapt. J. P. TAKIM.KY. 
 Lieut. T. .1. SMITH. 
 
 Serg't Major F. P. QUINN. 
 Lieut. GEORGE MARSHALL. 
 W. W. MCDONALD.
 
 ROSTEK OF COMPANY I. 881 
 
 Jasper N. Johnson. Age 25 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Derinda ; was with the command most of the time ; m. o. 
 with Regiment ; resides at Hanover, 111. 
 
 Humphrey Leslie. Age 22 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth ; died in hospital, Nashville, Tenn., April 9, 1863. 
 
 William H. Long. Age 43 ; born in Virginia ; builder ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; discharged for disability at Danville, Ky., Nov. 23, 1863 ; 
 died in Missouri shortly after the war. 
 
 Daniel Malone. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; was wounded in the head at Chickamauga, and 
 in the leg at Lookout Mountain, but not long disabled ; participated in 
 almost every engagement ; m. o. with Regiment ; is mining at Eliza- 
 beth, 111. 
 
 William McDonald. Age 20; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 miner ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; participated with the Regiment in the 
 battles of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain ; was then detailed in 
 the Ambulance Corps and did excellent service throughout the Atlanta 
 campaign, and at Franklin and Nashville in assisting to carry wounded 
 men from the numerous battle fields ; m. o. with Regiment ; has been 
 doing a general merchandizing business at Elizabeth, 111., where he was 
 Postmaster for three years prior to 1885 ; was elected Sheriff of Jo 
 Daviess Count* in 1886. 
 
 James McGregor. Age 18; born in Virginia; farmer; enlisted 
 from Woodbine ; was in nearly every engagement of the command, but 
 escaped wounds ; m. oywitli Regiment ; was killed at Plymouth, Cali- 
 fornia, Nov. 6. 1882, by the explosion of a boiler at the Empire Stamp 
 Mill. 
 
 Michael Meres. Age 44 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Derinda ; was at Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain ; died in hospital 
 at Bridgeport, Ala., February 14, 1864. 
 
 Otho Morris. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; was generally with the command ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; is farming at Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Thomas L. McNeil. Age 30 ; born in New York ; steamboat, hand ; 
 enlisted from Berryman ; transferred to V. R. Corps July 29, 1864 ; lives 
 near Lincoln, Nebraska. 
 
 Charles Newton. Age 18 ; born in Ohio ; teamster ; enlisted from 
 Smeltger's Grove, Wis. ; was generally with the command ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at Calliope, Iowa. 
 
 John Noble. Age 18 ; born in Indiana ; miner ; enlisted from Eliza- 
 beth ; participated in several engagements ; m. o. with Regiment. Re- 
 sides at Kirksville, Mo. 
 
 Oliver H. Perry. Age 40 ; born in New York ; brick-mason ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; was detailed with Ambulance Corps, and drove an ambu- 
 56
 
 882 HISTORY OF THE 96 r m REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 lance much of the time ; was in hospital for a time, and discharged by 
 reason of the close of the war at Nashville, Tenn., May 18, 1863 ; died at 
 Carson, Iowa, March 21, 1882. 
 
 William M. Perry. Age 16 ; born at Galena, 111. ; school boy ; enlisted 
 from Galena ; was Fifer with Regimental Band much of the time, but 
 served. as an Orderly to Gen. Steedman for several months, and in that 
 capacity had some narrow escapes at the battle of Chickamauga, once 
 riding through the Rebel lines, and at other times passing so near them 
 as to be a special target ; returned to the Regiment when the Reserve 
 Corps was broken up ; although but a mere lad, he passed through his 
 term of service without serious illness, or absence from the command; 
 in. o. with Regiment. Has been a Justice of the Peace for many years, 
 and is merchandizing at Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Charles Parker. Age 23 ; born in Devonshire, England ; blacksmith ; 
 enlisted from Derinda ; was in nearly every engagement, but escaped 
 wounds ; m. o. with Regiment. Is blacksmithing at Green Vale, 111. 
 
 William Perrin. Age 19 ; born in Warwickshire, England ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Council Hill ; discharged for disability at Louisville, Ky., 
 Oct. 8, 1863. Was injured in a mine accident at Leadville, Col., in Ib79, 
 causing his death, at Sheffield, Iowa. 
 
 Frank M. Pogue. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111 ; potter ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; was so severely wounded in the leg at Chicka- 
 mauga as to cause his discharge, from hospital at Quincy, 111., Aug. 7, 
 1864. Is a miner at Leadville, Col. 
 
 John A. Ransom. Age 19 ; born in Sangamon County, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; absent, sick, at m. o. of Regiment. Is farming 
 at Reels, Iowa. 
 
 Thomas Reynolds. Age 17 ; born in Ireland ; enlisted as Private, 
 but was detailed as Drummer, and served with Regimental Band till the 
 close of the war ; was never absent, except for about three weeks in the 
 spring of 1863 ; was present and acted with the Ambulance Corps in 
 every engagement in which the Regiment participated ; at Chickamauga 
 a bullet struck his blanket, which he carried in a roll upon his shoulder, 
 and penetrated it, knocking him down and bruising his shoulder, but not 
 disabling him so as to take him from his command ; was a brother of 
 Sergeant Reynolds and Robert Reynolds, both of this Company ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is a member of the firm of Fiddick & Reynolds, boot 
 and shoe dealers, Galena, 111. 
 
 John Schaible. Age 25 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Derinda ; discharged for disability at Louisville, Ky., Feb. 9, 1863. 
 Is farming at Hanover, 111. 
 
 August Steimlie. Age 20 ; born in Baden, Germany ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Galena ; was seriously wounded in the shoulder at the battle 
 of Chickamauga ; discharged from hospital by reason of the close of the
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY I. 883 
 
 war, at Nashville, Term., May 17, 1865. Died at Apple River, 111., about 
 1875. 
 
 Joseph Spittler. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; fanner ; 
 enlisted from Derinda ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming near Hanover, 
 111. 
 
 Aquilla C. Tarpley. Age 21; born in St. Francis County, Mo.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Elizabeth. Died from small pox at Bridgeport, 
 Ala., in February, 1864 ; was a brother of Captain Tarpley. 
 
 Charles R. Tippett. Age 30 ; born in Cornwall, England ; miner ; 
 enlisted from Council Hill ; was generally with the command ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Resides at White Oak Springs, Wis. 
 
 Samuel White. Age 22 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth ; was in numerous engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is farming near Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 Robert White. Age 20 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth ; was almost always with the command ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Died in Memphis, Tenn., in 1866 ; was a brother of Samuel White. 
 
 Mathew White. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; was generally with the command ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is clerking in a store at Barronett, Barron County, Wis. 
 
 John Williams. Age 25 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Pleasant Valley. Died at Danville, Ky., Feb. IS, 1863. 
 
 Hugh Williams. Age 19 ; born in Wales ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Thompson ; was wounded in the side at Chickamauga ; was captured by 
 the enemy while out with a foraging expedition near Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 
 2, 1864, and died in prison at Florence, S. C., Nov. 29, 1864 
 
 Benjamin B. Wilson. Age 23; born in Jo Daviess County, I1J.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Elizabeth ; was severely wounded in the shoulder 
 at the battle of Chickamauga, but returned to the command and took 
 part in most of the engagements following ; m. o. with Regiment. Re- 
 sides near Modesto, Cal. 
 
 Thomas Wright. Age 21 ; born in Ireland ; blacksmith ; enlisted 
 from Hanover ; m. o. with Regiment. Died in Nebraska a few years 
 since. 
 
 David Young. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth ; took part in nearly every engagement ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. 
 
 Gains W. Young. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlibted from Elizabeth : was killed at the battle of Chickamauga Sept. 
 20, 1S63.
 
 884 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 ROSTER OF RECRUITS. 
 
 James E. Black. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ~, 
 enlisted from Chicago Feb. 4, 1861, and joined the Regiment in time to 
 participate in all of the engagements of the Atlanta campaign, and the 
 battles of Franklin and Nashville ; transferred to Company I, 21st Illinois, 
 June 9, 1865, and finally m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is 
 farming at Spring Valley, Turner County, Dakota. 
 
 Thomas Craig. Age 20; born in Marshall, Clark County, 111. ; student ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Sept. 17, 1864, joining the Regiment at Chatta- 
 nooga in October ; at the battle of Franklin was captured by the enemy, 
 while on the skirmish line, and was a prisoner of war until March 26, 
 1865 ; rejoined the command in East Tennessee in April ; m. o. with 
 Regiment ; had previously served three years in Company I, 19th Illinois ; 
 was once a prisoner of war for a few days in Tennessee, but escaped ; at 
 Chickamauga was severely wounded in the hip, and a prisoner for ten 
 days and until paroled. Is a liveryman at Stockton, Kansas. 
 
 Joseph Crummer. Age 36 ; born in Delaware ; merchant ; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth Sept. 17, 1864, joining the Regiment at Nashville ; dis- 
 charged for disability at Chicago March 18, 1865. Is a minister in the M. 
 E. Church at Freeport, 111. 
 
 Samuel Carson. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena, Oct. 3, 1864, and joined the command in time to 
 participate in the battle of Nashville ; at m. o. of Regiment was trans- 
 ferred to Company I, 21st Illinois, and discharged in October, 1865. Is 
 farming at Alden, Iowa. 
 
 William Calvert. Age 38 ; born in England ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Elizabeth, Oct. 10, 1864; transferred to the 21st Illinois, June 9, 
 1865 ; finally m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. Resides at Stockton, 
 Rooks County, Kan. 
 
 Andrew Endress. Age 22 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth, Sept. 23, 1864 ; was in the battles of Franklin and Nashville ; 
 m o. with Regiment. Died in Iowa, in January, 1881. 
 
 James Fielding. Age 40 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth, Oct. 10, 1864 ; was at the battle of Nashville ; transferred to 
 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. Is 
 reported to have been killed in a mine explosion in Michigan, about 1875. 
 
 David (or Daniel) B. Irwin. Age 23 ; born in Illinois ; enlisted from 
 Chicago, Feb. 4, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is reported to have died since the 
 war. 
 
 William T. Irwin. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth, Feb. 28, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois, June 
 9, 1865 ; discharged from hospital, at Louisville, Ky., Aug. 5, 1865. Re- 
 port says dead:
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY I. 885 
 
 Henry H. Johnson. Age 24 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 unlisted from Deriuda, 111., Feb. 8, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 
 S, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16. 1865. 
 
 Josiah H. Jackson. Age 23; born in Fulton County, 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 
 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. 
 
 Nathan Johns. Age 20 ; born in Virginia ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth Sept. 17, 1864, joining the command at Chattanooga in Octo- 
 ber ; participated in the battles of Franklin and Nashville ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is farming at Elizabeth, 111. 
 
 George W. King. Age 24 ; born in Kentucky ; engineer ; enlisted 
 from Dunleith Sept. 17, 1864 ; was at Franklin and Nashville ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Report says has died since the war. 
 
 Robert Kilpatrick. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Hanover Feb. 25, 1865 ; transferred to the 21st Illinois June 
 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Resides at Hanover, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Edwin Lane. Age 28 ; born in Steuben County, N. Y. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Dunleith Sept. 17, 1864 ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 
 Henry Lowry. Age 21 ; born in England ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth Oct. 11, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. Went to Arizona, and is reported to have 
 died in the far West. 
 
 Edgar C. Langdon. Age 19; born in Spencerton, N. Y.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Chicago Feb. 4, 1864, joining the Regiment at the opening 
 of the Atlanta campaign ; was severely wounded in the left hand at 
 New Hope Church, May 29, 1864, and disabled ; discharged from hospital 
 May 3, 1865. 
 
 George F. Miller. Age 28; born in New York; farmer; enlisted 
 from Derinda Oct. 11, 1864, joining the Regiment soon afterward, and 
 taking part with it in the battle of Nashville; at m. o. of Regiment was 
 transferred to Company I, 2lst Illinois, and sent to Texas, where he had 
 a narrow escape from death from the bite of a venomous spider ; dis- 
 charged from the service at Springfield, 111., in January, 1866. Died in 
 Derinda, 111., in 1867. 
 
 Robert Moore. Age 21 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover Feb. 23, 1865 ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company 
 I, 21st Illinois, and was finally discharged at Springfield, 111., in January, 
 1866. Is farming at Savanna, 111. 
 
 James Miller. Age 35; born in Westmoreland, Tenn.; miner; en- 
 listed from Elizabeth Oct. 11, 1864 ; was at Nashville ; transferred to the 
 21st Illinois June 9, 1865; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, i865. Re- 
 sides near Storm Lake, Iowa.
 
 886 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Charles T. Moore. Age 31 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth Feb. 24, 1865, joining the command in East Tennessee ; at m. 
 o. of Regiment was transferred to Company I, 21st Illinois ; discharged 
 at Springfield, 111., Aug. 30, 1865. Resides at Villisca, Iowa. 
 
 Josiah Moore. Age 20 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth Feb. 24, 1865 ; was taken sick while on the way to the Regi- 
 ment, and died at Springfield, 111., in March, 1865 ; was a brother of Lieu- 
 tenant Moore. Having never joined the command his name is carried 
 with the " unassigued recruits." 
 
 Thomas P. Nichols. Age 18 ; born in England ; laborer ; enlisted 
 from Dunleith Sept. 17, 1864 ; was at Franklin and Nashville ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. 
 
 Abner Overstreet. Age 38 ; born in Virginia ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth Sept. 17, 1864, joining the command in time to participate in 
 the battles of Franklin and Nashville ; m. o. with Regiment. Died at 
 Elizabeth, 111., April 22, 1876. 
 
 James W. Paul. Age 25 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Sept. 17, 1864 ; was at Franklin and Nashville ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Resides at Rockford, 111. 
 
 Wilson Pellett. Age 38 ; born in Chenango County, N. Y. ; physician ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Sept. 17, 1864 ; was in the battles of Franklin 
 and ^Nashville ; m. o. with Regiment. Died several years since in 
 Missouri. 
 
 Moses Rees. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Elizabeth Oct. 11, 1864, and joined the Regiment in Decem- 
 ber, just in time to participate in the battle of Nashville ; at m. o. of 
 Regiment was transferred to Company I, 21st Illinois, and was finally 
 discharged in Texas Oct. 10, 1865 ; came home and took up the study of 
 law, was admitted to the bar, and is now a practicing attorney at Galena, 
 111. 
 
 Robert Reynolds. Age 16 ; bora in Jo Daviess County, 111.; smelter ; 
 enlisted from Galena Oct. 7, 1864 ; was at Nashville ; transferred to 21st 
 Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. 
 
 William Skellie. Age 19 ; born in Hillsdale, Mich. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Derinda March 16, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; 
 absent on furlough at m. o. of that command. Resides near Mount 
 Carroll, 111. 
 
 John D. Stone. Age 20; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Oct. 10, 1864 ; was at Nashville ; transferred to 
 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 18H5. Re- 
 sides near Winfield, Kansas. 
 
 John Scott. Age 34 ; born in England ; clerk ; enlisted from Galena 
 Oct. 11, 1864 ; died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., in June, 1865, just 
 after being transferred to the 21st Illinois.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY I. 887 
 
 Edward Williams. Age 31 ; born in Clay County. Ky. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Derinda Feb. 8, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; 
 m o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 William J. Williams. Age 21 ; born in Hawkins County, Ky. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Elizabeth Oct. 10, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 
 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. Resides at Reno, Nevada. 
 
 Robert Wright. Age 31 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Hanover Feb. 23, 1865 ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company 
 I, 21st Illinois, and sent to Texas ; was finally discharged at Springfield, 
 111., in January, 1866. Is farming at Derinda Center, 111. 
 
 William F. Wilson. Age 32 ; born in Guernsey County, Ohio ; 
 miner ; enlisted from Elizabeth, Oct. 10, 1864 ; was at Nashville and in 
 the campaign following ; transferred to the 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. 
 o. at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 12, 1865. One reports that he died at Silver 
 City, Montana, a few years since ; another reports him a resident of 
 California. 
 
 Thomas White. Age 19; born in Illinois ; farmer; enlisted from 
 Chicago Feb. 4, 1864, but resided in Elizabeth ; joined the command in 
 time to participate in the battles of the Atlanta campaign, and Franklin 
 and Nashville ; at m. o. of Regiment was transferred to Company I, 21st 
 Illinois, and finally discharged at Springfield, 111., in January, 1866. Died 
 at Hanover, 111., in 1871.
 
 888 HISTORY OF THE 96'm REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 BY HON. GEORGE W. PEPOON. 
 
 The Tenth Company The Eastern Part of Jo Daviess County Raises 
 Two Companies Warren, Rush and Nora Fill One to Over- 
 flowing Officers Chosen Warren the Headquarters Flag Presenta- 
 ' tions Sent to Rockford The Captain Chosen Colonel A Private 
 Elected Captain "K" is the Letter Drawn Occupying Fort Shaler 
 First Experience with a Rebel Shell Chickamauga Losses 
 Other Casualties. 
 
 THE northeastern part of Jo Daviess County was settled 
 largely by emigrants from Ohio and New York whose ances- 
 tors came from New England or the Eastern States. These 
 people were patriotic and brave, and many of them gloried in 
 being called Abolitionists. So when the call came for 300,000 
 more in the summer of 1862, it took but a few days to fill a 
 Company to overflowing, notwithstanding the fact that .three 
 Companies had already gone from our midst, viz., Company 
 E, loth Illinois ; Company B, 45th Illinois ; and Company 
 G, 3d Missouri Cavalry. 
 
 Thomas E. Champion, a lawyer of Warren, and G. W. 
 Pepoon did most of the recruiting at Warren, and Edward E. 
 Townsend at Rush, while several parties did good work at 
 Nora. When the Company was full others who enlisted 
 joined Company H. By common consent Thomas E Cham- 
 pion was elected Captain ; E. E. Townsend, of Rush, First 
 Lieutenant ; and G. W. Pepoon, of Warren, Second Lieuten- 
 ant, although there was quite a contest for the latter place, as 
 Nora claimed the Second Lieutenancy on account of having 
 given a good many men to the Company. The farmer boys 
 remained at home and secured the harvest, although about 
 the middle of August the fair grounds at Warren were occu- 
 pied, the men sleeping in the buildings, the food being sup- 
 plied by T. D. Rose, a local merchant, who was liberal to a
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY K. 880 
 
 fault. At first very little sleeping was indulged in, as severity- 
 five or a hundred men could not make up their minds to go 
 quietly to sleep at the same time. However, we lived through 
 it, and, us a rule, enjoyed the new mode of life. Company 
 H was with us at this time. A little foraging was done, but 
 the citizens did not seem to care much for this eccentricity. 
 C. N. Elston, who had previously served in the 15th Illinois, 
 was the drill-master, and the men rapidly became soldiers in 
 keeping step and standing erect. Before leaving Warren, the 
 citizens presented beautiful flags to the two Companies, known 
 then as Champion's Company and Burnett's Company. It 
 was a great day for Warren and for the soldier boys, as the 
 people flocked from the surrounding country and filled the 
 town as it had never been filled before. 
 
 Previous to going to Rockford a vote had been taken by 
 the six Companies of Jo Daviess County for Colonel of the 
 Regiment. There were two candidates for this position 
 Thomas E. Champion, of Warren, and Thomas A. Green, of 
 Galena. The western end of the county furnished three Com- 
 panies, and the eastern end the same number. The contest 
 was a close and exciting one. The writer was one of the 
 judges, and took and canvassed the vote. The three Com- 
 panies of the west end had 250 men, and they all voted for 
 Captain Green. The other three Companies had 272 votes, 
 and 271 voted for Captain Champion. Thus our Company 
 lost a good Captain, and the Regiment gained a splendid 
 'Colonel. 
 
 On Thursday, September 4, 1862, we bade farewell to our 
 homes, our parents, our wives and sweethearts, and took the 
 cars for Rockford. The cheers of the soldier boys and their 
 friends were hearty, though the tears dimmed the eyes of 
 many left behind, who seemed to feel that this parting was 
 for all time. At Rockford the six Companies from Jo Daviess 
 County were joined by four from Lake County, the Regiment 
 organized, and numbered the NINETY-SIXTH. An election 
 was held for Captain of our Company, and Timothy D. Rose, 
 the merchant heretofore mentioned, was chosen. Until this 
 time he had been a private. The non-commissioned officers
 
 890 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 had been appointed before leaving Warren, and were as fol L 
 lows : First Sergeant Christopher C. Cowen ; Sergeants 
 Garrett W. Luke, Wallace Tear, Henry R. Early and Wallace- 
 W. Abbey ; Corporals Chas. N. Elston, Thomas S. Leland,. 
 Alexander W. Conlee, William E. Tilton, C. M. Kinney r 
 Thomas J. Carlton, Albert F. Wood and Daniel Sullivan. 
 When lots were cast for the letter of the Company we drew 
 u K," and henceforth were always the last, but not the least 
 in usefulness or efficiency, during our three years' service. 
 The Company, while at Rockford, was drilled in a very thor- 
 ough manner by the Second Lieutenant, G. W. Pepoon, who, 
 though never having seen service before, was quick to learn 
 the drill, and, having a sharp, clear voice, could always be 
 heard, and so the soldier-like appearance of Company K in 
 all their movements compared favorably with the other Com- 
 panies of the Regiment. Jt was, in fact, a fine Company of 
 splendid young men. It had among its members those who 
 could run, jump or wrestle with any in the Regiment, and 
 when it came to singing, very few could equal and none excel 
 it. It stood very high as an intelligent, moral Company, 
 
 Soon after reaching Kentucky, Company K was sent to 
 garrison Fort Shaler. The Second Lieutenant was in com- 
 mand one day when the powder was brought out of the mag- 
 azine to expose it to the sun, so that it would not become 
 damp. A large quantity had been piled up all about the door 
 of the magazine, and the men were busy adding to the store 
 of explosives, when a soldier came leisurely along smoking a 
 cigar. It is hardly necessary to say that he was ordered to- 
 get away from the powder and shell in language more vigor- 
 ous than polite. 
 
 While at Fort Shaler some of the men of Company K had 
 a very vivid object lesson in regard to Rebel shell. The story 
 shall be told by First Sergeant C. C. Cowen : "There were 
 known to be a good many guerillas about, and suspicion 
 rested upon a certain party living in the vicinity of the Fort. 
 Some members of Company K, who had been treated by him 
 in an insulting and defiant manner, were desirous to interview 
 this suspected individual, and Captain Rose, knowing my
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY K. 89 1 
 
 cautious tendencies, told the boys that they might make the 
 scout if 1 would accompany them. We set out, Chaddock, 
 Providence Williams, Black, Jos. Bowker, Ben. Woodworth 
 and myself. On arriving at the house of this party, we found 
 himself and two others. We sat and talked a few minutes,, 
 and, not being able to assign any cause f5r his arrest, we 
 stepped out into the yard. I went toward the well to get a 
 drink of water. Suddenly, looking around, I saw Chaddock 
 trying to hold a 32-pound conical shell at arms length, several 
 of the boys being near him. Being angered at the unsoldierly 
 performance, and it being instantly suggested to my mind 
 that it was a trap (as I saw the suspected individual standing 
 about twenty yards oft' near the further corner of the house 
 with his wife near him, and both looking as I would imagine 
 a party would watch the final drop at the scaffold) I hallooed 
 to Chaddock to put it down. He not doing so, I started 
 toward him, and, just as I got near him, he let it drop. We 
 were all so close together that we had to jump to save our 
 feet. This was the last 1 knew until I found a couple of the 
 boys leading me along, the blood blinding me, having been 
 hit over the left eye, also in the right leg. All, with one ex- 
 ception, were severely wounded, but fortunately all recovered. 
 Ben. AVoodworth was the only one not touched. A piece 
 of the shell mortally wounded the suspected guerrilla, and 
 his wife was badly cut in the side of the neck. Seeing 
 this, as I came to myself, I told the two men before men- 
 tioned, and who were standing at the other side of the 
 house in a state of stupefaction, to go and take care of this- 
 man and woman. They started as directed, and we proceeded 
 on our journey of a couple of miles to the Fort, being met on 
 the way by a detachment from our Company, the report of 
 the shell having been heard at the Fort." 
 
 From Covington. Ky.,' Company K, with a part of the 
 Regiment, marched to Lexington. This was our first experi- 
 ence in marching, and as the roads were very dusty and the 
 drinking water extremely scarce, many of the men became a 
 good deal disgusted with soldier life, though none were dis- 
 abled on this march. After a short rest at Lexington, we
 
 892 HISTORY OF THE 96xH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 went on to Harrodsburg, where there are some famous 
 springs. Here we were treated with great hospitality by the 
 loyal citizens, and I remember particularly the kindness of Mr. 
 Caldwell, a banker of that town. We next went to Danville, 
 where a number of the Company were sick with measles. 
 Robert Pollard died here, December 19, 1862, and as this 
 was the first death in the Company, it sobered us all not a 
 little. Sergeants Abbey and Earley were disabled by the 
 measles, and were never able to again do active duty, although 
 Abbey was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps and rose 
 to the rank of Captain, while Earley, poor fellow, never re- 
 covered, and died from the consequences of that disease, 
 though not until after the war was over. 
 
 January 11, 1863, J. D. Lester died of disease, the second 
 in the long list of those who fell in the defense of the flag of 
 our country. 
 
 While riding in a stage from Danville, Ky., to Lexington, 
 the writer, who had been detailed as Aide-de-Camp at Brigade 
 Headquarters, saw a most astonishing number of crows. All 
 the afternoon they were flying to the right of the road as far 
 as the eye could reach, while as many seemed to be on the 
 left of the road, all going North. It is probable that they had 
 been down to the Ferryville battle-field getting their dinners 
 from the horses and mules which had been slain there. 
 
 Shortly after the battle of Stone River our Brigade was 
 ordered to Nashville, Tenn., and Company K, of course, went 
 with the Regiment. We marched from Danville to Louis- 
 ville, and this time it was as much too wet as it had been too 
 dry on our first march. The Regiment took passage on steam- 
 boats and enjoyed the sights very much, though the writer 
 was confined to his bed most of the way, as he had taken a 
 violent cold on the march, and had an attack of pneumonia, 
 which lasted until Nashville was reached. 
 
 Nothing of especial interest occurred until we were sta- 
 tioned at Franklin, where we had a skirmish with the enemy. 
 At Triune we were attacked by Rebel cavalry, and had our 
 first experience of bursting shell fired at us by a hostile foe. 
 Horses and men became somewhat demoralized. As a shell
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY K. , 89$ 
 
 came singing along I saw a man on horseback drop his head 
 as low as possible, while at the same time the horse fell on 
 his knees. Nothing of moment took place until Estell Springs 
 was reached, at which place we camped long enough for a. 
 good many to get sick, and Charles Jennings died. He was 
 a young man of very pleasant disposition, and was sincerely 
 mourned by the whole Company. The march to Rossville 
 was a hard one, but the men stood it well, as they were 
 animated by the expectation of something being done in the 
 near future. Good foraging was found at Rossville, and a 
 liberal supply of sweet potatoes, grapes, chickens, etc., was 
 brought into camp. On Friday evening, September 18, 1863, 
 the Company went with the Regiment and Brigade to recon- 
 noiter the enemy. Just at night his skirmish line was 
 reached, and some fighting done that night and the next day, 
 though the Company lost no men. The writer had a narrow 
 escape, as a shell struck a tree over his head and fell almost 
 under his horse's feet, but fortunately did not explode. All 
 day Saturday and Sunday forenoon we heard terrific firing to 
 the south, and about noon we started for the field of battle 
 and death to so many of our brave boys. The agony of that 
 dreadful day can never be told in words. Company K did its 
 duty. From two o'clock p. M. until night it stood, along with 
 other Companies of the Regiment, with its front to the foe. 
 The following were killed : Anson Brinkerhoff, Joseph S. 
 Bowker, Mathew Dunbar, Michael Fox and Darius "W. 
 Kenney. Thomas Porter died soon after the battle from 
 wounds. Lieutenant E. E. Townsend was wounded in the 
 right arm ; First Sergeant C. C. Cowen in the shoulder, being 
 permanently disabled ; Sergeant G. W. Luke in the head ;. 
 Sergeant C. N. Elston in the thigh ; Corporal Wm. E. Til ton 
 in the side ; James E. Black in the arm ; Edward Graham in 
 the right arm and left hand ; C. W. JPomeroy in the leg, being 
 disabled for one year ; Thomas A. Conlee in the shoulder ; 
 Curl Richardson in the leg ; Henry Shultz in the left breast 
 and left arm, disabling him for six months, and being left on, 
 the battle-field and a prisoner for ten days ; Hiram H. Hamil- 
 ton, left leg, and also being a prisoner for ten days, and dis-
 
 94 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 abled for eight months. Thomas C. Graves, in the foot, 
 being captured and held as a prisoner seventeen months ; 
 J. F. Champlin was also captured and held as a prisoner for 
 several months ; Edward Graham in the arm and thigh, be- 
 ing disabled five months ; Charles Smith had a limb injured 
 by the fall of a horse ; Thomas Morgan was slightly wounded 
 in the wrist. 
 
 At Lookout Mountain, November 24, 1863, Company K 
 was so near the perpendicular cliffs as to be somewhat pro- 
 tected, and suffered but little. Lieutenant E. E. Townsend 
 had a bullet through his right foot, and Sergeant H. W. God- 
 ding and Sergeant Thomas J. Carlton were each wounded. 
 
 At Buzzard Roost, or Dalton, February 25, 1864, Ser- 
 geant Henry J. Harriman was killed by a bullet which passed 
 close to the head of the writer, who stood about one hundred 
 feet in front of him. 
 
 At Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, James Vaughn was 
 killed ; Beri Serviss so severely wounded as to be compelled 
 to submit to the amputation of his left leg ; Edward Graham 
 was wounded by a piece of shell. 
 
 At Resaca, May 14, 1864, the Company was on the extreme 
 left of the Regiment when the line was outflanked and com- 
 pelled to fall back, and Sergeant Thomas S. Leland, Charles 
 L. Courier and John J. Vroman were killed, their bodies fall- 
 ing into the hands of the enemy, but being recovered two 
 days later. 
 
 At Dallas, or New Hope Church, May 30, 1864, Albert 
 E. Benton was killed ; and on the same line Sergeant Daniel 
 Sullivan .and Edward Graham were each slightly wounded. 
 
 In the engagements about Kenesaw Mountain, in June, 
 1864, Ross F. Rayne was mortally wounded, dying within a 
 few hours ; Corporal W. W. Hoover was severely wounded 
 in the left shoulder, the bullet lodging under his left shoulder 
 blade, where it still remains ; James Hicks was wounded in 
 the right hand ; Wm. J. Edwards, in the left leg ; W. W. 
 Hughes, in the right hip ; H. S. Dean received a scalp wound ; 
 George C. Morse was wounded in the head, and J. B. Jenkins 
 was knocked over by a piece of shell, but escaped serious injury.
 
 SKETCH OF COMPANY K. 895 
 
 At Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, John Hay, Jr., had 
 liis right thigh fractured, and died at Chattanooga August 4. 
 Sergeant Daniel Sullivan was slightly wounded in the hip. 
 Before Atlanta, August 19, 1864, Fred. Blackmail was killed 
 in a demonstration on the enemy's works. At Nashville, De- 
 cember 16, 1864, William Kimble, a recruit who had but 
 recently joined the Company, was mortally wounded, dying 
 in hospital at .Nashville, January 12, 1865. Hamilton D. 
 Crane was shot while driving a team from Bridgeport to 
 Chattanooga, and conveyed to McMinnville, Tenn., where he 
 died October 10, 1863. 
 
 The record shows that the Company lost seventeen in 
 killed or mortally wounded, being the largest number of battle 
 fatalities sustained by any Company in the Regiment. Two 
 were captured and remained prisoners for seventeen months ; 
 twenty-five were wounded ; six died of disease ; five were 
 transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and two to the First 
 U. S. Veteran Volunteer Engineers ; thirteen were discharged 
 for disability ; one was promoted to Chaplain, and one was 
 commissioned in another regiment. Of the one hundred men 
 comprising the original Company, fifty went home together 
 at the close of the war. 
 
 The Company received forty-three recruits : two Thomas 
 O'Conner and Morancy Putnam while at Rockford, in Octo- 
 ber, 1862 ; one Myron B. Champion in the spring of 1864, 
 and forty at various times during the autumn of 1864 and the 
 spring of 1865. Nearly all of these were transferred to Com- 
 pany K, 21st Illinois, June 9, 1865, and went to Texas. 
 
 THE COMPANY ROSTER. 
 
 Captain Thomas E. Champion. Age 38; born in Palmyra, N. Y. ; 
 attorney ; enlisted from Warren ; elected Captain at the organization of 
 the Company, and Colonel at the organization of the Regiment. (See 
 Roster of Field and Staff.) 
 
 Captain Timothy D. Rose. Age 33 ; born in Hartford. Licking 
 County, Ohio ; merchant ; enlisted from Warren as a Private ; furnished 
 .subsistence for the Company from the time of its organization until it 
 went to Rockford ; upon the organization of the Regiment, when Captain 
 Thomas E. Champion became Colonel, was elected Captain of the Com-
 
 896 HISTORY OF THE 96TH KEGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 pany ; resigned March 21, 1864. Is a contractor and builder at Granville r 
 Ohio. 
 
 Captain Edward E. Townsend. Aged 24 ; born in Jo Daviess 
 County, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; elected First Lieutenant at 
 the organization of the Company ; promoted to Captain April 24, 1864 \ 
 at Chickamauga a bullet passed through his hat and another gave him a 
 slight wound in the arm ; at Lookout Mountain was severely wounded 
 by a bullet whioh passed through his foot ; in. o. with the Regiment. Is 
 a large farmer and stock-raiser and a prominent citizen at Marysville, 
 Missouri. 
 
 Captain Wallace W. Abbey. Age 24 ; born in Lake County, Ohio - r 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; appointed Sergeant at the organization 
 of the Company ; had measles at Danville, Ky., and was transferred to 
 the Veteran Reserve Corps July 7, 1863 ; was promoted through the vari- 
 ous grades to Captain in the 123d Colored Regiment ; had command of 
 his Regiment for a time, and also of the transfer camp at Louisville, Ky. ; 
 m. o. late in 1865. Removing to Nebraska, he has held the position of 
 Sheriff and Superintendent of Schools of Richardson County, and for 
 six years was States Prison Inspector ; is farming at Falls City, Neb. 
 
 First Lieutenant George W. Pepoon. Age 29 ; born in Painesville, 
 Ohio ; farmer and teacher ; enlisted from Warren ; elected Second Lieu- 
 tenant at the organization of the Company ; promoted to First Lieuten- 
 ant April 24, 18H4, and breveted Captain at the close of the war ; served 
 as Aid-de-c.imp on staff of Brigade Commander from December, 1862, 
 until October, 1863, when he was assigned to duty as Provost Marshal, 
 continuing in that capacity until the close of the war. At Chickamauga 
 was the only officer on the Brigade Staff who escaped unharmed, two 
 being killed, two captured and two wounded, and the commander, W. C. 
 Whittaker, knocked off his horse by a spent ball. Was in all the battles 
 in which the Regiment took part, as well as Missionary Ridge and Ring- 
 gold, where the Regiment was not engaged. Although often exposed on 
 horseback when the men were lying down, he never was injured by the 
 foe ; was m. o. with Regiment. Was County Superintendent of Schools 
 of Jo Daviess County from 1865 to 1873, Township Assessor ten years, 
 Supervisor two years, and in 1886 was elected to the House of Represent- 
 atives of the Thirty-fifth General Assembly of the State of Illinois. Re- 
 sides on his farm at Warren, 111. 
 
 First Lieutenant Wallace Tear. Age 21 ; born in Lake County, Ohio ; 
 merchant ; enlisted from Warren ; appointed Third Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; participated with the Regiment in all of 
 its earlier experiences and at Chickamauga ; acted as Sergeant Major 
 from that battle until Nov. 9, 1863, when he was promoted to Second 
 Lieutenant in the 14th Colored Regiment ; was subsequently assigned to 
 the 25th U. S. Infantry, and served until 1883. Is a large farmer and 
 stock-raiser at Durham Park, Kan.
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 't HKNRY .7. HAKKIMAN. 
 eg E. BLACK. 
 
 First Serv r 't ('. ('. CO\VK\. 
 
 Capt. EUWAKD K. To\vNSENl>. 
 
 HARMON S. DEAN. 
 
 HKHI SKKVISS. 
 KDWAIUJ GUAM AM
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY K. 897 
 
 Second Lieutenant Garrett W. Luke. Age 19 ; born in Albany, N. Y. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Nora ; was appointed Second Sergeant at the 
 organization of the Company ; promoted to First Sergeant Jan. 27, 1864, 
 and to Second Lieutenant May 5, 1865 ; at Chickamauga was wounded in 
 the head, but did not leave the command ; was never absent from the 
 ^Regiment except for a brief furlough from Huntsville, and participated 
 in every skirmish and battle in which the Regiment was engaged ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Is farming at Geneva, Franklin County, Iowa. 
 
 First Sergeant Christopher C. Cowen. Age 21 ; born in Jo Daviess 
 County, 111. ; accountant and clerk ; enlisted from Warren ; appointed First 
 Sergeant at the organization of the Company ; received shell wounds at 
 Fort Shaler, Ky., in October, 1862, losing the sight of the left eye, and 
 receiving an ugly hurt in the right thigh. At Chickamauga had a gun- 
 shot wound through the right shoulder and shoulder blade. Had a Henry 
 rifle, a 16 shooter, which he used on the advancing enemy after our line 
 had fallen back. When his gun was emptied of cartridges he loaded it 
 again, although he had no support, and kept up his firing until the Rebel 
 line was but ten or fifteen feet from him, when he was struck by a bullet 
 and fell. A ball from his own Regiment tore his coat, as he lay on the 
 ground, but did not wound him. A Rebel gave him a drink of water, 
 but took his gun. A Henry rifle captured at Atlanta, marked "Captured 
 from a Federal soldier at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1868," is believed to be 
 the same gun. The lines again shifting he escaped from the field. Being 
 disabled for field service he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps 
 Jan. 27, 1864 ; m. o. June 30, 1865, at Nashville. Is a law reporter, and 
 resides at St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 First Sergeant Henry W. Godding. Age 21 ; born in Lawrence, Me. ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; promoted to Corporal, Sergeant and First Ser- 
 geant ; served with the Regiment, and was in all the battles in which it 
 was engaged ; was wounded slightly at Lookout Mountain ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. After the war, taught school several terms, and was Collector 
 of the town of Warren one year. For several years past has been Bag- 
 gage Master at Warren, 111., for the Illinois Central Railroad. 
 
 Sergeant Henry R. Earley. Age 21 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Nora ; appointed Sergeant at the organization of the Com- 
 pany ; had the measles at Danville, Ky., in December, 1862, which per- 
 manently impaired his health ; was discharged Oct. 16, 1863, and died in 
 1865. 
 
 Sergeant Charles N. Elston. Age 24 ; born in Bradford, Pa. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Rush ; had previously served several months in the 15th 
 Illinois ; appointed First Corporal at the organization of the Company ; 
 promoted to Sergeant ; at Chickamauga was wounded in the right thigh 
 and arm ; almost at the instant he was wounded he saw a Rebel near him ; 
 although his own gun was empty he held it as though about to fire, call- 
 ing to the man to surrender, which he did ; he then compelled his prisoner 
 to assist him from the field ; was disabled for several weeks ; returned 
 57
 
 898 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 and served to the close of the war ; was discharged at Chicago June 8, 
 1865. Is a cooper, and resides at Mazeppa, Wabasha County, Minn. 
 
 Sergeant Thomas S. Leland. Age 20 ; born in Nashville, 111.; clerk ; 
 enlisted from Nora ; appointed Second Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; was a fine specimen of young t 
 manhood, a strong friend and a brave soldier ; was killed at the battle of 
 Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864. Is buried in the National Cemetery at Chatta- 
 nooga, Tenn. 
 
 Sergeant Curl Richardson. Age 20 ; born in Chautauqua County, 
 N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; promoted to Corporal and Ser- 
 geant ; was shot through the leg at Chickamauga, but was absent only a 
 fe'w weeks ; was wounded in the hand at Resaca ; participated in almost 
 every skirmish and battle ; m. o. with the Regiment. Is a miner by 
 occupation, and resides at Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 Sergeant Daniel Sullivan. Age 19 ; born in Ireland ; shoemaker ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; appointed Eighth Corporal at the organization of 
 the Company ; promoted to Sergeant ; at Peach Tree Creek was slightly 
 wounded in the hip ; at Rocky Face Ridge had his gun struck by a bul- 
 let ; successfully reconnoitered the Rebel lines at Lookout Mountain, 
 bringing to Gen. Hooker important information, and was always con- 
 spicuous for courage ; m. o. with Regiment. Followed his trade for 
 some years and then went to farming in Iowa ; is in poor health ; is tem- 
 porarily in Chicago, but calls Le Mars, Iowa, his home. 
 
 Sergeant Leonard Appleby. Age 21 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Stockton ; promoted to Corporal and Sergeant ; in many 
 engagements, but escaped wounds ; m. o. with the Regiment. Is farm- 
 ing at Nora, 111. 
 
 Sergeant Henry J. Harriman. Age 23 ; farmer ; born in Danvers, 
 Mass. ; enlisted from Warren ; promoted from Private to Sergeant in 
 January, 1863 ; was killed at Buzzard Roost or Dalton, Ga., Feb. 25, 
 1864. The bullet that struck him passed close to the head of the writer, 
 who was on top of the hill a hundred feet in front, having gone forward 
 to reconnoiter after the line halted. Sergeant Harriman was one of the 
 best men in the Company, tall and graceful, gentle yet brave. His loss 
 was mourned by all who knew him. 
 
 Corporal Alex. W. Conlee. Age 22 ; born in Alton, 111. ; clerk ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; m. o. with Regiment. Resided in Nebraska for 
 some years, where he edited a newspaper ; is now a clerk in the Land 
 Office, Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 
 
 Corporal William E. Tilton. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Nora ; appointed Corporal at the organization of the Com- 
 pany ; wounded in right side at the battle of Chickamauga ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is a railroad contractor, and resides at Wakeeney, Kansas.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY K. 899 
 
 Corporal C. M. Kinney. Age 26; born in New York; cooper; en- 
 listed from "Warren ; appointed Corporal at organization of Company ; 
 was detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and transferred to the First 
 U. 8. V. V. Engineers July 18, 1864. Died near the close of the war. 
 
 Corporal Thomas J. Carlton. Age 33 ; born in Bradford, Mass. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; appointed Corporal at the organization 
 of the Company ; was wounded in the foot at Lookout Mountain ; was 
 well educated, and served faithfully in all of the campaigns and battles 
 until Cassville, Ga., was reached, in May, 1864, when he broke down and 
 had to go to hospital for some mouths ; returning, was m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Died at Vineland, N. J., Sept. 1, 1880. 
 
 Corporal Albert F. Wood. Age 26 ; born in New York ; wagon- 
 maker ; enlisted from Warren ; appointed Corporal at organization of the 
 Company ; was taken ill in January, 1863, and for a long time was in 
 hospital and on detached service ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a wagon 
 manufacturer at Salem, Neb. 
 
 Corporal Oscar W. Cowen. Age 22 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; promoted to Corporal ; had two bullets 
 through his clothing at Chickamauga, and his belt struck at Lookout 
 Mountain ; m. o. with the Regiment. Has been a Deputy United States 
 Marshal, and is now a physician at Norse, Bosque County, Texas. 
 
 Corporal Hiram H. Hamilton. Age 17 ; born in Indiana ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Rush ; promoted to Corporal ; was severely wounded in the 
 left leg at Chickamauga, falling into the enemy's hands, and remaining a 
 prisoner for ten days, when he was paroled ; was disabled eight months ; 
 returned to the command and was m. o. with the Regiment. Is a promi- 
 nent and respected farmer at Beloit, Kansas. 
 
 Corporal Thomas A. Conlee. Age 18 ; born in Illinois ; clerk ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; promoted to Corporal ; was wounded in the shoulder 
 at Chickamauga ; returning, served faithfully through the war, and was 
 m. o. with the Regiment. Is traveling salesman for the Grand Detour 
 Plow Company, and resides at Dixon, 111. 
 
 Corporal John H. Bates. Age 27 ; born in St. Lawrence County, 
 N. Y. ; farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; promoted to Corporal ; was left at 
 Bridgeport sick, in September, 1863, and sent to Quincy Hospital ; re- 
 joined command before the opening of the Atlanta campaign, and was 
 not again absent ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming in Rush ; P. O. ad- 
 dress, Greenvale, Jo Daviess County, 111. Is Justice of the Peace, and 
 has been Supervisor of his township six years. 
 
 Corporal Wallace W. Hoover. Age 19; born in Pennsylvania; 
 miller ; enlisted from Warren ; promoted to Corporal in July, 1864 ; at 
 Kenesaw Mountain was severely wounded, a bullet passing through his 
 left shoulder and lodging under the shoulder blade, where it still remains ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Mitchell, Dakota.
 
 900 HISTORY or THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. . 
 
 Corporal Jehile C. Tucker. Age 18 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; had a scalp wound at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863 ; pro- 
 moted to Corporal Jan. 1, 1865 ; m. o. with Regiment. Is now farming 
 at Walnut, Crawford County, Kansas. 
 
 Corporal George C. Morse. Age 23 ; born in Bond County, 111. ; 
 farmer; enlisted from Nora; at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., July 3, 1864, 
 was cut by a bullet which, passing through his hat, grazed his head, but 
 did not disable him ; was in every engagement following Lookout Moun- 
 tain ; promoted to Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment. Is with the Henry 
 Buggy Company at Freeport, HI. 
 
 Corporal Thomas Porter. Age 24 ; born in Ireland ; shoemaker ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; promoted to Corporal in January, 1863 ; was mor- 
 tally wounded at Chickamauga, and died at Chattanooga Oct. 12, 1863. 
 He was a splendid soldier, and gave his life for his country. 
 
 Corporal John C. Simmons. Age 21 ; born in Illinois ; clerk ; enlisted 
 from Nora ; promoted to Corporal ; m. o. with Regiment. Has been a 
 sewing machine agent and salesman for musical instruments, but when 
 last heard from was near Topeka, Kansas, on a stock farm. 
 
 Charles A. Arnold. Age 22 ; born in JoDaviess County, 111.; farmer ;. 
 enlisted from Rush ; was taken sick at Wartrace, Tenn., in July, 1863, 
 and absent about a year ; at Kenesaw Mountain had a bullet through, 
 the skirt of his coat ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Mazeppa, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Ira Barton. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer; en- 
 listed from Rush ; transferred to V. R. C. Jan. 15, 1864. Died from con- 
 sumption soon after the war. 
 
 Anson Brinkerhoff. Age 25 ; born in New York ; clerk ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Joseph S. Bowker. Age 23 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ;. 
 enlisted from Rush ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 James E. Black. Age 18 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted front 
 Warren ; was wounded in the right knee by the explosion of a shell at 
 Fort Shaler, as described in the Company sketch ; had a severe gunshot, 
 wound of left forearm at Chickamauga ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farm- 
 ing at Luverne, Minn. 
 
 Samuel L. Buser. Age 24 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; was detailed as Orderly at Brigade Head Quarters 
 in January, 1863, and remained on detached service until the close of the 
 war, but always with the Brigade; m. o. with Regiment. Has been a 
 photographer since the war at Warren, 111. 
 
 Henry Buser. Age 22 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; served as a Drummer in the Regimental Band much of 
 the time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a photographer at Cedar Falls,. 
 Iowa.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY K. 901 
 
 Ellis W. Buser. Age 20; born in Pennsylvania; farmer; enlisted 
 from Warren ; served as Fifer in the Regimental Band ; was a brother of 
 Samuel L. and Henry Buser, of the same Company ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is a merchant at Dawson, Neb. 
 
 Thomas Brown. Age 25 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; discharged for disability April 1, 1863. Has been a township 
 official, and resides at Oneida, Sully County, Dakota. 
 
 Albert E. Benton. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; fanner ; 
 unlisted from Rush-, was killed at Dallas, or New Hope Church, May 30, 
 1864 ; is buried in the National Cemetery at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 S. S. Burthwick. Age 26 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Thompson ; was in numerous engagements, but escaped 
 wounds ; he lost his voice, and was unfit for duty, but persisted in 
 remaining at the front ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming in Rush, Jo 
 Daviess County, 111. 
 
 George W. Baird. Age 29 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Stockton ; was taken sick in the autumn of 1862, and discharged for dis- 
 ability at Louisville, Ky., January 20, 1863. Is farming at Greenwood, 
 McHenry County, 111. 
 
 Frederick Blackman. Age 18 ; born in Connecticut ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Nora-, although but a boy, he was an excellent soldier, and 
 was killed in action before Atlanta, August 19, 1864 ; is buried in the 
 National Cemetery at Marietta, Ga. 
 
 Willard R. Chaddock. Age 23 ; born in Erie, Pa. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rush ; was wounded in right leg, hand and eye at Fort Shaler, as 
 described in the Company sketch, and disabled three months ; m. o. with 
 Regiment. Is a brick manufacturer at Des Moines, Iowa. 
 
 J. Franklin Champlin. Age 20 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Nora ; was captured at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 
 1863, and was a prisoner for many months, returning near the close of the 
 war ; m. o. with Regiment ; was badly broken in health, and died in 1875. 
 
 J. Manly Clendenning. Age 22 ; born in Illinois ; clergyman ; en- 
 listed from Apple River ; was promoted to Chaplain. (See Roster of 
 Field and Staff.) 
 
 Charles L. Courter. Age 20 ; born in Lycoming County, Pa. ; farmer; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was a good soldier, and met his death at the 
 battle of Resaca, Ga., May 14, 1864 ; is buried in the National Cemetery 
 at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 Charles W. Carlton. Age 25 ; born in Bradford, Mass. ; fanner ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was not strong, and, after trying faithfully to 
 serve his country in the Regiment, was transferred to the V. R. C. May 
 1, 1864 ; m. o. at the close of the war. Died in Colorado April 11, 1881. 
 
 George Chambers. Age 18 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; was in many engagements, but escaped wounds ; served as team-
 
 902 HisTOiSY OF THE 9GTH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 ster in the Division ordnance train the last few months ; m. o. with Regi- 
 ment. Is farming at Nora, 111. 
 
 Hamilton D. Crane. Age 29 ; born in Franklin, N. Y. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Stockton ; was a teamster, and was mortally wounded by 
 Wheeler's cavalry between Chattanooga and Bridgeport, and died at 
 McMinnville, Tenn., Oct. 10, 1863. 
 
 Harmon S. Dean. Age 25 ; born in North Carolina ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Nora ; was a very peculiar sort of person ; had a wonderful 
 memory, but could never learn to keep step ; never visited another Regi- 
 ment without finding relatives or friends ; was teamster much of the 
 time, but was with the Regiment at Kenesaw Mountain and got a bullet 
 through his hat, on the night of June 20, which just grazed his head ; 
 m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Ironton, Sauk County, Wis. 
 
 Mathew Dunbar. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 George W. Dalrymple. Age 20; born in Pennsylvania; farmer; 
 enlisted from Warren ; discharged for disability Dec. 16, 1863. Is still in 
 poor health, and is farming at Beatrice, Neb. 
 
 Parley Eaton. Age 81 ; born in Dutchess County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was sick a part of the time, but was with the 
 command in several engagements ; m. o. with Regiment. Resided in 
 Vernon County, Wis., until 1885, when he went to Colorado. 
 
 William J. Edwards. Age 20 ; born in Vermont ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; wounded in left leg below the knee at Kenesaw Mountain, 
 June 25, 1864 ; also had bullets through his haversack at Rocky Face 
 Ridge ; m. o. with Regiment. 'Is farming at Oakley, Green County, Wis. 
 
 Michael Fox. Age 27 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Apple River ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 Phineas Foss. Age 21 ; born in Maine ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Nora ; had a bullet through his hat at Resaca and one through his can- 
 teen at Kenesaw Mountain ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a mason by trade 
 and resides in Linn, Washington County, Kan. 
 
 Thomas C. Graves. Age 20; born in Kentucky; farmer; enlisted 
 from Nora ; was wounded in the foot at Chickamauga, falling into the 
 enemy's hands and being a prisoner for seventeen months ; was confined 
 at Richmond, Danville, Andersonville and Florence, returning home 
 near the close of the war so broken in health as to be unfitted for active 
 service ; m. o. at Springfield, 111., in June, 1865. Is proprietor of a family 
 grocery store at Ashley, 111. 
 
 John Gholson. Age 22 ; born in Hamilton County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; had typhoid fever, and was discharged for disa- 
 bility Jan. 2, 1863 ; enlisted in the 153d Illinois in February, 1865, serving 
 until the m. o. of that command. Is a prosperous farmer at Beloit, Kan.
 
 HOSTER OF COMPANY K. 903 
 
 Edward Graham. Age 16 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was wounded in thigh, right arm and left hand at 
 Chickamauga, the wound in the thigh being made by a canister shot ; he 
 was carried from the battle field by a rescuing party about 1 o'clock, A. M., 
 on Monday, September 21, and conveyed to Hossville ; from thence he 
 went in an army wagon to Bridgeport, where his wounds were dressed, 
 for the first time, five days after they were received ; was disabled five 
 months ; returning to the command, he was struck by a piece of shell at 
 Rocky Face Ridge, and was also slightly wounded at Pumpkin Vine 
 Creek or Dallas ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Royal, Antelope 
 County, Nebraska. 
 
 James Hicks. Age 20 ; born in Cornwell, England ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; at Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, had one ear slightly 
 cut by a bullet ; at Kenesaw Mountain, June 19, 1864, was struck by a 
 bullet in the right hand, the palm of the hand and the ends of the third 
 and fourth fingers being badly cut, a part of the bone being taken from 
 the latter ; rejoined the Regiment at Atlanta ; participated with the Regi- 
 ment in all of its engagements except during this period, and was present 
 at the final m. o. Residence, Warren, 111. 
 
 John Hay, Jr. Age 18 ; born in Scotland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; was a good soldier and performed every duty ; at Peach Tree 
 Creek, July 20, 1864, had his right thigh fractured by a bullet, and was 
 sent back to Chattanooga, Avhere he died Aug. 4, 1864. 
 
 Cornelius Haggerty. Age 19 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; had a bullet hole cut in his blouse at Chickamauga, but 
 escaped wounds ; m. o. with the Regiment. Is a successful farmer at 
 Tama City, Iowa. 
 
 Nelson B. Hull. Age 36 ; born in Ohio ; at enlistment was ticket 
 agent at Warren for the Illinois Central Railroad ; on the Lebanon march 
 in December, 1862, contracted a severe cold, which resulted in hemorrhage 
 of the lungs ; partially recovering, was detailed at Gen. Gordon Granger's 
 headquarters, accompanying the command to Franklin, Tenu., where he 
 was discharged April 15, 1863 ; subsequently enlisted in the 5th Wisconsin, 
 and was finally m. o. at Washington, D. C., in 1865. Is a Notary Public 
 and insurance agent at De Witt, Nebraska. 
 
 William P. Heydon. Age 21 ; born in New York ; saddler ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was taken sick on the Tennessee campaign, and dis- 
 charged for disability Jan. 1, 1864, dying at Shell Mound a week later, 
 and being buried in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 William W. Hughes. Age 21 ; born in Kentucky ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Nora ; was a good soldier, full of fun and helpful in keeping up the 
 spirits of his comrades ; wounded in the right hip at Kenesaw Mountain ; 
 m. o. with the Regiment. Engaged first in farming and afterward as a 
 butcher at Nora ; died in 1883, and was buried by his comrades of the G. 
 A. R., of which organization he was an honored member.
 
 904 HISTORY OF THE 96TH KEGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Charles Jennings. Age 18 ; born in Painesville, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; died at Estell Springs, Tenn., Aug. 20, 1863. 
 
 J. Byron Jenkins. Age 20 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was knocked over by the concussion of a shell at Keuesaw 
 Mountain, but not disabled ; was one of a few who never drank any 
 intoxicating liquors while in the service ; m. o. with Regiment. Lived 
 for several years since the war at Warren, where he sold agricultural im- 
 plements ; is now at Manhattan. Kansas, where he is Foreman of the 
 Manhattan Mills and Cement Co. 
 
 William Kish. Age 34 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; was a faithful soldier, but was not strong enough to stand march- 
 ing ; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps Jan. 15, 1864. Is farming 
 near Warren, 111. 
 
 Darius W. Kenney. Age 19 ; born in Bradford, Pa. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Rush ; was killed at Chickamauga Sept. 20, 1863. 
 
 James D. Lester. Age 18; born in Green County, Wis. ; farmer: 
 enlisted from Rush ; was taken sick at Harrodsburg, Ky,, where he died 
 Jan. 11, 1863. la buried either at Camp Nelson, Ky., or at Perryville, Ky. 
 
 Thomas Morgan. Age 21 ; born in Wisconsin ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; never absent from the command for more than a day or 
 two ; was in all the battles of the Regiment, and at Chickamauga was 
 struck on the right wrist by a spent ball ; m. o. with Regiment. Is fruit 
 growing at Antioch, Contra Custa County, Cal. 
 
 John A. Newton. Age 18 ; born in Lake County, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Warren ; was sick in the winter of 1862-3, and discharged for 
 disability May 21, 1863, dying soon after his return home. 
 
 Jacob Nadeg. Age 21 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; was in numerous engagements ; at Cassville, Ga., a bullet grazed 
 his right arm and entered his cap box, exploding the caps and burning him 
 on the thighs, but not injuring him so severely but that he was able tore- 
 main with the command ; m. o. with Regiment. Is farming at Rush, 111. 
 
 Butler Newton. Age 24 ; born in Allegheny County, N. Y. ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Nora ; he was a fine soldier, but, by exposure, he became 
 sick, and died at Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 7, 1863. Is buried in the National 
 Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 William Pritchard. Age 30 ; born in Wales ; shoemaker ; enlisted 
 from Warren ; was not very strong, and the exposure produced inflam- 
 mation in his eyes, and he was discharged for disability Sept. 4, 1863. 
 Has resided in Warren since the war, and is a farmer and fruit raiser. 
 
 Robert Pollard. Age 18 ; born in England ; miller ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; the march from Covington, Ky., to Danville was too much for 
 him, and, after a few days of severe sickness, he died Dec. 19, 1862 ; he 
 was the first of the Company to go, and his death was sincerely mourned 
 by all his comrades.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY K. 905 
 
 James P. Payne. Age 27 ; born in Green County, Wis. ; mason ; en- 
 listed from "Warren ; was wounded slightly at Moccasin Point, but never 
 off duty; was absent on furlough at m. o. of Regiment. Has been a 
 Justice of the Peace four years ; is now a druggist, and resides at Harlan, 
 Smith County, Kansas. 
 
 Oliver B. Pruner. Age 19 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; was detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and transferred to the 
 1st U. S. Engineers July 18, 1864, serving to the close of the war. Is 
 Treasurer of Hand County, Dakota ; address, Miller Lake. 
 
 Cyrus W. Pomeroy. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111. ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Nora ; at Chickamauga was struck by a ball a little 
 above the knee, and severely wounded ; gangrene set in, and he had a 
 narrow escape from death ; was disabled for a year, and still suffers from 
 the 'injury ; previous to Chickamauga was bass drummer in the Regi- 
 mental Band, and still retains his drum as a relic ; discharged because of 
 wound, in Chicago, June 16, 1864. Is agent for the Western Bank Note 
 and Engraving Company, and resides at 3445 Vernon Avenue, Chicago, 
 111. 
 
 Ross Porter Rayne. Age 32 ; born in Trumbull County, Ohio ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Stockton ; was killed at Kenesaw Mountain June 
 23, 1864. 
 
 Thomas J. Sherk. Age 29 ; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; served for a year or more in the ranks, and then as orderly to 
 the Colonel ; at Chickamauga went twice across the open country when 
 the Regiment and Brigade came into the fight, the Rebels shelling terrifi- 
 cally all the time ; after Chickamauga, was detailed as Orderly at Head- 
 quarters of Brigade, and was Regimental Bugler for a long time ; m. o. 
 with Regiment. Worked at the carpenter trade for several years, and 
 then bought a farm, on which he lives, near Warren, 111. 
 
 Peter Shick. Age 19 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; detailed in Pioneer Corps April 7, 1863, and transferred to the 1st 
 U. S. Engineers July 29, 1864 ; afterward sent to a gun boat, and has not 
 been heard from since. 
 
 Henry Shultz. Age 19 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush ; at the first charge at Chickamauga, Ga., Sept. 20, 1863, had his 
 blouse almost riddled with bullets, but was not struck himself ; on the 
 last charge, just at -sunset, he received a gun shot wound in the left 
 breast, also left arm shattered, between elbow and shoulder, also a flesh 
 wound in elbow ; was disabled six months ; he remained on the battle- 
 field ten days, and was then paroled and sent to Chattanooga ; recovered 
 and was m. o. with Regiment. Has been Tax Collector of Rush, and 
 for some time past a minister of the gospel and President of Seventh Day 
 Adventists' Conference, of the Northwest, at Stromburg, Polk County, 
 Heb.
 
 906 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. "V. I. 
 
 Jesse Smith. Age 24 ; born in Washington County, Pa. ; cooper ; 
 enlisted from Warren ; was disabled by reason of sickness, and on de- 
 tailed service nearly all the time ; m. o. with Regiment. Is now Fore- 
 man of the Cooper Department of the State Penitentiary at Joliet, 111. 
 
 Daniel Sommers. Age 2i; born in Lexington, Ohio ; farmer; en- 
 listed from Nora ; he was a soldier that could always be depended on, 
 and was never seriously wounded ; m. o. with Regiment. Is a carpenter, 
 and resides in the township of Nora. Postoffice address, Greenvale, 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 Beri Serviss. Age 19 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted from Apple 
 River ; was wounded at Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864, and discharged 
 Oct. 26, 1864. His left foot had to be amputated. Soon after coming 
 home was appointed Postmaster at Apple River, which office he held 
 about twenty years ; was removed by President Cleveland. He resides 
 at Apple River, and has a furniture store at both Apple River and 
 Warren. 
 
 Briggs Sutherland. Age 30 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rush ; in January, 1863, near Danville, Ky., had a gunshot wound in 
 right hand, on account of which he was discharged Feb. 7, 1863. Is 
 farming at Readstown, Vernon County, Wis. 
 
 Charles Smith. Age 42 ; born in England ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren ; was Orderly at Brigade Head Quarters, and on the night before 
 the battle of Franklin, Tenn., his horse fell, and injured his left leg, 
 causing varicose veins, from which he still suffers ; m. o. with Regiment. 
 Is farming at Salem, Neb. 
 
 George W. Torrey. Age 27 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Stockton ; was not strong enough to stand a soldier's life, and was 
 discharged for disability at Danville, Ky., Dee. 29, 1862. Is farming at 
 Beloit, Mitchell County, Kan. 
 
 John L. Taylor. Age 22 ; born in Pennsylvania ; blacksmith ; en- 
 listed from Rush ; he was kicked by a mule at Danville, Ky., and dis- 
 charged for disability July 30, 1863. He has never recovered from the 
 mule's kick. Enlisted in 1861 in the 15th I. V. I., serving a few months. 
 Is farming and blacksmithing at Masonville, Delaware County, Iowa. 
 
 John J. Vroman. Age 23 ; born in Canada ; machinist ; enlisted 
 from Rush ; was killed at the battle of Resaca, May 14, 1864 ; is buried in 
 the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 James Vaughn. Age 17 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; 
 was killed in the engagement at Rocky Face Ridge, May 9, 1864 ; is 
 buried in the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 Franklin Watson. Age 18 ; born in La Grange, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Stockton ; was in many engagements, but escaped wounds , 
 m. o. with Regiment. Address unknown.
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY K. 90T 
 
 Benjamin B. Woodworth. Age 21 ; born in Painesville, Ohio ;. 
 farmer ; enlisted from Warren ; was with the men from Company K 
 when the shell exploded at Fort Shaler, as mentioned in the Company 
 sketch, and was the only one unhurt ; drove an ambulance most of the 
 time ; was on furlough at the m. o. of Regiment, but joined it and went 
 home with his comrades. Is farming near Warren, 111. 
 
 James M. Westfall. Age 20 ; born in Lawrence County, Illinois ; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; was taken sick at Danville, Ky., and dis- 
 charged Jan. 3, 1863, for consumption. He regained his health and re- 
 enlisted in the 17th Illinois Cavalry, and served two years, being pro- 
 moted to Corporal ; m. o. at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in December, 1865. 
 Is farming at Aptos, Santa Cruz County, Cal. 
 
 Providence Williams. Age 22; born in Washington County, 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Rush ; was wounded by the explosion of the shell 
 at Fort Shaler, Ky., and discharged for disability Jan. 12, 1863. After- 
 ward re-enlisted in 12th I. V. I, Oct. 7, 1864, and m. o. with that Regi- 
 ment at the close of the war. Is farming at Masonville, Iowa. 
 
 Samuel C. Weaver. Age 21 ; born in Schuylkill, Pa. ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Rush ; was a good soldier, and came through without injury. 
 Is farming near Winslow, Stephenson County, 111. 
 
 Delos P. York. Age 29 ; born in Madison County, N. Y. ; enlisted 
 from Nora ; had a bullet through his hat at Chickamauga and one 
 through his clothing at Lookout Mountain ; was in hospital at Quincy,. 
 111., for a time ; discharged at close of the war. Is a speculator, and 
 resides at Council Grove, Morris County, Kan. 
 
 RECRUITS TO COMPANY K. 
 
 Corporal Thomas O'Connor. Age 35 ; born in Ireland ; enlisted 1 
 frtm Nora in October, 1862, joining the Regiment in Kentucky ; was in 
 all of the engagements, but escaped wounds ; promoted to Corporal p 
 transferred to the 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, Texas, 
 Oct. 12, 1865 ; resides at Earlville, Delaware County, Iowa. 
 
 Corporal Myron B. Champion. Age 18 ; born in Ypsilanti, Mich. ;. 
 blacksmith ; was a half-brother of Colonel Champion ; enlisted from 
 Michigan, March 31, 1864, but was credited to Chicago ; joined the Regi- 
 ment just before the opening of the Atlanta campaign ; was in many 
 engagements, but escaped wounds ; promoted to Corporal ; was trans- 
 ferred to the 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, 
 Dec. 16, 1865. Is a practicing physician at Cheboygan, Mich. 
 
 William N. Bates. Age 30 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rush Oct. 7, 1864 ; died at Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 16, 1865. 
 
 Hiram N. Bates. Age 31; born in New York ; farmer; enlisted 
 from Rush Oct. 7, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 13, 1865. Is farming at Stockton, 111.
 
 908 HISTORY OF THE 96'rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Addison Benton. Age 18 ; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer ; 
 unlisted from Apple River April 10, 1865 ; transferred to the 21st Illinois 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 John K. Bennett. Age 29 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Rush Oct. 8, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 .at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 13, 1865. Died soon after his return home. 
 
 George E. Cole. Age 17 ; born in Lake County, Ohio ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Warren March 29, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 
 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming near Pawnee 
 City, Neb. 
 
 Newton B. Claypool. Age 28; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; 
 farmer ; enlisted from Stockton Feb. 8, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming at 
 Hampton, Iowa. 
 
 George H. Crippen. Age 25 ; born in Canada ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Savanna, Carroll County, March 28, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois 
 June 9, 1865; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Died several 
 .years since. 
 
 John Dreyer. Age 43 ; born in Germany ; boatman ; enlisted from 
 Galena April 10, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Henry DeRoff. Age 25 ; born in Germany ; baker ; enlisted from 
 Galena April 3, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Federick Drier. Age 24 ; born in Germany ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Galena April 3, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865. Died at 
 New Orleans, La., July 24, 1865 ; is buried in the National Cemetery at 
 New Orleans, La. 
 
 Bernard Feist. Age 32 ; born in Germany ; miner ; enlisted from 
 Galena April 3, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Harmon Goebel. Age 23 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena April 10, 1865 ; discharged at Springfield, 111., May 21, 1865 ; by 
 error is carried on the rolls as transferred to 21st Illinois. 
 
 Carlton B. Harris. Age 17 ; born in Rush, 111.; farmer; enlisted from 
 Rush April 10, 1865, joining the Regiment at Nashville ; was transferred 
 ito Company K, 21st Illinois, and finally m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 
 16, 1865. Is farming at Rush, 111., and is a prominent and active citizen. 
 
 Nicholas Hefty. Age 33 ; born in Switzerland ; farmer ; enlisted 
 if rom Galena April 3, 1865. Died May 28, 1865 ; is buried in the National 
 Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Frederick Hambrecht. Age 18 ; born in Germany ; cooper ; enlisted 
 jfrom Galena April 10, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. 
 o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865.
 
 EOSTER OF COMPANY K. 909 
 
 John Hathaway. Age 30 ; born in Ohio ; farmer ; enlisted from. 
 Savanna, Carroll County, 111., March 28, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Died at 
 Savanna, 111., several years since. 
 
 Samuel Johnson. Age 17 ; born in Wisconsin ; printer ; enlisted 
 from Warren April 10, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. 
 o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is connected with the Daily 
 Gazette at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
 
 William Kimble. Age 19 ; born in Pennsylvania ; laborer ; enlisted 
 from Warren Oct. 1, 1864 ; was mortally wounded at the battle of Nash- 
 ville Dec. 16, 1864, and died Jan. 12, 1865. Is buried in the National 
 Cemetery at Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 John Kelly. Age 18 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from Nora 
 March 11, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San 
 Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 John Lawson. Age 35 ; born in Sweden ; tailor ; enlisted from 
 Savanna, Carroll County, March 28, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June. 
 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Jackson J. McKinley. Age 40 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; en- 
 listed from Derinda Feb. 8, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ? 
 m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Went to Western Kansas, 
 where he died some years since. 
 
 Andrew A. McClellan. Age 29 ; born in Maryland ; carpenter ; en- 
 listed from Savanna, Carroll County, March 28, 1865 ; transferred to 21st 
 Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is a 
 druggist at Onaga, Kansas. 
 
 Michael Mitchell. Age 25 ; born in Ireland ; laborer ; enlisted from 
 Jordan, Whiteside County, April 10, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois- 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Ole Oleson. Age 21 ; born in Norway ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Savanna, Carroll County, March 28, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois- 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Frederick Prufer. Age 44 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from. 
 Savanna, Carroll County, April 8, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 
 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas. Dec. 16, 1865. Resides in Savanna, 
 Carroll County, 111. 
 
 Morancy Putnam. Age 25; born in New York; jeweler; enlisted 
 from Warren Oct. 4, 1865, joining the Regiment before it left the State ; 
 served as an ambulance driver much of the time ; transferred to the 21st 
 Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Cairo, 111 , Aug. 10, 1865. Is a jeweler at 
 Carthage, Mo. 
 
 Mortimer Pepoon. Age 21 ; born in Ohio ; enlisted from Warren 
 April 3, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; went to New
 
 910 HISTORY OF THE 96 REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Orleans with the command, where he was taken very sick and left in 
 hospital ; was afterward sent to St. Louis, where he was discharged for 
 disability Aug. 26, 1865. Has never fully recovered ; has taught school 
 several terms, and is now a carpenter and builder at Warren, 111. 
 
 Theodore W. Pepoon. Age 29: born in Ohio; farmer; enlisted 
 from Warren March 29. 1865 ; served as clerk in the Commissary Depart- 
 ment much of the time ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Went to Nebraska in 1869, and 
 purchased a farm of 400 acres ; served one term in the Nebraska State 
 Senate, and for several years edited the Falls City Journal ; is now farm- 
 ing at Table Rock, Pawnee County, Neb. 
 
 James D. Russell. Age 16 ; born in Illinois ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Rush Oct. 7, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 13, 1865. 
 
 John W. Stewart. Age 34 ; born in Vermont ; pumpmaker ; enlisted 
 from Warren Oct. 5, 1864 ; died at Huntsville, Ala., May 10, 1865. 
 
 Dennis Sullivan. Age 34 ; born in Ireland ; butcher ; enlisted from 
 Warren Oct. ~\ , 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; discharged 
 -at Nashville, Tenn., June 21, 1865. Died since the war. 
 
 John Spore. Age 28 ; born in Canada ; carpenter ; enlisted from 
 Warren Oct. 5, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 13, 1865. Was last heard from at Marysville, Mo. 
 
 Daniel W. Spore. Age 20 ; born in Indiana ; wagonmaker ; enlisted 
 from Warren, Oct. 5, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Victoria, Texas, Oct. 13, 1865. Was last heard from at Lincoln, Neb. 
 
 Levi Smith. Age 18 ; born in New York ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Warren March 29, 1865 ; had previously served one hundred days in the 
 142d Illinois ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San 
 Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is a manufacturer of basket material at 
 Morristown, Rice County, Minn. 
 
 George Stein. Age 44 ; born in Germany ; tailor ; enlisted from 
 Galena, April 3, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at 
 San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 Pliny Taylor. Age 42 ; born in Virginia ; butcher ; enlisted from 
 Savanna, Carroll County, March 26, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is a policeman 
 at Savanna, 111. 
 
 William Tollman. Age 33 ; born in Pennsylvania ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren Oct. 1, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 : m. o. 
 at Nashville, Tenn., June 21, 1865. 
 
 Ezra Turner. Age 25; born in Milo, Me.; teacher; enlisted from 
 Nora Oct. 3, 1864, and joined the Regiment just in time to participate in 
 the battle of Nashville, Dec. 15 and 16, 1864 ; was subsequently detailed
 
 ROSTER OF COMPANY K. 911 
 
 as Clerk at Brigade Head Quarters ; at the m. o. of the Regiment was 
 transferred to Company K, 21st Illinois, and was finally discharged at 
 Victoria, Texas, Oct. 13, 1865 ; was Special Order Clerk in the Adjutant 
 General's office at Fourth Corps Head Quarters for four months. Is 
 cashier and clerk in the Illinois Central freight office at Galena, 111. 
 
 Horatio K. Underbill. Age 17 ; born in Wisconsin ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Warren March 29, 1865 ; had previously served one hundred days in 
 the 142d Illinois; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865; m. o. at San 
 Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. Is farming just across the line in Wis- 
 consin. Postoffice address, Warren, 111. 
 
 Christian Young. Age 30 ; born in Germany ; carpenter ; enlisted 
 from Savanna, Carroll County, April 5, 1865 ; transferred to 21st Illinois 
 June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 16, 1865. 
 
 John P. Yerington. Age 17 ; born in Michigan ; enlisted from Nora 
 Oct. 3, 1864 ; transferred to 21st Illinois June 9, 1865 ; m. o. at Victoria, 
 Texas, Oct. 13, 1865. Died in Galena, 111., in 1868.
 
 912 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 The Unassigned Recruits A Few Errors Noted Boys Who Never 
 Reached the Regiment A Roster that Must Remain Incomplete. 
 
 IN the revised edition of the Adjutant General's Report 
 appear the names of twenty-two persons as "Unassigned 
 Recruits " to the NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS. Probably a majority 
 of these are on the record by error. Investigation shows that 
 nine of the number, as follows Jacob D. Berry, Isaac W. 
 Craig, William C. Higgins, Christian Ludacer, Eli Lowback, 
 Hiram McGrills, George Pitman, Albert Ratcliff and Henry 
 W* Weagle enlisted for and served with the 98th Illinois, 
 and it can safely be inferred that their names are upon this 
 roll as the result of a clerical error. If they could be traced 
 it is probable that a few others would be accounted for in a 
 similar manner. 
 
 But a majority of the remaining thirteen enlisted for the 
 NINETY-SIXTH, but never reached the command. Five died 
 on the wa} 7 , and two were rejected by the Examining Board 
 at Springfield. What became of the others has not come to 
 the knowledge of the historian, a diligent search of the 
 records at Springfield failing to reveal their record of service. 
 
 The meager particulars gained are given in the following 
 personal sketches : 
 
 THE ROSTER. 
 
 John Bahr. Age 19 ; born in Lancaster, Pa. ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Thompson Feb. 24, 1864, intending to join Company F.; died at Camp 
 Butler, Springfield, 111., March 20, 1864, while en route to the Regiment. 
 Is buried at Camp Butler, Springfield, 111. 
 
 James S. Burge. Age 22 ; born in Waukegan, 111. ; farmer ; enlisted 
 from Vernon Feb. 8, 1864, intending to join Company G ; was taken sick 
 at Camp Yates, Springfield, and furloughed home, where he died June 
 25, 1865. 
 
 William Crothers. Age 23 ; born in New York farmer ; enlisted 
 from Clinton County March 11, 1865, intending to join Company I.
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Cprpl HENRY GLEA^OX. 
 WALTEK E. DKI'UY. 
 
 Cor^'l DANIEL JJENSON. 
 
 ALBERT A. BURGE. 
 LEVI SHUPE.
 
 ROSTER OF UN ASSIGNED RECRUITS. 913 
 
 Benjamin Franklin. Age 21 ; born in Pennsylvania; farmer; en- 
 listed from Nora, for Company K, Oct. 3, 1864 ; died at Camp Butler, 
 Springfield, 111., Jan. 23, 1665. 
 
 Samuel Gunn. Age 17; born in Jo Daviess County, 111.; farmer; 
 enlisted from Galena, for Company A, Sept. 30, 1864 ; rejected by Ex- 
 amining Board. 
 
 Charles Irish. Age 36 ; born in New York ; potter ; enlisted from 
 Chicago, 111., Oct. 11, 1864 ; rejected by Examining Board. 
 
 Christian King. Age 29 ; born in Germany ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Galena Oct. 8, 1864, intending to join Company A. 
 
 John Lawrence. Age 23 ; born in Pennsylvania ; ship carpenter ; 
 enlisted from Trenton, Clinton County, March 11, 1865, intending to join 
 Company I. 
 
 John McKnight. Age 21 ; born in Delaware, Ohio ; cooper ; enlisted 
 from Halleck, Peoria County, Jan. 24, 1865, intending to join Company A. 
 
 Josiah Moore. Age 28 ; born in Ireland ; farmer ; enlisted from 
 Elizabeth Feb. 25, 1865, intending to join Company I ; was taken sick 
 and died at Springfield, 111., in March, 1865 ; was a brother of Lieutenant 
 Moore. 
 
 Wesley D. Manlon. Age 18 ; born in Clinton County, N. Y.; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Vernon, 111., .Feb. 8, 1864, intending to join Company G ; 
 died at Camp Yates, Springfield, I1L, March 3, 1864, while en route to the 
 Regiment. 
 
 Alexander M. Reynick. Age 19 ; born in Jo Daviess County ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Galena March 13, 1865, intending to join Company A. 
 
 Henry Selby. Age 35 ; born in Ohio ; blacksmith ; enlisted from 
 Dunleith Sept. 17, 1864, intending to join Company I ; deserted while en 
 route to Springfield ; was arrested, and, again attempting to escape, was 
 shot Sept. 29, 1864. 
 
 Emory I. Whaples. Age 19 ; born in Lake County, Ohio ; farmer ; 
 enlisted from Waukegan Dec. 24, 1863 ; died in Wilmot, Wis., some 
 years since. 
 
 CORRECTION. 
 B} r error the following was omitted from the Roster of Company A : 
 
 Frederick Willey. Enlisted from Benton, Wis., March 9, 1865 ; m. o. 
 at Louisville, Ky., June 2, 1865. 
 
 58
 
 914 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 CHAPTER IvII. 
 
 The National Cemeteries How the Graves of the Dead are Cared for 
 Identifying the Remains Extracts from Official Reports Brief 
 Descriptions of the Grounds A List of the "Known" Dead, with 
 Place of Interment. 
 
 " On Fame's eternal camping ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 And glory guards, with solemn round, 
 The bivouac of the dead." 
 
 THE "Roll of Honor," published by the Government 
 shortly after the close of the War of the Rebellion, embraces 
 twenty-seven volumes, and to that must the reader look who 
 desires a full description of the very laudable work under- 
 taken and carried out in completing a list of the Nation's 
 dead, and of fitting up and caring for the beautiful cemeteries 
 where repose the remains of a large portion of those who fell 
 in battle or died in hospital during those memorable years 
 from 1861 to 1865. And yet, while details cannot be largely 
 dwelt upon, it seems fitting to make some mention of these 
 burial places. 
 
 The idea of fitting up National Cemeteries was conceived 
 before the close of the contest, but every energy of the Gov- 
 ernment had been directed to the maintenance of the vast 
 armies, and but little could be done until the Rebellion had 
 been suppressed. Before the close of 1865 the work had not 
 only been systematized, but was also well advanced at many 
 points. Gen. M. C. Meigs, Quartermaster General of the 
 Army, had general supervision of the matter, and detailed 
 the necessary force in every department to carry out the 
 patriotic scheme. Often, as at Chattanooga and Stone's 
 River, the cemeteries were established upon battle-fields. An 
 earnest attempt was made to preserve every mark that could
 
 THK NATIONAL CEMETERIES. 915 
 
 lead to the identification of all bodies disinterred, wooden 
 headboards being erected above each grave. 
 
 Subsequently stone tablets, bearing the name, rank, com- 
 pany, regiment and date of death of all whose identity was 
 established, took the place of the perishable boards. The 
 grounds have, in each instance, been beautifully laid out and 
 enclosed, usually with a massive stone wall. The arched 
 gateways are fittingly inscribed, and a keeper, whose resi- 
 dence is upon the grounds, is employed at each to look after 
 the grounds and furnish information to visitors. Ample pro- 
 vision is made to keep the premises in order, and everything 
 is done to make these National Cemeteries a source of pride 
 to a patriotic people. 
 
 The following extract from the official report of Maj. E. 
 B. Whitman, Assistant Quartermaster, who prepared the lists 
 of soldiers interred at Stone's River, Chattanooga and Knox- 
 ville, will give an idea of the difficulty of the work, and the 
 fidelity with which it was done. After speaking of the 
 imperfect manner in which the records of burials from hos- 
 pitals were often kept, he adds : "Many burials have been 
 made by troops on detached service or on the march. The 
 regimental returns alone will show any official record of these ; 
 and the only source of information within reach is to be found 
 in the inscriptions or marks at the grave itself sometimes a 
 half-obliterated penciling upon a rough board, or a rude carv- 
 ing upon a neighboring tree. * I shall avail myself, 
 as far as possible, of hospital and surgeons' records ; of 
 quartermasters', con tractors' and undertakers' lists ; of private 
 memoranda kept by chaplains of regiments and 1 y agents of 
 sanitary and Christian commissions, and then of gleanings in 
 the woods and by the wayside, in the quiet country church 
 yard, on the battle-field, and wherever the soldier has fallen 
 and found a thoughtful comrade or the friendly hand of a 
 stranger to make the rude record ; and, as a final and some- 
 times sole resort, in the process of disinterring the bodies for 
 removal to National Cemeteries, of the evidences of identity 
 deposited in the grave itself." 
 
 In the Stone's River Cemetery are now interred the
 
 916 HISTORY OF THE 96-rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 remains of those who were originally buried at Franklin, 
 Columbia, Murfreesboro, Wartrace, Estill Springs and other 
 points south of Nashville. The location is about three miles 
 north of the village of Murfreesboro, between the railroad 
 and the pike. It was laid out in 1865, and for eight years 
 thereafter was in charge of Leonard S. Doolittle, a soldier of 
 Company C, NINETY-SIXTH ILLINOIS, who had a limb shattered 
 at Chickamauga. 
 
 The National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn., contains 
 about seventy-five acres, embracing one of the eminences 
 which figured conspicuously in the battle of Mission Ridge. 
 It is a beautiful site, and has been admirably cared for. In 
 it are buried very many who fell upon the bloody field of 
 Chickamauga, as well as those who were killed at Lookout 
 Mountain and Mission Ridge, or who died in the hospitals 
 about the city. The bodies of those also who fell in the early 
 engagements of the Atlanta campaign, north of the Etowah 
 River, were also disinterred and taken there for final burial. 
 Much effort was made to identify the bodies, but in many 
 instances the frail head-boards erected by thoughtful comrades 
 had been broken or burned, or the inscriptions had become 
 illegible, and only the word "unknown" could go upon the 
 record. It is believed, however, that nearly all of the bodies 
 of those who fell at Chickamauga, Rocky Face Ridge and 
 Resaca now rest in this beautiful cemetery. 
 
 The Nashville National Cemetery is situated on the Galla- 
 tin Pike, six miles north of Nashville, Tenn., and is inter- 
 sected by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. It comprises 
 about fifty-eight acres, and more than sixteen thousand soldiers 
 here "sleep their last sleep." Although a large proportion 
 of the dead in this cemetery were transferred from the hos- 
 pital burial grounds in and around the city of Nashville, yet 
 the bodies were taken from two hundred and fifty-one distinct 
 burial places. There are here a larger number of the known 
 dead of the Regiment than in any other cemetery. 
 
 The Marietta arid Atlanta National Cemetery is located in 
 the outskirts of the village of Marietta, Ga., in full view of 
 Kenesaw Mountain, and about twenty miles from Atlanta.
 
 THE NATIONAL CEMETERIES. 917 
 
 It covers twenty-four acres, and was donated to the United 
 States by Mr. Henry G. Cole, of Marietta. The official 
 report, as published in the " Roll of Honor," after describing 
 the grounds, says : " From the summit now daily floats the 
 national ensign, and around it lie. in solemn repose, 9,994 
 Union dead, whose remains have been gathered from all the 
 battle-fields and hospital grounds of Sherman's advance upon 
 Atlanta ; from the banks of the Oostanaula, at Resaca, to 
 Jonesboro, below Atlanta, and east to Augusta. The dead 
 from Central Alabama, at first collected and interred at Mont- 
 gomery, have also been transferred to this cemetery. Here 
 sleep those who fell with McPherson at Atlanta, with Harker 
 at Kenesaw, on the fields of Peach Tree Creek, and in the 
 forests of New Hope Church ; and here, too, lie those martyr 
 heroes who so freely sacrificed their lives on the heights of 
 Allatoona." 
 
 Captain James M. Moore, in his report of the work at 
 Anderson ville, bearing date September 20, 1865, says : "On 
 the morning of the 26th of July the work of identifying the 
 graves, painting and lettering the headboards, laying out 
 walks, and enclosing the cemetery was commenced, and, on 
 the evening of August 16, \vas completed, with the exceptions 
 heretofore mentioned. The dead were found buried in 
 trenches, on a site selected by the Rebels, about three hun- 
 dred yards from the stockade. The trenches varied in length 
 from fifty to one hundred and fifty yards. The bodies in the 
 trenches were from two to three feet below the surface, and, 
 in several instances, where the rains had washed away the 
 earth, but a few inches. Additional earth was, however, 
 thrown upon the graves, making them of a still greater depth. 
 So close were they buried, without coffins or the ordinary 
 clothing to cover their nakedness, that not more than twelve 
 inches were allowed to each man ; indeed, the little tablets 
 marking their resting places, measuring hardly ten inches in 
 width, almost touched each other. 
 
 "United States soldiers, while prisoners at Andersonville, 
 had been detailed to inter their companions, and, by a single 
 stake at the head of each grave, which bore a number corres-
 
 918 HISTORY OF THE 96'ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 ponding with a similar numbered name upon the Anderson- 
 ville hospital record, I was enabled to identify and mark, with 
 a neat tablet similar to those in the cemeteries at Washington, 
 the number, name, rank, regiment, company, and date of 
 death of 12,461 graves, there being but 451 that bore the sad 
 inscription, ''Unknown U. S. Soldier." One hundred and 
 twenty thousand feet of pine lumber were used in these tablets 
 alone. The cemetery contains fifty acres. * * * " 
 
 The National Cemetery at Richmond, V~a., is two miles 
 southeast of the city. In it are buried more than six thousand 
 Union soldiers, only about one-eighth of whose remains were 
 identified, many of them having been brought thither from 
 Cold Harbor, Games' Mills, Fort Harrison and Hanover 
 Court House. Among the known are two from this Regiment. 
 
 At Salisbury, N. C., are buried several thousand Union 
 soldiers, nearly all of whom fell victims to their prison treat- 
 ment. Only a few are identified. Of these there are Orange 
 M. Ayers, of Company C, and Corporal Delos Rose, of Com- 
 pany G. The name of the latter also appears on the list of 
 the dead interred in the National Cemetery at Florence, S. C. 
 
 Just within the corporate limits of Danville, Va., is a small 
 plot of three acres on which are buried the remains of 1,323 
 Union soldiers ; nearly all died while prisoners of war, among 
 whom were several members of the NINETY-SIXTH. 
 
 In the National Cemeteries at Knoxville, Tenn.; Annapo- 
 lis, Md. ; Camp Butler, near Springfield, 111. ; Camp Nelson, 
 Ky. ; Cave Hill, near Louisville, Ky. ; Chalmette, near New 
 Orleans, La.; Galveston, Texas; Brownsville, Texas., and in 
 the Soldiers' Burial Lots at Lexington, Ky. ; Danville, Ky., 
 and Rose Hill, near Chicago, 111., are the remains of members 
 of the NINETY-SIXTH. 
 
 Below is a list of all members of the NINETY-SIXTH REGI- 
 MENT buried in National Cemeteries whose graves are known. 
 In many instances the dead ; of the command were sent home 
 for interment, and of these no mention is attempted. Others 
 sleep in unknown graves, but nearly all, whether their graves 
 are marked or not, are doubtless buried within the hallowed 
 enclosures mentioned above.
 
 THE NATIONAL CEMETERIES. 
 
 919 
 
 NAME. 
 
 RANK. 
 
 Co. 
 
 DATE OF 
 DEATH. 
 
 No. OP 
 GRAVE. 
 
 WHERE SCRIED. 
 
 Holtkamp, Bennett 
 
 Priv. 
 
 F 
 H 
 
 Dec. 16, 1864 
 Aug 18, 1864 
 
 12,298 
 5,701 
 
 Andersonville, Ga. 
 
 Leekey, J.B* 
 Madden, Laughlin 
 Marshall, Alphonzo. . . 
 McCreadie. William . . . 
 Menzemer, Chas. C 
 Rodenberger, Hugo 
 Stanchfield, Geo. H ... 
 Sturm, Charles 
 
 Sgt. 
 Priv. 
 Corpl. 
 Priv. 
 
 F 
 
 
 H 
 
 C 
 A 
 C 
 H 
 
 c 
 
 Sept. 25, 1864 
 Aug. 12, 1864 
 July 2, 1864 
 June 4, 1864 
 June 16, 1864 
 June 28, 1864 
 June 26, 1864 
 Nov 2.S, 1864 
 
 10,148 
 5,390 
 2,762 
 1,617 
 2,049 
 2,5% 
 2,532 
 12,190 
 
 
 Wheelock, Alberto 
 Bailey, Francis 8 
 
 ;; 
 
 H 
 
 F 
 
 May 10, 1864 
 Dec 18 1864 
 
 992 
 3 595 
 
 Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Beall, Josiah 
 
 u 
 
 A 
 
 April 11, 1863 
 
 302 
 
 
 Beecher, Mason C. ... 
 Bennett, John 
 
 " 
 
 D 
 I 
 
 Sept. 27, 1863 
 Mar 25, 1863 
 
 650 
 799 
 
 M 
 
 Colgrove, Caleb E 
 Con ley, William 
 
 " 
 
 C 
 H 
 
 Mar. 31, 1863 
 April 22, 1863 
 
 7,351 
 3,00 
 
 " 
 
 Cutler, Henry H 
 
 Corpl. 
 
 c 
 
 Dec. 17, 1864 
 
 8,283 
 
 u 
 
 Davis, Joseph P 
 
 Priv. 
 
 H 
 
 Mar. 18, 1863 
 
 34 
 
 11 
 
 Denure. Albert . 
 
 
 E 
 
 April 28 1863 
 
 405 
 
 u 
 
 Trefz, Henry . 
 
 Corpl 
 
 F 
 
 April 1, 1863 
 
 3,234 
 
 11 
 
 Hamilton. Norris 
 
 
 c 
 
 Dec. 16, 1864 
 
 2,509 
 
 u 
 
 Harwick, Jacob 
 
 Priv 
 
 F 
 
 July 27, 1863 
 
 3,301 
 
 11 
 
 Hefty, Nicholas 
 
 
 K 
 
 May 28, 1865 
 
 14,681 
 
 11 
 
 Jones, Miles 
 
 u 
 
 D 
 
 April 7, 1863 
 
 196 
 
 11 
 
 Keyes, Thomas 
 
 11 
 
 E 
 
 Mar 5, 1863 
 
 986 
 
 11 
 
 Kimble, William 
 
 u 
 
 K 
 
 Jan 12, 1865 
 
 8,420 
 
 u 
 
 Kinreid, Thomas 
 
 n 
 
 G 
 
 June 27, 1864 
 
 10,032 
 
 11 
 
 Leslie, Humphrey 
 Martin, Thomas 
 
 tl 
 
 I 
 
 E 
 
 April 9, 1863 
 Dec. 19, 1863 
 
 3,172 
 
 7,2*5 
 
 , 
 
 Miller, Fred'k W 
 
 11 
 
 F 
 
 Dec 2 1863 
 
 3 014 
 
 i 
 
 Newton, Butler 
 
 u 
 
 K 
 
 Nov. 6, 1863 
 
 210 
 
 i 
 
 Noble, William A 
 
 11 
 
 G 
 
 July 21, 1864 
 
 9,912 
 
 i 
 
 O'Connell, James. 
 
 Corpl. 
 
 B 
 
 Aug 23 1863 
 
 3,146 
 
 i 
 
 Roberts, G. W 
 
 
 I 
 
 April 26, 1863 
 
 345 
 
 i 
 
 Schnell, Henry 
 
 Priv. 
 
 c 
 
 June 7, 1864 
 
 13490 
 
 i 
 
 Scott, John D 
 
 
 I 
 
 June 17, 1865 
 
 
 i 
 
 Sage, John 
 
 ti 
 
 E 
 
 Mar. 30, 1863 
 
 867 
 
 i 
 
 Smith, Reuben . . 
 
 11 
 
 G 
 
 July 13 1864 
 
 13,762 
 
 i 
 
 Taylor, John Y 
 
 Corpl. 
 
 c 
 
 Nov 24 18C3 
 
 3,260 
 
 t 
 
 Conley, William 
 
 Priv. 
 
 H 
 
 April 2i 1863 
 
 3,080 
 
 i 
 
 Washbnrn, John 
 
 
 B 
 
 Dec 16 1864 
 
 2,484 
 
 11 
 
 Witman, John II 
 
 11 
 
 A 
 
 Oct 30, 1863 
 
 38 
 
 11 
 
 McClellan, William.... 
 Benton, Albert E 
 
 " 
 
 C 
 K 
 
 May 6, 1864 
 May 30 1864 
 
 1,432 
 7,104 
 
 Annapolis, Md. 
 Marietta, Ga 
 
 Boetcher, Christopher. 
 1'. lack in mi. Fred'k L. . . 
 Burbridge, Robert 
 Disch, Andrew, Jr 
 Druse, Carlisle T 
 
 M 
 
 G 
 K 
 H 
 A 
 B 
 
 June 20, 1864 
 Aug. 19, 1864 
 June 23, 1864 
 Sept. 2, 1864 
 June 13, 1864 
 
 1,031 
 4,390 
 9,3-22 
 6,215 
 8,623 
 
 
 Hill, John 
 
 Corpl. 
 
 I 
 
 Sept 23, 1864 
 
 4,443 
 
 11 
 
 Lewis, William 
 
 Priv 
 
 A 
 
 Aug 19, 1864 
 
 4,391 
 
 11 
 
 Redfern, Francis 
 Scott, Aaron 
 
 Sgt. 
 
 E 
 G 
 
 June 24, 1864 
 Aug 2, 1864 
 
 9,382 
 6,590 
 
 
 
 Shupe, Dennis 
 
 Priv. 
 
 G 
 
 June 20, 1864 
 
 6,904 
 
 11 
 
 Tower, W. W 
 
 
 B 
 
 Aug 25, 1864 
 
 9,609 
 
 11 
 
 Whitmore, Wm. D 
 Beall, James M 
 
 Sgt. 
 Priv 
 
 B 
 
 A 
 
 June 20, 1864 
 Feb 2 1863 
 
 6,905 
 262 
 
 Danville, Ky. 
 
 Brown, James. ... 
 
 
 B 
 
 Jan 25 1863 
 
 132 
 
 
 Collins, Alfred 
 
 11 
 
 B 
 
 Jan 29, 1863 
 
 133 
 
 u 
 
 Fletcher, Joseph E 
 Hawkins, Asel 
 James, Freeman 
 
 I 
 
 E 
 G 
 G 
 
 Feb. 17,1863 
 Feb. IS, 18(13 
 Jan. 18, 1863 
 
 216 
 170 
 200 
 
 
 
 Rix, George 
 
 H 
 
 B 
 
 Jan 24, 1863 
 
 113 
 
 11 
 
 Vanalstine, William. .. 
 Williams, John 
 
 " 
 
 F 
 1 
 
 Mar. 12, 1863 
 Feb 17, 1863 
 
 223 
 
 228 
 
 " 
 
 Wilton, Richard 
 
 11 
 
 D 
 
 Dec. 20, 1862 
 
 138 
 
 u 
 
 Bahr, John ... 
 
 11 
 
 F 
 
 Mar 20 1864 
 
 653 
 
 Camp Butler, 111 
 
 Franklin, Benjamin... 
 Boothby, John A 
 Green, Henry C 
 
 Unassi 
 Corpl. 
 Priv. 
 
 gnecl. 
 H 
 C 
 
 Jan. 22, 1865 
 Dec. 25, 1863 
 Jan 20, 1864 
 
 327 
 335 
 
 819 
 
 Danville, Va. 
 
 Huntington, H. . . 
 
 Set. 
 
 C 
 
 Feb. 27. 1H64 
 
 
 ti
 
 920 
 
 HlSTOKY OF THE 96'fH E.EGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 NAME. 
 
 RANK. 
 
 Co. 
 
 DATE OF 
 DEATH. 
 
 No. OF 
 GRAVE. 
 
 WHERE BURIED. 
 
 Ingersoll, William 
 
 Priv. 
 
 H 
 
 c 
 
 Jan. 17, 1864 
 Jan. 6, 1864 
 
 739 
 
 461 
 
 Danville, Va. 
 
 
 u 
 
 D 
 
 Dec. 8, 1862 
 
 3,033 
 
 Camp Nelson, Ky. 
 
 Hubbard, William 
 
 " 
 
 E 
 K 
 
 June 25, 1863 
 Jan. 11, 1863 
 
 3,035 
 3,036 
 
 
 Pool, Frank 
 
 tt 
 
 E 
 
 Nov 30, 1862 
 
 2 8% 
 
 
 Shaffer, Terhau 
 Strong, Brainard E 
 Armbruster, Augustus 
 Barnes, Geo F* . . 
 
 Corpl. 
 Lieut 
 
 E 
 E 
 F 
 H 
 
 Dec. 29, 1862 
 Jan. 10. 1863 
 Oct. 7, 1863 
 Oct 3, 1863 
 
 3<037 
 3.034 
 939 
 
 12 884 
 
 Chattano ga, Tenn. 
 
 Blackstone, Stephen F 
 Brainard, Fred.. . 
 
 Priv. 
 
 E 
 B 
 
 Oct. 21, 1863 
 May 9, 1864 
 
 846 
 10,034 
 
 ; 
 
 Courier, Charles L 
 De Graff, William... . 
 Dunmore, John R 
 Forsyth, James 
 
 Sgt. 
 Priv. 
 
 K 
 E 
 D 
 H 
 
 May 14, 1864 
 May 16, 1864 
 July 1, 1864 
 Sept. 22, 1863 
 
 9,270 
 1,373 
 11,676 
 9,379 
 
 ' 
 
 Heydon, William P ... 
 Jelly, William Andrew 
 Johnson, Thomas K... 
 Knox, James L 
 
 
 
 K 
 
 F 
 H 
 G 
 
 Jan. 8, 1864 
 Sept. 10, 1864 
 Nov. 10, 1863 
 June 28, 1864 
 
 9,354 
 2,277 
 407 
 9,911 
 
 
 
 Leland, Thos. S 
 
 Sgt. 
 
 K 
 
 May 14, 1864 
 
 9,266 
 
 
 Litwiler, James 
 
 Priv. 
 
 B 
 
 May 14, 1864 
 
 9,203 
 
 t 
 
 Meres, Michael 
 
 
 I 
 
 Feb. 15, 1864 
 
 10,732 
 
 t 
 
 Miller, Lewis.. . 
 
 it 
 
 G 
 
 May 27, 1864 
 
 9,946 
 
 t 
 
 O'Leary, Dennis 
 
 ,1 
 
 E 
 
 Oct. 26, 1863 
 
 1,002 
 
 t 
 
 Kich, Esau 
 
 ti 
 
 B 
 
 Nov. 24, 1863 
 
 11,094 
 
 t 
 
 Smith, Thog. J 
 
 Lieut. 
 
 I 
 
 June 9, 1864 
 
 9,791 
 
 t 
 
 Tarpley, A. C 
 
 Priv. 
 
 I 
 
 May 11, 1864 
 
 6,371 
 
 > 
 
 Thrasher, John G 
 Vaughn, James 
 Vroman, John J 
 
 
 G 
 K 
 K 
 
 Dec. 11, 1883 
 May 9, 1864 
 May 14. 1864 
 
 9,360 
 9,889 
 9,268 
 
 j 
 
 Wheeler, Wm. H ... 
 
 it 
 
 G 
 
 Oct. 5, 1863 
 
 1.148 
 
 t 
 
 Cooper, Geo. J 
 
 u 
 
 B 
 
 Nov. 18, 1863 
 
 2,185 
 
 Cave Hill, Ky. 
 
 Sturges, William 
 
 K 
 
 W 
 
 Mar. 18, 1863 
 
 1,605 
 
 
 Bryan, George 
 
 t> 
 
 H 
 
 Nov. 13, 1862 
 
 65 
 
 Lexington, Ky. 
 
 Hollester, Hiram 
 Wilcox, Isaac M .... 
 
 " 
 
 B 
 
 A 
 
 Nov. 25, 1862 
 April 16, 1865 
 
 122 
 
 1,771 
 
 Knoxville, Tenn. 
 
 Ayers, Orange M 
 Rose, Delos 
 
 Corpl. 
 
 C 
 G 
 
 Jan. 16, 1865 
 Jan. 28, 1865 
 
 
 Salisbury, N. C. 
 
 Adduddle, Isaac* . . . 
 
 Priv. 
 
 H 
 
 Aug. 31, 1863 
 
 605 
 
 Stones River, Tenn. 
 
 Baker, John 
 
 
 G 
 
 Sept 6, 1863 
 
 3,847 
 
 
 Bottom, James 
 
 >i 
 
 B 
 
 Aug. 23, 1863 
 
 3,918 
 
 >i 
 
 Farrier, Andrew 
 
 it 
 
 D 
 
 Dec. 2, 1863 
 
 5,022 
 
 H 
 
 Kinney, Cleveland M . . 
 Neal, Robert 
 
 Corpl. 
 Priv. 
 
 K 
 A 
 
 June 25, 1865 
 Mar 22, 1863 
 
 635 
 3,266 
 
 H 
 
 Scott, James M 
 
 
 F 
 
 April 16, 1863 
 
 3,586 
 
 It 
 
 Trndgian, William 
 Vaughn, John. .. 
 
 " 
 
 F 
 G 
 
 Sept. 14, 1863 
 Aug 22, 1863 
 
 1,280 
 5,2a3 
 
 " 
 
 Wakefield, Chauncey.. 
 Bevard, Wm. H 
 Bray, Thomas* 
 
 Corpl. 
 Priv. 
 
 F 
 I 
 A 
 
 Mar. 23, 1863 
 Aug. 6, 1864 
 April 26, 1865 
 
 3,598 
 1,359 
 
 New Albany, Ind. 
 Nashville, Tenn. 
 
 Edgerton, W. Irving*.. 
 Goble, Daniel* 
 
 
 F 
 F 
 
 Mar. 13, 1863 
 Feb 9 1863 
 
 
 
 Willett. Arnold* 
 
 
 D 
 
 Oct 28, 1863 
 
 
 it 
 
 Diehl, James 
 
 t 
 
 F 
 
 Sept 2, 1865 
 
 
 Galveston, Tex. 
 
 Drier, Fred'k 
 
 i 
 
 K 
 
 July 24, 1865 
 
 
 New Orleans, La. 
 
 Delaney, James 
 
 t 
 
 A 
 
 Ang 2, 1865 
 
 
 Near Green Lake, Tex. 
 
 Higley, Albert T 
 Mitchell, Henry W.... 
 Woodward, Geo 
 
 Corpl 
 
 A 
 D 
 A 
 
 Aug. 21, 1865 
 Dec. 7, 1865 
 Oct. 15, 1865 
 
 45 
 
 Chalmette, La. 
 San Antonio, Tex. 
 Brownsville, Tex. 
 
 Ben singer, John 
 
 Priv. 
 
 C 
 
 Feb 8, 1864 
 
 
 Richmond, Va. 
 
 Flannery, Patrick 
 Gage, Harrison 
 
 Corpl. 
 
 H 
 I 
 
 Dec. 8, 1863 
 June 1865 
 
 
 Chicago or Rose Hill. 
 
 Millett. Herrick. ... 
 
 Priv. 
 
 E 
 
 June 1865 
 
 
 
 Saulsbury, William 
 Post, Renslaer 
 
 
 A 
 H 
 
 Jan. 9, 1865 
 July 23, 1863 
 
 
 Rose Hill. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 *Body has either been interred as unknown, or removed home by friends.
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Principal Musician, HIRAM WEATHERLY. 
 WALLACE V. TRAUT. 
 
 Capt. ALLEN B. WHITNEY. 
 Capt. DAVID SAULSBURY. 
 GEORGE W. WINFIELD. 
 
 ELIHU D. GRA 1 
 JOHN H. CRUV
 
 ; |UJ&*
 
 LOSSES OF ILLINOIS TROOPS. 
 
 921 
 
 The following figures, taken from Eddy's " Patriotism of 
 Illinois," were carefully compiled from official records at the 
 close of the war. By them it will be seen that but twelve 
 other Illinois regiments lost as many in killed and mortally 
 wounded as the NINETY-SIXTH : 
 
 INFANTRY. 
 
 REGIMENT. 
 
 Killed 
 or Died of 
 Wounds. 
 
 Died 
 of Disease. 
 
 REGIMENT. 
 
 Killed 
 or Died of 
 Wounds. 
 
 Died 
 of Disease. 
 
 7 
 
 74 
 
 146 
 
 63 
 
 11 
 
 123 
 
 8 
 
 159 
 
 97 
 
 64 
 
 94 
 
 109 
 
 9 
 
 185 
 
 126 
 
 65 
 
 25 
 
 39 
 
 10 
 
 36 
 
 115 
 
 66 
 
 73 
 
 128 
 
 11 
 
 162 
 
 263 
 
 67 
 
 
 14 
 
 12. 
 
 122 
 
 76 
 
 68 .. 
 
 
 26 
 
 13 
 
 45 
 
 121 
 
 69 
 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 60 
 
 84 
 
 70 
 
 
 15 
 
 15 
 
 77 
 
 106 
 
 71 
 
 
 23 
 
 16 
 
 43 
 
 40 
 
 72 
 
 86 
 
 127 
 
 17. .. 
 
 73 
 
 66 
 
 73 
 
 100 
 
 121 
 
 18 
 
 86 
 
 181 
 
 74 
 
 75 
 
 108 
 
 19 
 
 91 
 
 45 
 
 75 
 
 91 
 
 40 
 
 20 
 
 131 
 
 153 
 
 76 ... 
 
 52 
 
 195 
 
 21 
 
 100 
 
 99 
 
 77 
 
 74 
 
 145 
 
 22 
 
 131 
 
 78 
 
 78 
 
 95 
 
 102 
 
 23. 
 
 68 
 
 35 
 
 79 
 
 82 
 
 188 
 
 24 
 
 71 
 
 65 
 
 80 
 
 53 
 
 147 
 
 25 
 
 73 
 
 149- 
 
 81 
 
 52 
 
 265 
 
 26. ... 
 
 75 
 
 136 
 
 8# 
 
 
 53 
 
 27.... 
 
 113 
 
 84 
 
 83 : 
 
 37 
 
 81 
 
 28. .. 
 
 93 
 
 129 
 
 84 
 
 119 
 
 127 
 
 29. 
 
 52 
 
 204 
 
 85 ... 
 
 89 
 
 129 
 
 30 
 
 93 
 
 166 
 
 86 
 
 72 
 
 92 
 
 31 
 
 141 
 
 225 
 
 87 
 
 15 
 
 203 
 
 32 
 
 88 
 
 173 
 
 88 
 
 95 
 
 81 
 
 33. 
 
 60 
 
 183 
 
 89 
 
 123 
 
 143 
 
 34. . 
 
 98 
 
 83 
 
 90 
 
 52 
 
 74 
 
 35 
 
 90 
 
 153 
 
 91 
 
 11 
 
 134 
 
 36. 
 
 203 
 
 167 
 
 92 
 
 51 
 
 112 
 
 37.... 
 
 74 
 
 124 
 
 93 
 
 90 
 
 116 
 
 38. 
 
 23 
 
 101 
 
 94 
 
 13 
 
 154 
 
 39. 
 
 136 
 
 117 
 
 95 
 
 82 
 
 177 
 
 40. 
 
 54 
 
 341 
 
 96 
 
 112 
 
 107 
 
 41 
 
 98 
 
 101 
 
 97 
 
 43 
 
 168 
 
 42. 
 
 75 
 
 147 
 
 98 
 
 36 
 
 135 
 
 43. 
 
 70 
 
 152 
 
 99 
 
 45 
 
 117 
 
 44. 
 
 109 
 
 143 
 
 100 
 
 85 
 
 126 
 
 45 
 
 55 
 
 106 
 
 101 
 
 49 
 
 108 
 
 46 
 
 86 
 
 225 
 
 102 
 
 50 
 
 70 
 
 47... 
 
 57 
 
 131 
 
 103 
 
 85 
 
 135 
 
 48... 
 
 89 
 
 228 
 
 104 
 
 105 
 
 72 
 
 49... 
 
 83 
 
 164 
 
 105 
 
 51 
 
 114 
 
 50. 
 
 53 
 
 102 
 
 106 . ... 
 
 4 
 
 178 
 
 51... 
 
 101 
 
 104 
 
 107 
 
 29 
 
 118 
 
 52... 
 
 10 
 
 32 
 
 108 
 
 9 
 
 204 
 
 53 
 
 87 
 
 114 
 
 109 
 
 
 % 
 
 54 
 
 8 
 
 76 
 
 110 ... . 
 
 9 
 
 49 
 
 55... 
 
 66 
 
 67 
 
 HI 
 
 79 
 
 157 
 
 56 
 
 23 
 
 141 
 
 112 
 
 88 
 
 126 
 
 57... 
 
 70 
 
 83 
 
 113 
 
 24 
 
 230 
 
 58 
 
 63 
 
 134 
 
 114 .. . 
 
 41 
 
 146 
 
 59 
 
 80 
 
 103 
 
 115 
 
 53 
 
 137 
 
 60 
 
 74 
 
 170 
 
 116 
 
 54 
 
 212 
 
 61 
 
 27 
 
 186 
 
 117 
 
 13 
 
 107 
 
 62... 
 
 2 
 
 255 
 
 118... 
 
 38 
 
 170 
 
 59
 
 922 
 
 HISTORY of THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 REGIMENT. 
 
 Killed 
 or Died of 
 Wounds. 
 
 Died 
 of Disease. 
 
 REGIMENT. 
 
 Killed 
 or Died of 
 Wounds. 
 
 Died 
 of Disease. 
 
 no 
 
 16 
 
 127 
 
 138 
 
 
 11 
 
 120 
 
 13 
 
 237 
 
 139 
 
 
 15 
 
 121 Sever organ 
 
 ized. 
 
 
 140 
 
 4 
 
 20 
 
 122 
 
 41 
 
 111 
 
 141 
 
 
 20 
 
 123 
 
 80 
 
 116 
 
 142 
 
 
 29 
 
 124 
 
 40 
 
 132 
 
 143 
 
 
 49 
 
 125 
 
 78 
 
 105 
 
 144 
 
 1 
 
 65 
 
 126 
 
 7 
 
 187 
 
 145 
 
 
 37 
 
 127 
 
 37 
 
 158 
 
 146 
 
 3 
 
 32 
 
 128 
 
 49 
 
 47 
 
 147 ... . 
 
 
 24 
 
 129 
 
 53 
 
 107 
 
 148 
 
 2 
 
 H 
 
 130 
 
 29 
 
 41 
 
 149 
 
 4 
 
 3d 
 
 131 
 
 9 
 
 311 
 
 150 
 
 1 
 
 47 
 
 132 
 
 
 12 
 
 151 
 
 
 41 
 
 133 
 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 152 .. 
 
 
 68 
 
 134 
 
 
 23 
 
 153 
 
 
 n 
 
 135 
 
 2 
 
 15 
 
 154.. .. 
 
 
 72 
 
 136 
 
 2 
 
 39 
 
 155 
 
 
 60 
 
 137... 
 
 18 
 
 18 
 
 15(5... 
 
 3 
 
 23 
 
 CAVALBY AND ARTILLERY. 
 
 a 
 
 54 
 47 
 33 
 30 
 29 
 72 
 74 
 46 
 19 
 
 139 
 
 213 
 150 
 373 
 137 
 237 
 126 
 167 
 218 
 
 11 
 
 36 
 53 
 38 
 24 
 9 
 24 
 13 
 
 170 
 
 159 
 
 IS! 
 338 
 130 
 124 
 222 
 81 
 
 506 ' 
 
 3 
 
 12 
 
 4 
 
 13 .. 
 
 5 
 
 14 
 
 6 
 
 15 .. 
 
 7 
 
 16 
 
 8 
 
 17 
 
 9 
 
 All of Batteries 
 combined 
 
 10 

 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 192 : For " Quarter Master," read " Quarter-Master Sergeant." 
 
 Page 193 : The name of Walter Crapo appears by error. 
 
 Page 194 : In Company F's casualty list the * should follow the name of 
 
 John Hocking instead of Edward Wearne. 
 
 Page 195 : In line 12, a * should follow the name of Norman P. Ward. 
 Page 223 : In line 9, for " we " read "me." 
 Page 225 : In line 21, for " pushed " read "pushing." 
 Page 225 : In line 24, for " skirmishing" read "skirting." 
 Page 330 : Richard Spencer and not Andrew Hindman, was the Com- 
 pany F man captured. 
 
 Pages 335, 337 and 339 : The running title " Resaca" is an error. 
 Page 367 : Fourth line from bottom, for "Redford" read "Redfern." 
 Page 375 : Same error as above in casualty list of Company E. 
 Page 514, line 13 : Substitute John Hocking for Edward Wearne. 
 Page 736, line 5 : For " Henry Fidlcr," read "John Fidler." 
 Page 765 : In running title, for "Company B," read "Company D." 
 Page 785 : Sketch of Stephen F. Blackstone should read, "died at 
 Chattanooga, Tenn., October 21, 1863 from wounds received at the 
 battle of Chickamauga." 
 Page 864 : Sketch of Renslaer Post should read, "died in hospital at 
 
 Chicago, July 23, 1863." 
 Page 879 : Address of John E. Evans should be Woodbine, 111.
 
 INDEX TO NON-MEMBERS. 
 
 925 
 
 I N D 
 
 SHOWING PAGES ON WHICH PERSONS OTHER THAN MEMBERS OF THE 
 REGIMENT ARE MENTIONED. 
 
 Abbott, Dr. N. W., 675. 
 Acton, Major, 272. 
 Allen, Capt. James, 210. 
 Allen, Miss Marilla E., 674. 
 
 Anderson, , 545. 
 
 Anderson, Capt., 606. 
 Anderson, Major, 21. 
 Arnold, Mr., 530. 
 
 Atkins, Gen. Smith D., 84, 90, 100, 101, 104, 
 116, 125, 130, 132, 133, 143, 144, 147, 628. 
 
 Baird, Gen. A., 48, 54, 72, 96, 110, 114, 124, 
 141 147, 174, 180, 181, 290, 627. 
 
 Baldwin, Mr., 503, 507. 
 
 Barnes, > , 538. 
 
 Barnes, Lieut. A. T., 853. 
 
 Bartleson, Col., 596. 
 
 Bates, George C., 481, 483, 484, 485. 
 
 Beatty, Gen., 181. 
 
 Ben, Old, 596. 
 
 Bennett, Lieut., 601. 
 
 Berry, Jacob D., 912. 
 
 Best, Kev. Mr., 338. 
 
 Black, Capt. Harrison, 666. 
 
 Blinn, Rev. Mr., 503. 
 
 Bliss, Dea. Z , 731. 
 
 Blodgett, Hon. H. W., 28, 252, 253, 495, 674, 
 837. 
 
 Boone, Daniel, 89. 
 
 Bowen, Col. J. H., 483, 485. 
 
 Bradwell, Judge, 481, 484, 487, 489. 
 
 Bragg, Gen., 45, 79, 118, 126, 128, 135, 142, 
 149, 150, 151, 162. 164, 173, 180, 181, 182, 
 188, 197, 206,224, 225, 237, 249, 251, 270, 
 271, 280, 289, 603, 734, 736. 
 
 Brannan, Gen., 171, 173, 174, 180, 182, 197, 
 201. 
 
 Breckenridge, John C., 20. 
 
 Brewster, D., 814. 
 
 Bristow, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Brookner, Miss May N., 675. 
 
 Brown, Mrs. Aaron V., 100. 
 
 Brown, Lieut., 609. 
 
 Brownlow, Parson, 100, 462. 
 
 Brown, Maj., 27, 34, 35, 37, 38. 
 
 Bryan, Thomas B., 483, 484, 485. 
 
 Buchanan, , 635. 
 
 Buchanan, President, 20, 21. 
 
 Buckner, Gen., 162. 
 
 Buel, Col. G. P., 631. 
 
 Bnell, Gen., 45, 142, 734. 
 
 Burnside, Gen., 73, 150, 237, 238, 239, 241. 
 
 Butler, Gen. B. F., 387, C.,'3. 
 
 Butterfleld, Gen., 327, 32'.. 
 
 Campbell, Col., 121. 
 Cardwell, J. W., 71, 892. 
 Carleten, Col , 596. 
 Carroll, William F., 823. 
 Carter, Gen., 427. 
 
 Cesnola, Col. D., 596. 
 
 Chandler, Capt., 601. 
 
 Chandler, Lieut. G. W., 600. 
 
 Cheatham, Gen. B. F., 420. 
 
 Chetlain, Gen. A. L., 506. 
 
 Clark, Capt., 611. 
 
 Clason, Capt., 209. 
 
 Clay, Hon. Henry, 52, 64. 
 
 Clebourne, Gen., 427, 559. 
 
 Clifford, Lieut., 609. 
 
 Clink, William, 546. 
 
 Coburn, Col., 98, 100, 103, 105, 106, 107. 
 
 Cochran, Col., 70, 74, 90. 
 
 Cole, Henry G., 917. 
 
 Conrad, , 423, 426, 433. 
 
 Corey, Silas, 774, 775. 
 
 Corse, Gen., 403. 
 
 Cory, Dr. David, 674. 
 
 Craig, Isaac W., 912. 
 
 Crissey, Chaplain, 468. 
 
 Crittenden, Gen., 151, 162, 163, 180, 181, 204, 
 
 225, 229, 241 . 
 Crook, Gen., 252. 
 Cruf t, Gen. Charles, 265, 645. 
 Curtin, Gov., 602. 
 
 Davis, Gen. Jeff. C., 180, 181, 370. 
 
 Dean, Miss Lemira M., 669. 
 
 Deane, Miss Mary E., 668. 
 
 Douglas, Hon. Stephen A., 20, 21. 
 
 Dow, Gen. Neal, 595, 607. 
 
 Dowd, Col. W. P., 268. 
 
 Dowst, S. M., 814. 
 
 Daviess, Col., 71. 
 
 Davis, Jefferson, 21, 22, 46, 153, 458, 471, 474, 
 
 490, 570, 604, 634. 
 Drum, James, 574. 
 Drury, Horace G., 833. 
 Dufflcy, Maj., 364. 
 Dusenberry, E. W., 823. 
 
 Eaton, Jack, 636. 
 
 Ellis, W. H., 814. 
 
 Espy, Capt. S. B., 138, 208, 210. 
 
 Evans, Lieut. Col., 404. 
 
 Fentress, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Kistler, Lieut., (112. 
 
 Fit/simmons, Maj , 611. 
 
 Flint, Maj ,48. 
 
 Forrest, Gen., 94, 131, 154, 596. 636. 
 
 Foster, Lieut., 612. 
 
 Fremont, Gen. J. C., 387. 
 
 Fuller, Hon. Allen C., 29, 30. 
 
 Gallagher, Capt., 609, 611. 
 Gallaher, Miss Charlotte A., 670. 
 Galloway, Lieut. Win. G.,608, 609. 
 Garbet, Lieut., 612. 
 Garfleld, James A., Gen., 148, 201, 684.
 
 926 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Gurrard, Gen., 333, 379. 
 
 Geary, Gen., 258, 264, 265, 266, 646. 
 
 Gilbert, Gen., 104, 105, 110. 
 
 Gilmore, Miss Alicia, 674. 
 
 Granger, Gen. Gordon, 42, 77, 79, 108, 110, 
 
 120, 127, 128, 144, 106, 167, 172, 176, 177, 
 
 199. 2C5, 265, 296, 903. 
 Grant, Fred., 51. 
 Grant, Jesse, 51. 
 Grant. Gen. U. S , 41, 51, 86, 92, 103, 145, 
 
 245, 246, 249, 257, 262, 277, 282, 301, 302, 
 
 401, 438, 440, 475, 489, 496, 497, 503, 506, 
 
 507, (503, 626, 673, 676, 821. 
 Grose, Col., 264, 265, 266, 384, 388, 441, 443, 
 
 447, 646. 
 
 Haines, Hon. E. M., 495. 
 
 Halleck, Gen., 126, 149. 
 
 Hall, Capt. Amos, 740. 
 
 Hamilton, Capt. A. J., 611. 
 
 Hamilton, Lieut., 609. 
 
 Hannon, Lieut. Jesse, 211, 604. 
 
 Hardee, Gen., 570. 
 
 Harding, Col., 94. 
 
 Harker, Gen. Charles, 310, 370, 470, 471, 917. 
 
 Hawkins, Rev. L., 731, 732. 
 
 Hazeu, Gen. W. B., 257. 
 
 Higgins, William C., 912. 
 
 Hindman, Gen., 188, 200. 
 
 Hood, Gen. J. B., 116, 337, 338, 382, 384, 385, 
 400, 401, 409, 410, 414, 415. 418, 420, 423, 
 427, 432, 433, 436, 438, 439, 44U, 450, 452, 
 454, 456, 457, 579, 582, 820, 833. 
 
 Hooker, Gen. Jos., 122, 249, 256, 257, 258, 
 264, 2o5,, 272, 276, 27T, 296, 323, 328, 329, 
 336, 345, 568, 645, 646, 661, 757, 898. 
 
 Howard, Gen. O. O., 296, 306, 336, 384. 
 
 Humphrey, Gen., 591. 
 
 Hunt, Lieut., 733. 
 
 Huntley, Lieut. J. J., 674. 
 
 Jackson, Gen., 271. 
 
 Johnson, Gen., 174, 180. 
 
 Johnson, lion. Andrew, 670. 
 
 Johnson, Ciipt., 611. 
 
 Johnston, Gen. J. E., 289, 299, 302, 304, 305, 
 312, 326, 331, 332, 335, 339, 343, 350, 352, 
 379, 382, 471, 550, 551, 559, 569, 570. 
 
 Johnston, Lieut. O. S., 3>, 707. 
 
 Jones, Meut. J. P., 600, 601. 
 
 Joyce, James, 62. 
 
 Keith, Lieut., 604. 
 
 Kendall, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Kinman, Lieut. Col., 208. 
 
 Kimball, Gen. Nathan, 388, 419, 468, 470, 
 
 474, 475, 476. 
 
 Kirby, Col., 361, 363, 474. 
 Kirk, Hon. George, 814. 
 Knaags, Adjt. R. C., 601, 604. 
 Kuipe, Gen., 329. 
 
 Lane, Gen., 423. 426, 433. 
 
 Lawver, I. C., Adjt., 101. 
 
 Lee, Gen. R. E., 145, 302, 467, 471. 
 
 Le Favour, Col. Heber, 196, 205, 209, 5%. 
 
 Lincoln, President Abraham, 20, 21, 22, 23, 
 
 24, 37, 103, 121, 124, 148, 257, 269, 287, 
 
 387, 398, 440, 462, 168, 469, 488, 577, 669, 
 
 670, 671, 679, 704. 810, 851. 
 Logan, Gen. John A., 438, 507. 
 Lombard, Adjt., 600. 
 Longstreet, Gen., 162, 164, 168, 182, 183, 188, 
 
 197, 251, 639, 848. 
 Lowback, Eli, 912. 
 Lucas, Capt., 609, 611, 614. 
 
 Ludacer, Christian, 912. 
 Ludlow, Lieut., 609. 
 Lyon, Gen., 23. 
 
 McCabe, Chaplain C. C., 595. 
 
 McCaulley, Lieut., 600. 
 
 McClellan, Gen. Geo. B., 387. 
 
 McClellan, Hon. R. H., 671. 
 
 McCook, Col. Daniel, 166, 168, 169, 171, 173, 
 
 177, 178, 190, 196, 199, 200, 202, 203, 204, 
 
 209, 241, 256, 370. 
 McCook, Gen., 151, 163, 173, 174, 180, 181, 
 
 190, 204, 225, 229, 252, 315. 
 McDonald, Maj., 611. 
 McGrills, Hiram, 912. 
 McKcan, Lieut., 612. 
 McLaw, Gen., 591. 
 McPhcrson, Gen., 301, 303, 309, 311, 331, 333, 
 
 335, 338, 344, 349, 355, 357, 379, 384, 651, 
 
 917. 
 
 McVey. P. H., 823. 
 McWilliams, Capt., 601. 
 Magoun, Dr., 671. 
 Mallon, Joseph, 814. 
 Mann, Dr., 637. 
 Marshall, Maj. D. W., 364. 
 Marvin, S. W., 706. 
 Marvin, Judge, 842. 
 Mason, Ed. D., A. A. G.,475. 
 Mason, E. H., 130. 
 Mason, Lieut., 210. 
 Mass, Capt., 600, 601. 
 Meade, Gen. George G., 145, 604. 
 Mcngher. Capt., 589. 
 Meigs, Gen. M. C., 914. 
 Merrill, Capt. Wm. E., 626, 627, 630, 631. 
 Miller, Capt., 130, 131. 
 Minty, Col., 199. 
 Mitchell, Gen., 135. 
 Mitchell, Col. J. G., 166, 177, 196, 197, 199, 
 
 200, 202, 203, 204, 206, 208, 209, 256. 
 Mitchell, Lieut., 612. 
 Moe, Col. S. B., 183, 209. 
 Moore, Col. J. H., 205, 284, 452, 462, 468. 
 Moore, Capt. James M., 917. 
 Moore, Lieut. John M., 210. 
 Moran, Lieut., 601. 
 Mori-an, Gen. John H., 54, 74, 77, 78, 79, 
 
 114, 146, 586, 607, 756, 762. 
 Morton, Gov., 102. 
 
 Negley, Gen., 180. 
 Neiper, Maj., 600. 
 Newton, Gen., 349, 369. 
 Neiman, Adjt. Anton, 672. 
 
 O'Connell, Capt. P., 630, 631. 
 Opdyke, Gen., 379, 386, 423, 424, 426, 433. 
 Osborn, Mr., 636, 637. 
 Osterhaus, Gen., 264, 266. 
 
 Palmer, Gen. John M., 180. 
 
 Payne, Col. E. B., 495. 
 
 Pcgram, Gen., 511, 804. 
 
 Pemberton, Gen , 128. 
 
 Phillips, Col., 628. 
 
 Pickett, Gen., 337. 
 
 Pierce, Mrs. B. G , 286. 
 
 Pierce, Byron, 674. 
 
 Pierce, Miss Kmma V., 674. 
 
 Pierce, Miss Ida, 674. 
 
 Pierce, John, 674. 
 
 Pierce, Capt. Geo. S., 870. 
 
 Pitman, George, 912. 
 
 Platt, Hon. J. D., 283. 
 
 Polk, Gen. L., 163, 180, 289, 339, 356.
 
 INDEX TO NON-MEMBERS. 
 
 927 
 
 Prentiss, Gen., 145. 
 
 Price, Col., 295, 361. 
 
 Putnam, Capt. James S., 383. 
 
 Randall, Capt., 611. 
 
 Randolph, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Ratcliff, Albert, 912. 
 
 Rawlins, Gen., 506. 
 
 Reid, Lieut , 606. 
 
 Reynolds, Gen., 180. 
 
 Robinson, Ex-Gov., 62. 
 
 Rockwell, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Rogers, Gen. George C., 404. 
 
 Rose, Col. T. E., 596, 609, 611, 615. 
 
 Rosecrans, Gen. W. S., 73, 86, 104, 126, 127, 
 128, 134, 135, 142, 145, 147, 149, 150, 151, 
 162, 163, 164, 168, 174, 177, 180, 181, 204, 
 224, 225, 229, 249, 251, 257, 604, 625, 848. 
 
 Ross, Prison Clerk, 598. 
 
 Rosseau, Gen., 837. 
 
 Rossiter, Luther, 732. 
 
 Rountree, William, 827, 831. 
 
 Rowley, Gen., 4%. 
 
 Rusk, Gov., 676. 
 
 Ryan, Lieut., 600, 601. 
 
 Sanders, Maj., 454. 
 
 Sanford, Miss Ann, 674. 
 
 Sawyer, Capt. II. W., 600. 
 
 Scace, Edgar, 283. 
 
 Schell, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Schofield, Gen. J. M., 301, 335, 336, 338, 344, 
 355, 379, 38i, 414, 415, 416, 417, 419, 422, 
 425, 438, 567. 
 
 Scott, Dred, 19, 20. 
 
 Scott, 1). W., 680. 
 
 Seal, Richard, 496. 
 
 Seymour, Dr., 640. 
 
 Shaw, Joe, 543. 
 
 Sheridan, Gen. P. H., 107, 108, 110, 180, 181, 
 190, 229/489. 
 
 Sherman, Gen. W. T., 73, 86, 92, 102, 245, 
 246, 262, 276, 277, 289, 301, 302, 303, 304, 
 308, 3k", 314, 326, 831, 332, 335, 338, 339, 
 340, 343, 350, 352, .356, 366, 369, 370, 371, 
 372, 373, 374, 379, 382, 384, 387, Sill, 307, 
 398, 400, 401, 402, 4a3, 409, 415, 436, 458, 
 485, 486, 488, 489, 507. 536, 575, 581, 603, 
 631, 739, 740, 837, 917. 
 
 Silvertooth, Mr., 637. 
 
 S|monson, Capt., 321, 356, 357. 
 
 Simpson, Lieut., 612.. 
 
 Sizemore, Capt., 464, 465, 466, 467, 851. 
 
 Skelton, Lieut., 606. 
 
 Smith, Lieut., 636, 637. 
 
 Smith, Gen., 110,257. 
 
 Smith, Gen. A. J., 418, 435, 439, 458. 
 
 Smith, Gen. E. Kirby, 45, 470, 471. 
 
 Smith, Freddie Parker, 282. 
 
 Smith, Mrs. J. C., 282, 472. 
 
 Smiih, Gen. John E., 506. 
 
 Smith, Robert, 670. 
 
 Smyth, Capt., 606. 
 
 Stanley, Gen. David S., 115, 284, 309, 
 318, 319, 3-'!7, :>. 3lil). 384, 395, 400, 
 422, 426, 433, 435, 467, 408, 474, (Hi I, 
 
 Stanton, Hon. Edwin M., 145. 
 
 Starkweather, dipt., 860. 
 
 Steedman, Gen. J. B., 132, 147, 166, 167, 
 KiS, 169, 172, 176, 177, LSI, ISC,, 1!M), 191, 
 196, 200, 201, 202, 203. -,'dl. -,'ic,, joo. ><);. 
 208, 209, 210, 229, 232, 235, 236, 247, 430, 
 439, 457, 589, 51)0, 670, M49, 882. 
 
 Stoneman, Gen., 315. 
 
 Streight, Col., 489, 595, 606. 
 Swayne, Col. P. T., 47, 69. 
 
 Taney, Judge, 19. 
 
 Taylor, Col.. 372, 373, 654. 
 
 Taylor, II. W., 814. 
 
 Taylor, Gen. Kicnard, 471. t 
 
 Temple, Capt. H. P., 526, 654. 
 
 Terrell, Maj., 117, 130. 
 
 Terry, Gen., 539, 556. 
 
 Tibbetts, Lieut., 34, 844. 
 
 Thomas, Gen. Geo. H., 151. 163, 164, 179, 
 180, 181, 182, 183, 189, 192, 197, 198, 200, 
 201, 204, 205, 207, 208, 225, 229, 232, 246, 
 247, 257, 289, 391, 301, 319, 344, .355, 358, 
 382, 383, 410, 414, 418, 435, 436, 438, 440, 
 455, 456, 462, 473, 474, 488, 489, 498, 499, 
 603, 736, 739, 853. 
 
 Thomas, Lieut., 600. 
 
 Tod, Gov., 102. 
 
 Turner, Maj. Thomas P., 605. 
 
 Turner, Capt. Wm. P., 592. 
 
 Upton, Hon. C. W., 493. 
 
 Vallandigham, 136, 137, 602. 
 Van Cleve, Gen., 139, 180, 181. 
 Van Dorn, Gen., 115, 626. 
 
 Wagner, Gen., 434. 
 
 Walder, Miss Susette, 672. 
 
 Ward, Gen., 327, 329. 
 
 Warren, Lieut., 629. 
 
 Washburne, Hon. E. B., 28, 496, 503. 
 
 Waters, Col., 468. 
 
 Watkins, Col., 118. 
 
 Watson, Lieut. Col., 364. 
 
 Weagle, Henry W., 912. 
 
 Weaver (bushwhacker), 153. 
 
 Webster, Geu. J. D., 740. 
 
 Wells, Capt., 208. 
 
 Welsh, Lieut., 601. 
 
 Wentworth, Hon. John, 481, 485, 487. 
 
 Wetherby, . 546. 
 
 Wheeler, Gen., 93, 94, 137, 252, 253, 682, 832, 
 833. 
 
 Whitaker, Gen. 'Walter C., 147, 148, 106, 
 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 177, 186, 196, 197, 
 199, 200, 202, 203, 304, 205, 208, 209, 210, 
 238, 256, 264, 265, 275, 284, 294, 2115, 298, 
 317, 318, 360, 361, 365, 372, 402, 403, 419, 
 421, 432, 433, 447, 452, 511, 589, 590, 646, 
 653, 661. SlKi. 
 
 Whipple, W. D., A. A. G., 455. 
 
 Whitman, Mnj. E. B., 915. 
 
 Wilder, Col., 136, 144, 147. 
 
 Willett, Lieut. James It., 630, 631. 
 
 Williams, Maj.. 147. 
 
 Willich, Gen., 136, 666. 
 
 Wilson, Gen., 425. 
 
 Winder, Gen., 544, 565. 
 
 Wirz, Capt., 538, 544, 545, 551, 572. 
 
 Wood, en. T. J., 180, 181, 183, 201, 266, 
 346, 381, 422, 435, 454, 71S. 
 
 Woodworth, L. P., 283. 
 
 Wygant, Miss Julia E., 672. 
 
 Yates, Rev. J. F., 504. 
 
 Yatcs. Hon. Richard, 87, 102, 297, 753, 774, 
 
 815, 869. 
 Young, John, 555. 
 
 ZollicoffcT, Gen., 23.
 
 928 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96ra REGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 I N D EX 
 
 SHOWING PAGES ON WHICH MEMBERS OP THE REGIMENT ARE 
 MENTIONED. 
 
 Abbey, Christian, 878. 
 
 Abbey, Wallace W., 890, 892, 8%. 
 
 Abel, John A., 685, 699. 
 
 Adams, John, 195, 872, 878. 
 
 Adam?, William T., 776, 781. 
 
 Addndle, Isaac, 154, 858, 920. 
 
 Alexander, Edward, 764. 
 
 Allendorf, Philip, 685, 699. 
 
 Allendorf, William, 805. 
 
 Allison, Anderson S., 71, 691. 
 
 Allison, Robert C., 170, 194, 778, 784. 
 
 Ames, Ameiius, 746. 
 
 Ames, Willard, 746. 
 
 Andrews, George W., 195, 525, 533, 540, 
 
 848, 849, 859. 
 
 Andrews, Wallace, 312, 850, 859. 
 Annis, Henry, 193, 707, 710, 714, 716. 
 Appleby, Leonard, 898. 
 Armbruster, Augustus, 194, 793, 798, 920. 
 Arnold, Charles A., 900. 
 Ayers, George N., 743, 746. 
 Ayres, Orange M., 325, 330, 332, 548, 554, 
 
 559, 566, 732, 737, 746, 752, 918, 92J. 
 
 Bahr, Henry, 806. 
 
 Bahr, John, 300, 912, 919. 
 
 Bailey, Francis S., 445. 449, 794, 805, 806, 919. 
 
 Bailey, George W., 799. 
 
 Bailey, John W., 193, 736, 745. 
 
 Baird, George W., 901. 
 
 Baker, John, 154, 820, 828, 92C. 
 
 Ball, David R. P., 692. 
 
 Bangs, Ambrose A., 193, 213, 388, 522, 540, 
 
 604, 707, 708, 711, 713, 714, 715. 
 Bangs, George A., 303, 718. 
 Bangs, Harrison I., 719. 
 Barber, Samuel, 785. 
 
 Barker, John, 243, 263, 869, 870, 871, 873, 874. 
 Barnes, George F., 118, 123, 186, 195, 216, 
 
 263, 297, 844, 846, 847, a53, 920. 
 Barney, Albert, 358, 375, 553, 562, 570, 571, 
 
 572, 573, 574, 575, 757, 760, 764, 765, 827. 
 Barnum, Henry P., 193, 213, 365, 375, 524, 
 
 539, 736, 737, 744, 745. 
 Barr, William, 806. 
 Barrett, Charles, 692. 
 Barren, Orville P., 714, 717, 718. 
 Barrus, Isaac, 633, 710, 719. 
 Earth, George, 376, 719. 
 Barthold, Ernest, 688. 
 Bartles, Edwin A., 87, 732, 738, 743. 
 Bartlett, Thomas H., 858, 859. 
 Barton, Ira, 900. 
 Bastian, John, 692. 
 Bastian, Sampson, 799. 
 Bastian, Thomas, 806. 
 Bater, Henry, 193, 736, 747. 
 Bates, Hiram N., 907. 
 Bates, John H., 899. 
 Bates, William N., 461, 907. 
 Bayue, Samuel H., 52, 118, 842, 843, 853. 
 
 Beall, James M., 87, 691, 919. 
 
 Beall, Josiah, 125, 691. 919. 
 
 Bean, William S., 32, 192, 208, 211, 223, 228, 
 
 245. 297, 634, 636, 677, 681, 683, 688, 689. 
 Beck, Gottlieb, 192, 683, 691. 
 Beck, James A., 326, 719. 
 Beck, John K., 641, 828. 
 Beck, William P., 878. 
 Beecher, Mason C., 283, 755, 764, 919. 
 Bell, William, 358, 375, 872, 878. 
 Bennett, Elisha R., 699. 
 Bennett, George C., 311, 778, 782, 783. 
 Bennett, Truman P., 195, 872, 878. 
 Bennett, John, 125, 878, 919. 
 Bennett, John K., 908. 
 Bensinger, John, 193, 525, 526, 540, 737, 747, 
 
 920. 
 Benson, Daniel, 194, 216, 514, 517, 540, 816, 
 
 820, 828, 840. 
 Benton, Addison, 908. 
 Benton, Albert E., 349, 353, 894, 901, 919. 
 Berg, Christopher H., 71, 178, 311, 349, 359, 
 
 367, 375, 424, 460, 679, 680, 681, 685, 687, 
 
 688. 
 
 Berkmeyer, Frederick, 806. 
 Besley, John W., 746. 
 Beesey, John, 764. 
 Bete, William, 765. 
 Bevard, William H., 401, 878, 920. 
 Biddlecom, Charles O., 678, 821, 828, 829. 
 Bingham, George, 699. 
 Bininger, John A., 317, 330, 685, 691. 
 Berknell, Henry, 806. 
 Bixby, Solomon, 194, 311, 778, 784. 
 Black, James E. (Co. I), 884. 
 Black, James E. (Co. K), 195, 891, 893, 900. 
 Black, Joseph P., 48, 70, 72, 118, 147, 774, 
 
 776, 777, 780. 
 Blackler, John, 829. 
 Blackler, Thomas, 829. 
 Blackman, Frederick, 390, 392, 895, 901, 919. 
 Blackstone, Stephen F., 194, 514, 539, 778, 
 
 785, 920, 923. 
 Bliss, Timothy W., 746. 
 Blodgett, Asiel Z., 170, 186, 193, 215, 385, 
 
 492, 521, 524, 539, 656, 657, 672, 753, 755, 
 
 756, 758, 759. 
 Blodgett, Edward A., 32, 43, 86, 91, 251,273, 
 
 286, 294, 326, 380, 431, 447, 461, 473, 657, 
 
 658, 672. 
 Blodgett, Jared O., 194, 403, 577, 578, 579, 
 
 580, 581, 582, 819, 820, 828. 
 Blowney Benjamin G., 79, 186, 194, 216, 377, 
 
 388. 431, 437, 810, 811, 814, 815, 816, 819, 
 
 820, 823. 
 
 Blunt, Martin M., 633, 764. 
 Boettcher. Christopher, 364, 375, 818, 819, 
 
 829, 919. 
 Bollenbach, Gu&tavus, 457, 460, 584, 585, 
 
 711, 713, 719. 
 Bonham, Homer, 851, 867.
 
 THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 
 
 (FKOM KECENT PHOTOGRAPHS.) 
 
 EDWIN DBUKY. 
 
 M. I'MBDENPTOCK, .In. 
 
 HENHV H GAGE. 
 CHAH. W. EARLE. 
 
 C. A. PAKTRUXiK. 
 
 E. A. BLODGETT.
 
 INDEX TO MEMBERS. 
 
 929 
 
 Bonitell, Henry, 195, 514, 870, 872, 876. 
 
 Bonjour, Thomas, 800. 
 
 Bonner, William, 193, 214, 514, 736, 746. 
 
 Boogar, Henry, 710, 719. 
 
 Boothby, John A., 71, 195, 525, 532, 533, 540, 
 
 844, 849, 856, 919. 
 
 Bostwick, Hiram L., 194, 793. 796. 
 Bostwick, William F., 77(>. 783. 
 Bottom, James, 154, 710, 713, 719, 920. 
 Bottom, William, 710, 719. 
 Bowker, Joseph S.. 195, 514, 891, 893, 900. 
 Bowman, George, 326, 349. 376, 692. 
 Bowman, John, 195. 514, 872. 878. 
 Brainerd, Fred., 307, 311, 712, 719. 920. 
 Bray, Thomas (Co. A), 473. 686, 699, 920. 
 Bray, Thomas B. (Co. I), 633, 878.- 
 Brewster, Marion R., 754, 762. 
 Briggs, Frederick, 859. 
 Briukerhoff, Anson, 195, 514, 893, 900. 
 Brochon, Louis, 360, 375, 756, 757, 764. 
 Brower, Almon, 878, 879. 
 Brown, Edward, 806. 
 Brown, James (Co. B), 87, 709, 710, 713, 
 
 718. 919. 
 
 Brown, James (Co. F), 194, 793, 799, 800. 
 Brown, Myron J., 194, 325, 330, 548-58, 567, 
 
 570, 571, 575, 580, 634, 817, 818, 820, 830. 
 Brown, Spencer W., 844, 856. 
 Brown, Thomas, 901. 
 Bruner, Mathias M., 187, 195, 211, 639, 640 
 
 824, 843, 844, 847, 855. 
 Bryan, Abner C., 857. 
 Bryan, George, 64, 846, 859, 920. 
 Bryan, William B., 859. 
 Bryant, Lewis H., 193, 213, 736, 741. 
 Bryant, Myrou A., 712, 719, 720. 
 Bryson, John, 685, 699. 
 Bryson, Robert, 699. 
 Buchanan, William R., 215, 367, 375, 378, 
 
 794, 799. 
 
 Buck, Otto J , 692. 
 Buckley, William, 778, 785. 
 Buckner, Henry, 806. 
 Bunce, Charles D., 195, 523, 540, 848, 849, 
 
 859. 
 
 Burbridge, Robert, 367, 375, 850, 859, 919. 
 Burbridge, William H., 778, 785. 
 Burge, Albert A., 816, 819, 821, 830. 
 Burge, James S., 912. 
 Burgess, Alfred, 692. 
 Burke, Dominick, 367, 375, 377, 758, 765. 
 Burnett, Alexander, 123, 842, 843, 852, 889. 
 Burnett, George H., 36, 100, 121, 273, 282, 
 
 332, 388, 410, 437, 464, 707, 709, 714, 115, 
 
 718. 
 
 Burnett, Jerome, 714, 718. 
 Burthwick, S. S., 901. 
 Buser, Ellis W., 901. 
 Buser, Henry, 900, 901. 
 Buser, Samuel L., 377, 900, 901. 
 Bush, John A., 194, 514, 540, 778, 784, 785. 
 Butler, George, 194, 216, 817, 830. 
 Butterfleld, Isaac, 718. 
 Buys, John, 691. 
 Byers, Frederick W., 6, 123, 676. 
 Byers, John, 879. 
 
 Cadwell, Loyal, 822, 8cO. 
 
 Calvert, Richard, 800. 
 
 Calvert, William (Co. F.), 194, 397, 793, 
 
 794, 800. 
 
 Calvert, William (Co. I.), 884. 
 Campbell, Andrew, 378, 796. 
 Campbell, Harrison M., 692. 
 Campbell, Peter D., 633, 692. 
 Carlton, Charles W., 901. 
 
 Carlton, Thomas J., 273, 890, 894, 899. 
 
 Carpenter, Elijah C., 721. 
 
 Carpenter, George W., 765. 
 
 Carpenter, Marvin F., 844, 855. 
 
 Carson, Samuel, 884. 
 
 Carver, Eugene, 845, 858. 
 
 Carver, Franklin, 678, 845, 858. 
 
 Carver, Miles, 32, 678, 845, 858. 
 
 Cashman, Henry, 194, 778, 783. 
 
 Cashman, John, 193, 7)1, 721. 
 
 Castle, Alfred S.. 633, 710, 720. 
 
 Chaddock, Willard R., 891, 901. 
 
 Chamberlain, Wallace W., 765. 
 
 Chambers, George, 901, 902. 
 
 Champion, Myron B., 297, 895, 907. 
 
 Champion, Thomas E., 31, 36, 48, 49, 57, 58, 
 60, 62, 70, 72, 76, 88, 91, 102, 103, 123, 
 125, 147, 170, 184, 185, 186, 188, 190, 198, 
 202, 203, 205, 208, 212, 234, 236, 238, 239, 
 240, 262, 263, 270, 283, 286, 290, 294, 297, 
 298, 310, 317, 320, 321, 362, 363, 374, 401, 
 404, 472, 482, 588, 658, 662, 668, 669, 708, 
 754, 776, 843, 846, 847, 854, 888, 889, 895, 
 907. 
 
 Champlin, J. Franklin, 195, 523. 894, 901. 
 
 Chandler, Abner L., 360, 375, 664, 757, 765. 
 
 Charter, Erastus A., 860. 
 
 Chope, John, 754, 766, 920. 
 
 Chown, Richard B., 850, 860. 
 
 Clark, Hirain, 747. 
 
 Clark, James H., 53, 79, 813, 815, 823. 
 
 Clark, John M., 766. 
 
 Clark, Joseph K., 273, 641, 817, 830. 
 
 Clark, Samuel, 746. 
 
 Clark, William P., 800. 
 
 Clark, William S., 710, 720. 
 
 Clarke, Isaac L., 31, 38, 51, 52, 57, 70, 88, 91, 
 96, 148, 185, 186, 192, 199, 217, 228, 236, 
 245, 262, 483, 497, 640, 669, 670, 704, 729, 
 810, 811, 813, 814, 815, 816, 819, 820, 823, 
 846,853. 
 
 Clarkson, John E., 282, 765. 
 
 Clarkson, Theodore P., 91, 179, 193, 214, 
 385, 472, 754, 755, 756, 759. 
 
 Clawson, Philip R., 360, 375, 756, 757, 765, 
 766. 
 
 Claypool, Newton B., 908. 
 
 Clements, Samuel, 87, 738, 747. 
 
 Clendenning, J. M., 32, 38, 69, 87, 676, 677, 
 901. 
 
 Cleveland, Erastus T., 311, 364, 375, 712, 
 720. 
 
 Cleveland, Major H., 714, 718. 
 
 Cole, George E., 908. 
 
 Cole, James, 194, 778, 785. 
 
 Cole, Jajnes M., 785. 
 
 Cole, Perrin P., 817, 830, 831. 
 
 Colgrove, Caleb E., 125, 738, 747, 919. 
 
 Collier, John H., 193, 215, 282, 443, 754, 755, 
 756, 759. 
 
 Collins, Alfred, 87, 709, 710, 713, 720, 919. 
 
 Collins, Lafayette, 709, 710, 720. 
 
 Collins, William H., 699. 
 
 Conklin, Jeremiah, 831. 
 
 Conlee, Alex. W., 890, 898. 
 
 Conlee, Thomas A., 195, 212, 893, 899. 
 
 Conley, William (Co. H), 125, 860, 919. 
 
 Conley, William (Co. 1), 879. 
 
 Counery, Charles F., 861. 
 
 Connor, John W., 71, 192, 460, 514, 540, 683, 
 693. 
 
 Consaliis, Joseph E., 311, 685, 692. 
 
 Conway, Patrick, 107, 194, 509, 511, 793,800. 
 
 Cook, Arthur, 707, 711, 714, 716, 717. 
 
 Cooley, Harvillah, 32, 678, 732, 738, 741. 
 
 Cooper, George J., 283, 713, 720, 920. 
 
 60
 
 930 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 586, 
 
 540, 
 
 Cooper, Royal J., 194, 273, 387, 390, 391. 
 
 778. 779, 782. 
 
 Corbin, John A., 194, 216, 812, 817, 822, 
 Cosman, Peter, 720. 
 Courier, Charles !, 324, 330, 894, 901, 
 Coverly, Elijah, 785. 
 Coverly, James, 785. 
 Co wen, Christopher C., 195, 539, 890, 
 
 893, 897. 
 
 Cowen, Oscar W., 273, 899. 
 Craig, John, 800. 
 
 Craig, Thomas, 427, 428, 583, 584, 884. 
 Crane, Hamilton D., 253, 895, 902. 
 Crapo, Walter, 193, 259, 757, 766, 923. 
 Cribb, Ira, 193, 736, 747. 
 Crippen, George H., 91 8. 
 Crissey, Handford W., 859. 
 Crocker, Crofton, 763. 
 Crocker, William W., 861. 
 Crosby, John H., 710, 721. 
 Crotlfers, William, 912. 
 Crowell, Lucius C.. 283, 860. 
 Crowley, Dennis, 879. 
 Crummer, Joseph, 884. 
 Cruver, John H., 193, 213, 710, 720. 
 Cullen, Richard C., 195, 525, 534, 540, 
 
 848, 849, 860. 
 Curl, William, 720. 
 
 Curry, James J., 195, 574, 539, 847, 860. 
 Curtis, James M., 850, 867. 
 Cutler; Henry H., 193, 445,449, 525, 526, 
 
 587, 735, 736, 737, 738. 745, 919. 
 
 Dady, Owen, 712, 722. 
 
 Daley, James R., 766. 
 
 Dalrymple, George W., 902. 
 
 Daly, V\ illiam, 879. 
 
 Damphouse, Peter, 367. 375, 872, 879.. 
 
 Darby, Edward (let), 325, 330, 48, 817, 819, 
 
 831, 832. 
 
 Darby, Edward (2d), 821, 831, 832. 
 Darby, Henry, 831, 832. 
 Darby, Joseph, 194, 514, 519, 539, 816, 820, 
 
 821, 831, 840. 
 Darr, John C., 876. 
 Dart, Emery, 193, 212, 514, 710, 721. 
 Davis, Henry A., 700. 
 Davis, Joseph P., 125, 861, 919. 
 Davis, Noah N., 685, 699. 
 Davis, Thomas, 194, 216, 514, 539,816,819, 
 
 820, 832, 840. - 
 Davis, Watson P., 767. 
 Davison, Peter, 383, 392, 850, 857, 858. 
 Davy, Thomas, 786 
 
 Dawson, George, 367, 375, 870, 872,- 876. 
 Daweon, Robert, 806. 
 Dawson, William, 71, 263. 294, 359, 445, 468, 
 
 795, 796, 806, 851. 
 Day, George H., 710, 722. 
 Dean, Harmon S., 375, 894, 902. 
 Det-drick, George W., 383, 391, 758, 767. 
 Deersteiu, Christian, 806. 
 DeGraff, William F., 194, 212, 309, 311, 778, 
 
 782, 920. 
 
 Delaney, James, 667, 685, 699, 920. 
 Demmon, Leroy, 87, 819, 832. 
 Denure, Albert, 125 785, 919. 
 Derofi, Henry, 908. 
 Denick, Andrew J., 630, 633, 767. 
 Devine, Charles L., 766. 
 Devlin, Michael, 358, 375, 472, 553, 555, 556, 
 
 558, 562, 567, 570, 575, 577, 755, 757, 760, 
 
 765. 
 
 DeVoe, Isaac W., 710, 722. 
 Dickinson, Charles T., 767. 
 Diehl, James, 667, 806, 920. 
 
 Dimmick, Daniel W., 776, 782. 
 
 Dimmick, Geonre \V., 194, 212, 522, 540, 576, 
 
 604, 778, 786r 
 Dirnberger, Joseph, 879. 
 Disch, Andrew Jr., 349, 397, 685, 693, 919. 
 Disch, Andrew, Sr., 693. 
 Dittmar, Adam, 861. 
 Dittmar, Erhard, 311, 794, 800. 
 Dittmar, John G., 800. 
 Diver, William, 193, 736, 747, 748. 
 Dodge, George C., 193, 514, 517, 518, 519, 
 
 520, 539, 732, 736, 743, 744. 
 Dodge, Samuel W., 747. 
 Dombski, Henry, 721. 
 Donahue, James, 367, 375 818, 822, 832. 
 Doolittle, Leonard S., 198, 214, 514, 519, 539, 
 
 736, 747, 916. 
 
 Douglas, Adrian R., 678, 766. 
 Douglas, Chester W., 766. 
 Douglas, Isaac Mason, 754. 762. 
 Douglas. Robert J., 766, 767. 
 
 Dowd, Daniel W., 195, 525, 536. 540, 849, 861. 
 Drew, Walter, 194, 216, 364, 375, 813. 816, 
 
 818, 826. 
 
 Dreyer, John, 908. 
 Drier, Frederick, 667, 908, 920. 
 Drury, Edwin, 407, 582, 820, 832. 833. 
 Drury, Walter E., 821, 833. 
 Druse, Carlisle, 356. 712, 721, 919. 
 Dnnbar, Mathew, 195, 893, 902. 
 Dunbar, William S., 721. 
 Dunmore, Jacob E., 767. 
 Dunmore, John R., 401. 755, 767, 920. 
 Dunton, Oscar W , 861. 
 Dwyer, Thomas W., 833. 
 
 Earle, Charles W., 100, 191. 193, 199, 209, 213, 
 239, 284, 294, 295, 329, 360, 361, 388, 401, 
 423, 489, 508, 525, 540, 541, 586, 663, 664, 
 730. 731, 732, 733, 735, 736, 737, 739, 740, 
 745. 
 
 Early, Henry R., 890, 892, 897. 
 
 Easton, Benjamin F., 786. 
 
 Eaton, Parley, 902. 
 
 Eaton, Sherod B., 786. 
 
 Eby, Charles, 700. 
 
 Eckhardt, Louis, 806. 
 
 Edge, William, 194, 778, 786. 
 
 Edgerton, W. Irving, 125, 794, 800, 920. 
 
 Edwards, Alfred, 722. 
 
 Edwards, James, 879. 
 
 Edwards, Thomas J., 861. 
 
 Edwards, William J., 375, 894, 902. 
 
 Eflnger, Martin, 311, 423, 424, 737, 738, 742. 
 
 Ehlers, John H., 193, 514, 736, 748. 
 
 Ehlers, William H., 193, 359, 375, 575, 736, 
 
 737, 748, 752, 840. 
 Einhart, M. R., 693. 
 Einsweiler, John, 192, 684, 693. 
 Elberth, Jacob, 218, 794, 801. 
 Elderkin, Alfred, 194, 778, 786. 
 Ellis, Charles, 193, 756, 760. 
 
 Elston, Charles N., 195, 217, 889, 890, 893, 
 
 897, 898. 
 
 Endress, Andrew, 884. 
 Erskine, R. L., 693. 
 Evans, George (Co. F), 806. 
 Evans, George (Co. I), 872, 879. 
 Evans, John E., 340, 872, 879, 923. 
 Evans, JMoses, 32, 52, 87, 99, 220, 253, 461, 
 
 658. 674, 675, 825. 
 
 Fablinger, John, 195, 872, 879. 
 Fablinger, Louis, 807. 
 Fablinger, Nicholas, 807. 
 Fablinger, Philip, 798.
 
 INDEX TO MEMBERS. 
 
 931 
 
 Faith, William, 353, 77?, 779, 784. 
 Farley, Albert, 195, 847, 861, 862. 
 Farnsworth, George M., 215, 817, 824, 833. 
 Farnsworth, Hiram W., 79, 123, 813, 815, 
 
 820, 822, 824, 833. 
 Farr, George C., 850, 867. 
 Farrell, Patrick (1st), 195, 217, 848, 862. 
 Farrell, Patrick (2d), 195, 217, 848, 858. 
 Farrier, Andrew, 283, 755, 768, 920. 
 Feist, Bernard. 908. 
 Fenn, Samuel, 283, 786. 
 Ferguson, Alex. O., 767, 768. 
 Ferguson. George G., 297, 401, 678, 754, 
 
 755, 760, 767, 853. 
 
 Ferrand, Orskine L., 375, 449, 707, 712, 716. 
 Fidler, John, 193, 213, 736, 748, 923. 
 Fielding, James, 884. 
 Finley, Timothy, 748, 752. 
 Fisher, Whitman O., 710, 722. 
 Flagler, William H., 325. 818, 8*3. 
 Flanders, Francis L., 862. 
 Flaunery, Patrick, 195, 525, 532, 533, 534, 
 
 540, 849, 856, 857, 920. 
 Fleming, Peter, 397, 778, 779, 783. 
 Fleming. William J., 330, 757, 767. 
 Fletcher, James C., 693. 
 Fletcher, Joseph E , 125, 786, 919. 
 Flick, Charles B., 693, 694. 
 Foote, George H., 833, 834. 
 Forbes, William J., 283, 879. 
 Fordham, Charles, 748. 
 Forsyth, James. 191, 195, 591, 849, 862, 920. 
 Foss, Alvin B., 862. 
 Fose, Phineas, 902. 
 Foster, Alfred B., 877. 
 Foster, John H., 195, 525, 536. 540, 848, 
 
 849, 862. 
 
 Fowler, Robert A., 309, 311, 794, 797. 
 Fox, Benjamin F., 691. 
 Fox, Charles N., 193, 212, 710, 722. 
 Fox, Michael, 195, 893, 902. 
 Francisco, John Alvin, 195, 216, 632, 843, 
 
 844, 847, 854. 
 
 Franklin, Benjamin, 913, 919. 
 Freeman, James, 813, 821, 822, 827. 
 Frisby, Calvin, 782. 
 Fritz, John, 807. 
 Fuller, William J., 446, 722. 
 Fulsom, John D., 87, 707, 709, 710, 717. 
 Funk, Sidney B., 118, 194, 215, 289, 776, 777, 
 
 778, 781. 
 
 Fnnstan, Adam, 694. 
 Furlong, Moses, 876. 
 
 Gage, Harrison, 273, 360, 375, 491, 872, 877, 
 
 920. 
 Gage, Henry H., 194, 294, 331, 338, 349, 353. 
 
 375. 817, 818 827. 
 Gage, Wallace B., 678, 755, 768. 
 Gail, Daniel H., 194, 216. 817, 834. 
 Gammon, Joseph, 194, T93, 801. 
 Oarland, Frank, 723, 724. 
 Garrett, Richard, 282, 776,780. 
 Garrow, Frank, 801. 
 Gates, Edward W., 862, 863. 
 Gault, Samuel C., 694. 
 Gayetty, William L., 694. 
 Geronie, John, 869, 879. 
 Geyer, William, 694. 
 Gholson, John, 902. 
 Gillmore, Evangelist J., 87, 100, 282, 317, 
 
 364, 375, 386, 388, 707, 709, 712, 714, 715, 
 
 723. 
 
 Gillmore, Myron, 386, 391, 709, 712, 723. 
 Gleason, Henry, 813, 826. 
 Oleason, Isbon S., 631, 633, 821, 826, 834. 
 
 Glidden, John D., 784. 
 
 Glover, Milton, 192, 37r, 684, 694. 
 
 Goatiea, Louis C. G.. 300, 694. 
 
 Goble, Daniel, 125, 794, 801, 920. 
 
 Godat, Edward J., 690. 
 
 Goddard, Abram, 880. 
 
 Godding, Henry W., 273, 894, 897.' 
 
 Goebel, Harmon, 908. 
 
 Going, Joshua B., 311, 778, 786. 
 
 Golden, John, 377, 794, 801. 
 
 Goodburn, Henry, 880. 
 
 Goodwin, William E., 801. 
 
 Gordon, William E., 807. 
 
 Goss, William B., 870, 876. 
 
 Gove, Joel, 449, 712, 723. 
 
 Grabham, John, 784. 
 
 Graham, Charles W., 190, 195, 849, 862. 
 
 Graham, Edward, 195, 312, 353, 893, 894, 903. 
 
 Graham, Thomas, 194, 793, 799. 
 
 Granger. Dighton, 312, 376, 708, 722, 723. 
 
 Graves, Eleazer, 710, 713, 723. 
 
 Graves, Thomas C., 195, 524, 540. 894, 902. 
 
 Gray, Elihu D., 583, 723. 
 
 Gray, Horace, 844, 856. 
 
 Gray, Joseph, 880. 
 
 Green, George, 877. 
 
 Green, Henry C., 193, 525, 526, 737. 748, 919. 
 
 Green, Thomas A., 70, 792, 795. 889. 
 
 Greenleaf, Amos, 813, 816, 825. 
 
 Greenwald, John, 377. 094. 
 
 Greer, Gustavus A., 768. 
 
 Griburg, Simon, 786. 
 
 Grice, Thomas. 851. 867. 
 
 Grice, Wesley, 851, 867. 
 
 Grotjohn, Christopher, 807. 
 
 Gruber, Valentine, 807. 
 
 Guild, Seber A., 801. 
 
 Gnnn, James, 125, 786. 
 
 Gunn, Samuel, 913. 
 
 Guppy, James T., 193, 197, 207, 757, 768. 
 
 Haggart, Elisha, 170, 193, 198, 756, 763. 
 Haggerty, Cornelius, 903. 
 Hagus, Edward, 807. 
 Hall, Herman W., 712, 724. 
 Hallaner, Jacob, 801. 
 Hambrecht. Frederick, 908. 
 Hamilton, Hiram H., 195, 514, 540, 802, 
 
 899. 
 
 Hamilton, Jerome B., 869, 870, 875. 
 Hamilton, Norris. 193, 443, 449, 540, 
 
 738, 745, 850, 855, 919. 
 Hamilton, William A., 802. 
 Hammond, Charles N., 633. 802. 
 Hancock, Edward, 365, 375, 641, 642, 
 
 794, 802. 
 
 Handley, William, 802. 
 Harding, John, 283, 787. 
 Harriman, Henry J., 284, 291, 894, 898. 
 Harrington, Daniel, 194, 514, 778, 787. 
 Harrington, John, 642, 821, 834. 
 Harris, Alonzo, 724. 
 Harris, Carlton B., 908. 
 Harrison, Richard, 787. 
 Hartnett, Cornelius E., 754, 761. 
 Harvey, Christopher, 880. 
 Harwick, Jacob, 147, 801, 919. 
 Hastings, Henry F., 185, 843, 848, 850, 
 Hastings, Walter W., 91, 325, 330, 385, 
 
 472, 753, 755, 757, 759. 
 Hathaway, John, 909. 
 Havens, James O., 79, 123, 292, 294, 
 
 813, 815, 817, 820, 823. 
 Haverstreet, Andrew, SOT. 
 Hawkes, Peter, 195. 525, 536, 540, 849, 8 
 H-iwkins, Asel, 125. 820, 834, 919. 
 
 643, 
 
 856. 
 437,
 
 932 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Hawkins, Charles., 397, 758, 768. 
 
 Hay, John, Jr., 382, 392. 893, 903. 
 
 Haycock, Columbus, 748. 
 
 Hayth, Charles F., 194, 215, 523, 540, 576, 
 778, 787. 
 
 Heck, Louis, 880. 
 
 Hefty, John, 700. 
 
 Hefty, Nicholas, 473, 908, 919. 
 
 Hendee, George E., 724. 
 
 Hesse, Conrad, 690. 
 
 Hewitt, Patrick, 397, 873, 880. 
 
 Heydon, William P., 903, 920. 
 
 Heywood, Robert, 858, 863. 
 
 Hickcox, James, 194, 216, 813, 815, 817, 826. 
 
 Hicks, George, 32, 39, 71, 72, 10*, 143, 167, 
 186, 199, 202, 203, 222, 262, 293, 298, 308, 
 363, 366, 389, 390, 396, 417, 431, 432, 444, 
 459, 462, 468, 473, 481, 483, 484, 485, 488, 
 489, 491, 494, 495, 498, 503, 504, 671, 672, 
 679, 680, 682, 683, 684, 686, 687, 713, 869. 
 
 Hicks, James, 365, 375, 894, 903. 
 
 Hide?, Riley, 768. 
 
 Higiey, Albert F., 667, 700, 920. 
 
 Hilderbrandt, William, 700. 
 
 Hileman, Michael, 195, 525, 531, 532, 533, 
 540, 586, 844, 847, 849, 854, 855. 
 
 Hill, John, 401, 877, 919. 
 
 Hill, Morris S., 32, 678, 707, 710, 713. 716. 
 
 Hill, William, 194, 776, 778, 783. 
 
 Hiller, August, 685, 700. 
 
 Hindman, Andrew, 311, 329, 330, 794, 799, 
 923. 
 
 Hobson, Thomas, 880. 
 
 Hoch, John, 695. 
 
 Hocking, John, 194. 793, 801, 923. 
 
 Hoffman, Godfrey, 807. 
 
 Holden, John H., 428, 685, 695. 
 
 Holland, Thomas, 633, 880. 
 
 Hollister, Hiram W., 71, 709, 710, 713. 724, 
 920. 
 
 Holmes, William S., 681, 688. 
 
 Holtkamp, Bennett, 194, 523, 793, 801, 802, 
 919. 
 
 Holtkamp, Hendrick, 801, 802. 
 
 Hoogstraat, Herman, 317, 330, 712, 724. 
 
 Hoover, Wallace W., 364, 375, 894, 899. 
 
 Hopkins, Freeman, 880. 
 
 Hopp, Theodore, 367, 375, 685, 694. 
 
 Hosley, Austin, 768. 
 
 Hosley, Ellas, 193, 214, 514, 756, 768. 
 
 Howard, Charles P., 195, 848, 855. 
 
 Howe, Orrin, 193, 514, 515, 539, 736, 748. 
 
 Hubbard, William, 87, 787, 920. 
 
 Hughes, Hugh R.. 880. 
 
 Hughes, Owen, 880. 
 
 Hughes, William W., 367, 375, 894, 903. 
 
 Hull, Baalam, 700. 
 
 Hull, Nelson B., 903. 
 
 Huntington, Hamden, 147, 738, 748. 
 
 Huntington, Harrison, 147, 193, 525, 526, 
 540, 729, 732, 737, 741, 718, 919. 
 
 Huson, Nelson, 461, 713, 724. 
 
 Hutchinson, James, 195, 217, 872, 880. 
 
 Hutchinson, Samuel M., 834. 
 
 Ingersoll, William, 195, 525, 533, 537, 540, 
 
 849, 863, 920. 
 Inman, Squire W., 193, 211, 514, 516, 519, 
 
 539, 736, 748. 
 Irish, Charles, 913. 
 Irwin, D. B., 884. 
 Irwin, William, 798, 807. 
 Irwin, William J., 807. 
 Irwin, William T., 884. 
 Isbell, David, 192, 211, 244, 514, 639, 683, 689. 
 Isbell, Jason B., 192, 311, 681, 683, 685, 688. 
 
 Jackson, Josiah H., 885. 
 
 Jacobs, John O., 850, 867. 
 
 James, David, 79, 288, 320, 364, 375, 377, 388, 
 
 811, 814, 815, 818, 819, 823, 825, 835, 839. 
 James, Freeman, 87, 678, 820, 822, 834, 835, 
 
 919. 
 
 James/George, 678, 834, 835. 
 James, Isaac L., 823, 825, 835. 
 James, Jas. Edward, 71, 678, 680, 695. 
 James, Thomas, 835. 
 James, Thomas L., 813, 822, 823, 825, 835. 
 Jeffers, George, 297, 677, 802. 
 Jeffers, Stephen, 32, 282, 2%, 412, 673, 677, 
 
 802. 
 
 Jellison, Marcus, 787. 
 Jellison, Wm. W., 311, 386, 391, 576, 779, 787. 
 Jelly, Andrew Wm., 397, 794, 802, 920. 
 Jenkins, J. Byron, 895, 904. 
 Jennings, Charles, 154, 893, 904. 
 Jennings, George W., 311, 778, 787. 
 Johns, Nathan, 885. 
 
 Johnson, Andrew, 195, 525, 540, 849, 858. 
 Johnson, Francis, 348, 353, 685, 695. 
 Johnson, George, 734, 749. 
 Johnson, Henry H., 885. 
 Johnson, Jasper N., 881. 
 Johnson, John, 695. 
 Johnson, Samuel, 909. 
 Johnson, Thomas K., 195, 514, 539, 847, 863, 
 
 920. 
 Jones Harrison, 768. 
 
 Jones 
 Jones 
 Jones 
 Jones 
 
 Henry P., ' 
 Miles, 125, 755, 769, 919. 
 Nathaniel, 850, 867. 
 Reuben C., 749. 
 
 Joslyn, Joseph I., 822, 835. 
 Joyce, William, 194, 197, 215, 273, 312, 367, 
 375, 377, 390, 392, 817, 818, 819, 822, 835. 
 Junken, James, 273, 367, 375, 778, 779, 784. 
 
 Kaufman, Christian, 192, 683, 695. 
 
 Kearnaghan, Edward, 511, 802. 
 
 Kearney, James, 193, 525, 527, 540, 552, 561, 
 
 732, 737, 743. 
 Keiburz, Franz J., 695. 
 Kellogg, Roderick, 787. 
 Kelly, John, 909. 
 
 Kenney, Darius W., 195, 514, 893, 904. 
 Kenty, James, 733, 734, 749, 752. 
 Kern, Henry, 749. 
 Keyes, Thomas, 125, 787, 919. 
 Kilmer, Solomon, 807. 
 Kilpatrick, Robert, 885. 
 Kimball, William (Co. B), 193, 212, 710, 724. 
 Kimber, William T., 835. 
 Kimble, William (Co. K), 445, 449, 895, 909, 
 
 919. 
 
 Kimmins, Thomas, 383, 391, 794, 802. 
 King, Andrew, 194, 778, 787. 
 King, Christian, 913. 
 King, George W., 885. 
 King, John, 273, 817, 835, 836. 
 King, Joshua, 749. 
 Kingsland, Oliver C., 724. 
 Kinney, Cleveland M., 632, 890, 889, 9*0. 
 Kinreid, Thomas, 401, 820, a36, 919. 
 Kish, William, 904. 
 Klaproth, William, 863. 
 Kneebone, John, 194, 311, 794, 797. 
 Knopf, Christian, 364, 375, 818, 836. 
 Knopf, Peter, 836. 
 
 Knox, James L., 365, 375, 818, 819, 836, 920. 
 Koontz, Francis S., 195, 872, 878. 
 Kostenbader, Philip, 807, 808. 
 Kramer, Gottlieb, 802. 
 Kreitsburg, Simon, 786.
 
 INDEX TO MEMBERS. 
 
 933 
 
 Kuntz, Christian, 685, 700. 
 
 Kuntz, Clemens, 695. 
 
 Kurby. John, 195. 525. 537, 540, 849, 863, 919. 
 
 Ladd, John, 194, 817, 836. 
 
 Lamb, Nahum, 329, 330, 818, 838. 
 
 Lamberton, David II., 788. 
 
 Lane. Edwin, 885. 
 
 Langdon, Edgar C., 349, 353, 872, 885. 
 
 Langdon, Eugene B., 448, 685, 696. 
 
 Lankan, Charles, 808. 
 
 Lawrence, John. 913. 
 
 Lawrence, Thomas H., 803. 
 
 Lawson, John, 909. 
 
 Lee, John C., 60, 82, as, 629, 631, 632, 797, 
 
 869. 
 
 Lee, William, 808. 
 Leekley, Joseph B., 324, 325, 330, 548, 549, 
 
 794, 796, 919. 
 Lehmann, George, 836. 
 Leland, Thos. S., 324, 330, 890, 894, 898, 920. 
 Leslie, Humphrey, 125, 881, 919. 
 Lester, James D., 87, 892, 904, 920. 
 Levagood, Henry G., 193, ^56, 769. 
 Lewin, William B., 193, 214, 324, 325, 330, 
 
 332, 548, 549, 551-568, 571, 735, 736, 737, 
 
 744. 
 
 Lewis, James, 788. 
 Lewis, James S., 776, 782. 
 Lewis, William A., 390, 685, 696, 919. 
 Lindsay, Jasper N., 633, 776, 782. 
 Lindsay, Samuel H., 707, 714, 716. 
 Lindsay, William J., 712. 725. 
 Linklater, J. H., 215, 472, 754, 755, 757, 760. 
 Lister, John, 397, 794, 802. 
 Litwiler, James H., 273, 325, 330, 711, 712, 
 
 724, 920. 
 
 Long, John, 460, 870, 873, 875. 
 Long, William H., 881. 
 Lott, Austin E., 769. 
 Loushlin, William M., 39, 100, 114, 193, 202, 
 
 388, 624, 626, 027. 632, 729, 730, 732, 738, 
 
 739, 740, 752. 
 Lovejoy, Ami, 712, 725. 
 Lowry, Henry, 885. 
 
 Luke, Garrett W.. 195, 437, 472, 890. 893, 897. 
 Luttman, Charles, G , 796. 
 
 McAllister, James H., 701. 
 
 McBride, James, 749. 
 
 McCafferty, James, 195, 848, 864. 
 
 McCann, James (Co. A), 696. 
 
 McCann, James (Co. D), 360, 757, 764. 
 
 McCarty, John, 798. 
 
 McClellan, Andrew A., 909. 
 
 McClellan, William, 193, 525, 527, 540, 737, 
 
 749, 919. 
 
 McCoy, John, 701. 
 McCreadie, William, 193, 525, 527, 540, 737, 
 
 749, 919. 
 
 McCredie, James, 193, 736, 743. 
 McCusker, Charles, 193, 711, 714, 717, 727. 
 McCusker, Cornelius, 725. 
 McCusker, John, 445, 449, 712, 714, 718, 727. 
 McDonald, William A., 776, 783. 
 McDonald, William W.. 641, 642, 643, 881. 
 McDonough, Thomas. ,s7s. 
 McGill, John, 193, 390, 391, 733, 734, 736, 
 
 738, 743. 
 
 McGinniss, Edward, 195, 848, 864. 
 McGregor, James. 881. 
 McKey, William W.. !'.':). 214, 756, 761. 
 McKinley. Jackson J.. '.Hill. 
 McKinley. John J., 696, 697. 
 McKnight, John, 913. 
 McMaster. William 1!., 696. 
 McMillen, James H.. 725. 
 
 61 
 
 McMillen, Malcolm, 317, 712, 725. 
 
 McNeil, Thomas L , 881. 
 
 McWain, Nathaniel, 195. 525, 537, 540, 849, 
 
 864. 
 
 Mack, Henry, 194, 514, 539, 778, 788. 
 Madden, James H., 837. 
 Madden, Laughlin, 193, 525, 527, 540, 561, 
 
 563, 737, 750, 919. 
 Mahood, Edward, 803. 
 Mallor, Robert D., 701. 
 Malone, Daniel, 195, 273, 872, 881. 
 Malone, Edward, 390, 392, 661, 664, 819, 822, 
 
 826. 
 
 Manlon, Wesley D., 301, 913. 
 Marble, James, 725. 
 Marble, William, 336, 126. 
 Markley, Watson, 750. 
 Marsden, Samuel R., 696. 
 Marshall, Alphonzo, 195, 525, 533, 539, 540, 
 
 849, 857, 919. 
 
 Marshall, George, 870, 873, 875. 
 Martin, Charles, 32, 87, 99, 673, 674, 852. 
 Martin, John, 701. 
 
 Martin, Thos. B., 194, 514, 539, 778,788, 919. 
 Mason, Judson A., 813, 827. 
 Mattax, Stanislaw, 7)2, 726. 
 Matthews, William, 283, 788. 
 Maynard, Thomas H., 776, 783. 
 Melindy, Peter P., 360, 375, 757, 769. 
 Menzemer, Charles C., 291, 505, 541, 542, 
 
 543, 685, 696, 919. 
 Menzemer, Christopher, 701. 
 Menzemer. Harrison, 273, 291, 505, 541-548, 
 
 552, 587, 685, 690. 
 Meres, Michael, 300, 881, 920. 
 Metcalf, Christopher, 700. 
 Metcalf, James, 701. 
 Metcalf, John, 701. 
 Metcalf, Josephus, 192, 212, 521, 540, 684, 
 
 690. 
 
 Metcalf, Leonard, 700. 
 Metcalf, Rigdon, 803. 
 Metcalf, Thomas, 473, 686, 700. 
 Mettz, Barton C., 851, 867, 868. 
 Mettz, Charles L., 195, 848, 857. 
 Millard, James E., 725. 
 Milheiser, Franc, 94, 311, 737, 750, 752. 
 Miller, Charles J., 312, 442, 637, 638, 813, 
 
 817, 819, 825. 
 
 Miller, Frederick W., 194, 640, 793, 803, 919. 
 Miller, George P., 885. 
 Miller, James, 885. 
 Miller, John, 312, 794, 803. 
 Miller, Lewis, 194, 324, 330, 333, 548, 568, 
 
 817, 818, 819, 820, 837, 920. 
 Miller, Reuben, 638, 837. 
 Miller, Richard K., 696. 
 Millett, Hcrrick, 491, 788, 920. 
 MilleU, Hiram P., 633, 864. 
 Minto, David J., 749. 
 Mitchell, Henry W., 667, 755, 769, 920. 
 Mitchell, John T., 712, 726. 
 Mitchell. Michael, 909. 
 Mitchell, William, 769. 
 Monahan, William, 725, 726. 
 Montgomery, Caleb A., 61, 74, 90, 91. 753. 
 
 754, 755, 759, 760. 
 
 Montgomery, Henry R., 320. 725. 
 Montgomery, Wallace W., 386, 391, 576, 779, 
 
 788. 
 
 Moore, Charles T., 886. 
 Moore, George W., 263, 273, 297, 324, 673, 
 
 871, S72, 873, 874,886,913. 
 Moore, Henson, 195, 290, 848, 850, 863, 864. 
 Moore, Josiah, 886, 913. 
 Moore, Robert, 885.
 
 934 
 
 HISTORY or THE 96 r rn REGIMENT, ILL. V. I. 
 
 Moore, Thomas E., 677. 876, 877. 
 
 Moore, Thomas J., 377. 788. 
 
 Morgan, Thomas, 894, 904. 
 
 Morley, William G., 633, 749. 
 
 Morrill, John T., 725. 
 
 Morris, Otho, 881. 
 
 Morris, Thomas, 195. 514, 847, 857. 
 
 Morse, George C., 375, 894, 900. 
 
 Morton, Alfred, 769. 
 
 Morton, Ward L., 195, 212, 847, 85G. 
 
 Moulton, Josiah, Jr., 290, 817, 837. 
 
 Mowers, Peter, 359, 388, 392, 819, 827, 828. 
 
 Mueller, Frederick, 788. 
 
 Mnnson, B. F., 803. 
 
 Murray, Edward, 193, 213, 514, 515, 516, 519, 
 
 539, 732, 736, 742, 752. 
 Murrie, James, 346, 353, 421, 737, 743. 
 
 Nadeg. Jacob, 904. 
 
 Nantz, Henry, 822, 837. 
 
 Nash, William S., 273, 303, 509, 510, 793, 803. 
 
 Neal, Charles J., 769. 
 
 Neal, Robert, 125, 697, 920. 
 
 Nellis, William W., 769. 
 
 Nelson, Hiram W., 195, 848, 864. 
 
 Newman, Millard M., 851, 868. 
 
 Newton, Butler, 283, 904, 919. 
 
 Newton, Charles, 881. 
 
 Newton, John A., 904. 
 
 Newton, Marshall, 750. 
 
 Nicholas, James, 701. 
 
 Nichols, Thomas P., 886. 
 
 Noble, John, 881. 
 
 Noble, William A., 349, 353, 816, 818, 819, 
 
 837, 919. 
 
 Noggle, Isaac P., 633, 789. 
 Norton, William, 769. 
 
 O'Connell, James, 154, 710, 713, 717, 919. 
 
 O'Connor, Thomas, 318, 895, 907. 
 
 O'Hara, Berzelus, 761. 
 
 O'Herrin, James, 838. 
 
 O'Leary, Dennis, 194, 514, 539, 778, 789, 920. 
 
 Oatey, John R., 194, 793, 798. 
 
 Oberlin, William G., 375, 779, 789. 
 
 Obley, Christian, 878. 
 
 Oleson, Ole, 909. 
 
 Oliver, William R., 701. 
 
 Ollendorf, William, 805. 
 
 Osman, Daniel, 707, 714, 717. 
 
 Ostrander, Henry P., 822, 838. 
 
 Ostrander, Henry W., 49, 819, 838. 
 
 Overstreet, Abner, 886. 
 
 Paddock, Albert J., 424, 583, 758, 769, 770. 
 
 Paddock, George. 770. 
 
 Palmer, George. BS1, 838. 
 
 Palmer, Joseph, 817, 838. 
 
 Parker, Charles, 883. 
 
 Partridge, Addison B., 62, 100, 730, 731, 738, 
 
 739. 
 Partridge, Charles A., 193. 222. 296, 387, 472, 
 
 677, 729, 732, 736, 738, 739. 740. 
 Patch, Duane, 789. 
 Paul, James W.. 886. 
 Payne, Henry C., 193, 218, 525, 527, 540, 735. 
 
 737, 750. 920. 
 Payne, James P., 905. 
 Payne, Samuel B., 367, 375, 642, 643, 738, 
 
 741, 750. 
 
 Peeper, Henry, 633, 681, 689. 
 Pellett, Wilson, 886. 
 
 Penwell, Marcellus J., 365. 375, 844, a~>0, 856. 
 Pepoon, George W., 74, 210, 291, 295, 446, 
 
 589, 888. 800, 8<. 8%. 
 Pepoon, Mortimer, 909, 910. 
 
 Pepoon, Theodore W.. 910. 
 
 Peppard, Charles. 330, 757, 762, 763. 
 
 Peppard, Frank, 390, 391, 758, 763. 
 
 Perhum, Sherman W., 864. 
 
 Perkins, Joseph, 633, 803. 
 
 Pen-in. William, 882. 
 
 Perry, Hiram N., 789. 
 
 Perry, Oliver H., 642, 881, 882. 
 
 Perry, William M., 177, 882. 
 
 Pettibone, Theopholus, 633, 865. 
 
 Pharo, Louis, 808. 
 
 Phillips, Charles, 630, 633, 750. 
 
 Phillips, George N., 818, 838. 
 
 Phippin, Orlando, 367. 375, 779, 789. 
 
 Pierce, Byron G., 114, 220, 673, 674, 852. 
 
 Pierce, Franklin W., 350, 353, 460, 794, 795, 
 
 796. 
 Pierce, Joseph L., 100, 118, 123, 186, 195, 
 
 531, 842, 844, 846, 847, 852. 
 Pimley, James, 107, 194. 215, 509, 510, 793, 
 
 800,803. 
 
 Pimley, Robert, 798. 
 Pocklington. Thomas B., 838, 839. 
 Pogue, Frank M., 195,872, 882. 
 Pollard, Robert, 80, 892, 904. 
 Pollock, John K., 157, 363. 3(54, 419, 431, 459, 
 
 462, 729, C30, 731, 737, 738, 739. 
 Pomeroy, Cyrus W., 195, 893, 905. 
 Pool, Frank, 71, 789, 920. 
 Pool, Robert, 71, 263, 273, 281, 627, 679, 680, 
 
 684, 685, 686, 687, 789. 
 
 Pooley, John H., 194, 365, 375, 778, 779, 784. 
 Porter, Joseph B., 732, 741. 
 Porter, Thomas. 195, 893, 900. 
 Post, Ranslaer, 864, 920, 923. 
 Poston, Richard J. 789. 
 Potter, Edwin, 428, 726. 
 Potter, Philo D., 851, 868. 
 Potter, Thomas. 193, 212, 710, 726. 
 Powell, John, 851, 868. 
 Power, Absolam, 783. 
 Power, Newton, 784. 
 
 Powers, Warren E., 309, 311, 712, 714, 718. 
 Pratt, Norman O., 585, 726. 
 Price, John Jay, 125, 710, 713, 726. 
 Price, William, 192, 244, 681, 683, 689. 
 Pringle, John L., 681, 684, 687. 
 Pritchard, William, 904. 
 Prufer, Frederick, 909. 
 Primer, Oliver H., 633, 905. 
 Pulham, George, 803. 
 Pnllen, Thomas, 770. 
 Putnam, Morancy, 642, 895, 909. 
 
 Quigley, Isaac, 193, 214, 514, 521, 539, 756, 
 
 761. 
 Qninn, Francis P., 32. 48, 186, 192. 211, 296, 
 
 T14, 517, 5S9, 634, 636, 677, 870, 873, 875. 
 
 Rasjan, Harlow D.,373. 641, 642, 643, 684, 697. 
 
 Uahling, Frank, 311, 376, 757, 770. 
 
 Ransom, John A., 882. 
 
 Rausch, Christian. 697. 
 
 Rayne, Ross Porter, 3o7, 375, 894, 905. 
 
 Reardon, John. 865. 
 
 Rector, Oscar, 193, 346, 353, 660, 737. 715. 
 
 Redeke, Harman, 702. 
 
 Redfern, Frank, 367, 375, 779, 789, 919. 923. 
 
 Reed, David, 685, 701. 
 
 Reed, Vincent L., 770. 
 
 Reed, Walton, 194, 212, 639, 793, 803. 
 
 Rees, Chester J., 312, 844. 850, 854. 
 
 Rees, James, 195. 848, 865. 
 
 Rees, Moses, 6, 886. 
 
 Replogan. Abrain L., 770. 
 
 Reubeno, Edward, 192, 684. 697.
 
 INDEX TO MEMBERS. 
 
 935 
 
 Rcynick, Alex. M.. 913. 
 
 Reynolds, John, 357, 375, 870. 872, 876, 883. 
 
 Reynolds, Robert, 882, HSU. 
 
 Reynolds, Thomas. 170, 195, 872, 882. 
 
 Kice, George W.. 771. 
 
 Rich, Esau, ;.'73. 711, 720. 920. 
 
 Hich. James, 193, 514, 756, 770. 
 
 Richards, James, 473, 080, 701. 
 
 Richards, Ransom, 8(55. 
 
 Richards, William II., -,'81. 37(5, 685, 639. 
 
 Richardson, Curl, 195, 893, 898. 
 
 Richardson, Halsey H., 118, 154, 194, 034. 
 
 035. I i3G, (537, 774, 775, 777, 778, 780, 781. 
 Richmond. John L., 770. 
 Rider. William F., 750. 
 Ring, Henry J., 259, 754, 757. 771. 
 Rivenburg, Lovett S., 282, 781. 
 Rix, Edward. 193. 376, 750, 703. 
 Rix, George, 87, 708, 709, 710. 713, 72C, 919. 
 Robbins, Oscar, 312, a r >0, 865. 
 Robbing, William II., 194, 514, 539, 776, 778, 
 
 781. 
 
 Roberts, George W., 125, 870, 87G, 919. 
 Robinson, Francis J., 290, 340, 367, 375, 
 
 685,697. 
 
 Robinson, John Quincy, 6, 794, 804. 
 Robison, John A., 194, 212, 034, 638, 639, 
 
 640, 641, 793, 798. 
 Redden, John, 793, 799. 
 Rodenberger, Hugo, 193, 525, 527, 540, 737, 
 
 750, 919. 
 
 Rogers, David, 681, 688. 
 Rogers, Edwin, 689. 
 Rogers, Joseph, 511, 804. 
 Homer, Louis, 797. 
 Ronheild, George C., 808. 
 Root, Reuben L., 100, 436, 449, 813, 850, 854, 
 
 868. 
 Rose, Deloss, 325, 330, 332, 548, 549, 551, 552, 
 
 553, 555, 560, 818, 820, 827, 918. 920. 
 Rose, Timothy D., 295, 888, 889, 890, 895, 
 
 896. 
 
 Rosenthal, Henry, 701, 702. 
 Roth, Joseph A., 193. 376, 756, 770. 
 Rowan. Charles E., 70, 82. 83, 172, 194, 211, 
 
 284. 294, 296, 363, 364, 384, 411, 447, 459, 
 
 404, 505, 508, 511, 512, 540, 604, 614, 617, 
 
 792, 793, 795, 796. 
 Rubado, Joseph, 702. 
 Russell, James D., 910. 
 
 Sabin, William, 193, 757, 772. 
 
 Sage, John, 125, 790, 919. 
 
 Sallee, James M., 195, 525,537, 540, 849, 865. 
 
 Samnions, Charles F., 460, 584, 600, 751, 752. 
 
 Sanderson, Samuel C., 808. 
 
 Sandford, Lnc.ien B., K>0, 868. 
 
 Saulsbury, David, 87, 100, 704, 705, 707, 709, 
 
 710, 713, 714, 722, 810. 
 Saulsbury, William, 461, 697, 920. 
 Sansen, John, 702. 
 Sager, Charles, 808. 
 Savage, Jerry, 751. 
 Savage, Joseph, 193, 525, 528, 529, 540, 561, 
 
 737, 751. 
 
 Scace, William B., 309, 778, 790. 
 Schaefer, John G., 192, 223, 228, 245, 281, 
 
 679, 680, 683, 687. 
 Schaible, John, 882. 
 Schap, Anton, 312, 794, 799. 
 Schneil, Henry, 125, 738, 750, 919. 
 Schooley, Ellis L., 59, 732, 741, 752. 
 Schroeder, John, 808, 809. 
 Sen, warm, Julius, 740. 
 Schweri, Joseph, 193, 525, 527, 540, 561, 571, 
 
 737, 751. 
 
 Scott, Aaron, 194, 216, 349, 353,385,392, 813, 
 816, 818, 819, 824, 825, 919. 
 
 Scott, George W., 808. 
 
 Scott, James M., 117, 793, 804, 920. 
 
 Scott, John, 880, 919. 
 
 Scott, Thomas, 194, 778, 790. 
 
 Scott, Warren A., 804, 805. 
 
 Scott, William H., 808. 
 
 Selby, Henry, 913. 
 
 Sells, William D., 147, 755, 771. 
 
 Serviss, Beri, 307, 312, 900. 
 
 Shaffer, Terhan, 80, 790, 920. 
 
 Shannon, Joseph, 309, 311, 794, 804. 
 
 Shannon, Thomas, 215, 799. 
 
 Shatswell, John, 660, 661, 750, 751. 
 
 Shaw, Charles, 390, 392, 872, 877. 
 
 Shaw, George S., 259, 757, 771. 
 
 Shay, James. 93, 7^9. 
 
 Sheffield, Daniel A., 32, 87, 99, 675, 676. 
 
 Shepard, Benj. F., 194, 216, 297. 677, 813, 
 816, 821, 825, 826. 
 
 Sherk, Thomas J., 658, 659, 905. 
 
 Sherman, Nathaniel, 839 
 
 Shick, Peter, 633, 905. 
 
 Shipton, J. E., 681, 689. 
 
 Shultz. Henry, 195, 514,540, 893, 905. 
 
 Shumerski, Benj., 751. 
 
 Shupe Dennis, 364, 375, 818, 819, 839, 919. 
 
 Shupe, Levi, 633, 821. 839. 
 
 Sidner, George, 283, 794, 805. 
 
 Sidner, William, 804. 
 
 Simmons, John C., 900. 
 
 Simms, Nelson R., 70, 186, 194,215, 263, 793, 
 795, 796. 
 
 Simons, Henry, 195, 217, 847, 857. 
 
 Simpson, Edward, 192, 684, 697. 
 
 Sincock, John, 804. 
 
 Skellie, William, 886. 
 
 Skemp, Charles W., 702. 
 
 Skinner, William S., 709, 710, 727. 
 
 Sluman, John, 125, 754, 755, 762. 
 
 Smith, Albert C., 816, 821, 822, 839. 
 
 Smith, Charles, 195, 894, 906. 
 
 Smith, Levi, 910. 
 
 Smith, Finley, 865. 
 
 Smith, George E. Jr., 365, 641, 642, 643, 772. 
 
 Smith, James A., 790. 
 
 Smith, Jesse, 900. 
 
 Smith, John C., 31, 39, 42, 48, 91, 112, 139, 
 141, 176, 186, 209, 211, 236, 237, 262, 282, 
 284, 297, 298, 324, 325, 333, 340, 363, 374, 
 378, 437, 452, 472. 473, 470, 477, 478, 479, 
 482, 488, 489, 498, 503, 505, 568, 657, 070, 
 724, 869, 870, 874, 875. 
 
 Smith, John W., 790.. 
 
 Smith, Jonathan, 750. 
 
 Smith, Reuben, 360, 375, 818, 819, 839, 919. 
 
 Smith, Thomas J., 51,217, 324, 330, 333, 548, 
 
 568, 569, 570, 670, 837, 870, 872, 873, 875, 
 920 
 
 Smith, Valentine, 808. 
 
 Smith, Willard V., 771. 
 
 Sneesby, Henry, 367. 375, 738, 750. 
 
 Sommers, Daniel, 906. 
 
 Spare, Arthur, 870, 875. 
 
 Spaulding, Charles, 367,375, 377, 758, 771. 
 
 Spencer, Richard, 324, 330, 333, 548, 568, 
 
 569, 570, 794, 798, 804, 837, 923. 
 Spencer, Simeon, 324, 798. 
 Spittler, Joseph. 883. 
 
 Spoor, John, 808. 
 
 Spore, Daniel W., 910. 
 
 Spore, John, 910. 
 
 Sprague, William E.. 778, 790. 
 
 Squier, John, 839. 
 
 Stadel, Gottlieb, 804.
 
 936 
 
 HISTORY OF THE 96TH REGIMENT, ILL. Y. I. 
 
 Stahl, John, 312, 794, 799. 
 
 Staneufield, George H., 195, 525, 537, 540, 
 
 849, 865, 919. 
 Stanley, Aralzeman, 324, 330, (542, 757, 771, 
 
 772. 
 
 Stanley, Robert E., 193, 757, 771. 
 Steimlie, August, 195, 872, 882, 883. 
 Stein, George, 910. 
 Stevens, Edmund S., 71, 179, 193, 214, 514, 
 
 519, 521, 539, 754, 756, 761. 
 Stevenson, James B., 790. 
 Stevenson, William, 776, 781. 
 Stewart, Aralzeman M., 179, 193, 757, 771. 
 Stewart, Daniel G., 259, 757, 763. 
 Stewart, George L., 744. 
 Stewart, James, 312, 794, 797. 
 Stewart, John W., 473, 910. 
 Stidworthy, William, 808. 
 Stone, John D., 886. 
 Stone, Walter E., 712, 727. 
 Strong, Brainard E., 87, 790, 920. 
 Strong, John, 691. 
 Sturges, William, 125, 794, 804, 920. 
 Sturm, Charles, 193, 525, 528, 529, 540, 737, 
 
 751, 919. 
 
 Sullivan, Daniel, 353, 890, 894, 895, 898. 
 Sullivan, Dennis, 910. 
 Sullivan, Michael, 443, 449, 794, 797. 
 Sutherland, Briggs, 906. 
 Swan, Henry H., 80, 738, 751. 
 Swanbrough, John W., 187, 212, 240, 273, 
 
 297, 323, 437, 442, 445, 449, 472, 7'J7, 813, 
 
 815, 817, 819, 820. 824. 
 Swazey, John J., 421, 746, 752. 
 Swindells, John, 179, 193, 756, 771. 
 
 Tarpley, Aquilla C., 401, 883, 920. 
 Tarpley, John P., 263, 401, 870, 871, 873, 874, 
 
 877. 
 
 Tarpley, Robert D., 390, 392, 872, 877. 
 Tate, Ebenezer, 390, 391, 685, 698. 
 Taylor, James M., 309, 311, 732, 737, 742, 
 
 744. 
 
 Taylor, John L., 906. 
 Taylor, John K., 681, 689. 
 Taylor, John Y., 193, 640, 736, 744, 919. 
 Taylor, Pliny, 910. 
 Taylor, William F., 118, 153, 186, 194, 236, 
 
 263, 282, 437, 775, 776, 777, 778, 780. 
 Taylor, Worthy S., 146, 754, 756, 76i. 
 Teal, George, 194, 311, 778, 791. 
 Tear, Wallace, 281, 638, 677, 890, 896. 
 Telford, James, 461. 794, 805. 
 Thain, Alex. R., 249, 262, 360, 375, 634, 649, 
 
 757, 763, 772. 
 
 Thain, Nicholas, 851, 868. 
 Thain, Richard S., 273, 650, 651, 652, 653, 
 
 654, 655, 556, 772. 
 Thayer, Eli, 193, 212, 522, 540, 555, 556, 566, 
 
 571, 577, 604, 757, 772, 773. 
 Thayer, George E., 764. 
 Thistlewait, Chapman, 702. 
 Thomas, James A., 194, 778, 790. 
 Thompson, John C., 193, 214, 757, 763. 
 Thrasher, John G., 283, 820, 839, 920. 
 Thwing, Lewis, 772. 
 Tilton, William E., 195, 890, 893, 898. 
 Tinkler, Joseph, 194, 778, 791. 
 Tippett, Charles R., 883. 
 Tippit, Nicholas, 473, 686, 702. 
 Tippit, William H., 702. 
 Todd, Edward P., 472, 777, 781. 
 Tohler, Frank, 809. 
 Tollman. William, 910. 
 Topping, George, 312, 872, 877, 878. 
 Torrey, George W., 906. 
 
 Tower, Wallace William, 193, 213, 390. 391. 
 
 711, 712, 727, 919. 
 Towner, Carlos C., 818, 828. 
 Townsend, Edward E , 273, 295, 465, 888, 
 
 893, 894, 896. 
 
 Traut, W. V., 218, 273, 711, 727. 
 Travis, William C., 877. 
 Treftz, Theodore, 698. 
 Trefz, Henry, 125, 794, 797, 919. 
 Tresider, Martin, 809. 
 Trevarthan, John, 809. 
 Trevarthan, Thomas, 311, 330, 794, 799. 
 Triggs, John, 840. 
 
 Trudgian, William, 154, 794, 805, 920. 
 Trumbull, Rollin H., 87, 705, 709, 710, 713, 
 
 715. 
 
 Trusty, Edward, 790, 791. 
 Tucker, Charles, 851, 868. 
 Tucker, Jehile C., 900. 
 Tummond, Harry, 791. 
 Turk, Henry W., 754, 762. 
 Turner, Calvin, 697. 
 Turner, Ezra, 910, 911. 
 Turner, George W., 727. 
 Tutin, Nathaniel, 685, 702. 
 
 Umbdenstock, M., 3, 4, 193, 736, 751. 
 Underbill, Horatio K., 911. 
 Utrecht, Frederick, 698. 
 
 Van Alstino, William. 794, 805, 919. 
 
 Van Dervort, II. S., 195, 443, 449, 843, 844, 
 
 847, 850, 855. 
 Van Dyke, Edwin, 195, 525, 537, 540, 849, 
 
 866. 
 
 Van Patten, Jacob, 193, 757, 773. 
 Vaughn, James, 307, 312, 894, 906, 920. 
 Vaughn, John, 154, 820, 840, 920. 
 Vick, Joseph T., 866. 
 Vickers, Thomas, 698. 
 Vincent, John, 273, 445, 681, 684, 688. 
 Vincent, William, 52, 192, 212, 262, 317, 679, 
 
 680, 683, 684, 686, 687. 
 Virtue, Robert, 685, 702. 
 Virtue, William J., 690. 
 Vose, Samuel P.. 325, 326, 359, 818, 840. 
 Vroman, Adam, 195, 525, 532, 537, 540, 849, 
 
 865. 
 Vroman, John J., 324, 330, 894, 906, 920. 
 
 Waemers, Frederick, 685, 703. 
 
 Wait, George, 87, 437, 472, 704, 707, 709, 714, 
 
 715, 716. 
 
 Wakefleld, Chauncey, 125, 794, 798, 920. 
 Walmsley, William G., 752. 
 Ward, Norman P., 195, 514, 539, 848, 866, 
 
 923. 
 
 Wardell, Lloyd, 784. 
 Warn?, Franz H., 805. 
 Warner, Edgar, 194, 776, 778, 783. 
 Warren, William, 773. 
 Washburn, John, 442, 448, 712, 727, 919. 
 Washburn, Volney, 442, 712, 728. 
 Watson, Franklin, 906. 
 Wayman, Henry, 685, 703. 
 Wearmouth, Nicholas, 273, 326, 684, 698. 
 Wearne, Edward, 194, 514, 539, 793, 805, 923. 
 Weatherly, Hiram, 678, 713, 728. 
 Weaver, Samuel C., 907. 
 Webb, Charles E., 773. 
 Webb, Chase E., 752. 
 Webb, Henry A., 273, 754, 762. 
 Weber, Gottlieb, 330, 685, 698. 
 Weber, Sebastian, 809. 
 Weir, Frank A., 192, 296, 363, 367, 375, 390, 
 
 391, 472, 677, 681, 683, 685, 687.
 
 INDEX TO MEMBERS. 
 
 937 
 
 Weir, John S., 685, 703. 
 
 Wi-istotr. Christian, 193, 525,529, 530, 540, 
 
 5H(i, 737, 745. 
 
 Wt-it/.rnuker, Gregory. 703. 
 Wells, David, 364, 375, 712, 728. 
 Wells, Thomas E., 728. 
 Wendling, Christian, 840. 
 Werich, Bunihanlt, 809. 
 West, Nelson C., 751, 752. 
 Westfall. James M, 907. 
 Westwick, James, 850, 868. 
 Whaples, Emery I., 913. 
 Wimples, William H., 194, 216, 816, 819, 840. 
 Wheeldin, John, 685, 702. 
 Wheeler, William H., 194, 216, 514, 539, 816, 
 
 819, 820, 840; 841, 920. 
 Wheelock, Alberto, 195, 525, 540, 849, 866, 
 
 919. 
 
 Whitcomb, Oscar E., 727. 
 White, Andrew, 805. 
 White, Andrew T., 732, 742. 
 White, Charles W., 752. 
 White, George H., 809. 
 White, J-ibez, 791. 
 White, John, 734, 752. 
 White, Mathew, 883. 
 White, Robert, 883. 
 White, Samuel, 883. 
 White, Thomas, 887. 
 Whitmore, William D., 193, 213, 364, 375, 
 
 707, 711, 712, 716, 919 
 Whitney, Allen B., 87, 100, 282, 436, 705, 
 
 709, 712, 713, 714, 715. 
 Whitney, Caleb, 193, 711, 714, 718. 
 Whitney, Hamilton C., 193, 211, 514, 520, 
 
 539/710, 714, 717. 
 Whitney, Joseph C., 752. 
 Whitney, Willard, 707, 714, 717. 
 VVilcox, Isaec M., 473, 685, 686, 703, 920. 
 Wilcox, Samuel, 195, 461, 848, 86H. 
 Wilkerson, John V., 195, 525, 538, 539, 540, 
 
 849,866. 
 
 Willard, W. H. H., 690. 
 Willett, Arnold, 283, 755, 773, 920. 
 Willcy, Frederick, 913. 
 Williams, Edwurd, 887. 
 Williams, Henry M., 386, 391, 576, 577, 758, 
 
 773. 
 Williams, Hugh (Co. F), 194, 330, 793, 794, 
 
 805. 
 Williiims, Hugh (Co. I), 195, 386, 392, 576, 
 
 872, 883. 
 
 Williams, John (Co. E), 791. 
 
 Williams, John (Co. I). 125, 883, 919. 
 
 Williams, Providence, 891, 907. 
 
 Williams, William, 809. 
 
 Williams, William J., 887. 
 
 Willson, Robert R., 685,703. 
 
 Willy, Henry, 703. 
 
 Wilson, Benjamin B., 195, 872, 883. 
 
 Wilson, Harvey G., 698. 
 
 Wilson, John E., 866. 
 
 Wilson, William F., 887. 
 
 Wilton, Richard, 80, 754, 773, 919. 
 
 Wiufield, George W., 728. 
 
 Winfield, Thomas, 728. 
 
 Winter, Conrad, 797. 
 
 Winters, Thomas, 703. 
 
 Wirth, Augustus, 796. 
 
 Witman, John H., 192, 683,698, 919. 
 
 Wolford, Frederick, 703. 
 
 Wollam, James, 751. 
 
 Wood, Albert F., 890, 899. 
 
 Woodruff, John M., 282, 443, 870, 873, 874, 
 
 875. 
 
 Woodward, George, 667, 703, 920. 
 Woodworth, Benjamin B., 891, 907. 
 Woodworth, Horace G., 114, 116, 121, 123, 
 
 133, 298, 677. 
 
 Woolscy, Whiting C., 870, 875. 
 Worth, Fred G., 376, 758, 764. 
 Wright, Josiah H., 841. 
 Wright, Robert, 887. 
 Wright, Thomas, 883. 
 Wright, William, 805. 
 Wimenburch, Carl, 794, 795, 809. 
 Wynkoop, Nile, 442, 728. 
 
 Yates, Charles H., 123, 191, 195, 216, 263, 
 473, 525, 530, 531, 540, 844, 846, 849, 853. 
 Ycrington, John P., 911. 
 Yontz, Mathias, 685, 703. 
 York, Deloss P., 907. 
 Young, Christian, 911. 
 Young, David, 883. 
 Young, Gains W., 195, 872, 883. 
 Young, James, 710, 728. 
 Young, Joseph D., 391, 684. 685, 698. 
 Young, Orson V., 179, 193, 214, 756, 761. 
 Young, Sherwood B., 773. 
 
 Zuck, Solomon II. R., 866,
 
 938 HISTORY OF THE 96-rn KEGIMENT, ILL. V. 1. 
 
 BATTLE FLAGS OF THE REGIMENT. 
 
 The Frontispiece, showing the Colors of the Regiment, is copied 
 from an oil painting in the possession of Henry H. Gage, of the Historical 
 Society. The upright flag in the center of the group, and the short flag 
 across the stack of muskets, represent the colors carried from the organ- 
 ization of the command until the close of 1863. Both were torn in shreds 
 at Chickamauga, and the one member of the Color Guard who escaped 
 death and wounds in that engagement John W. Swanbrough was 
 wounded while carrying them aloft at Lookout Mountain. The flags 
 which cross each other diagonally represent the colors carried in the 
 various engagements of the Atlanta campaign, and at the battles of 
 Franklin and Nashville. Of these one of each set is in possession of 
 Gen. J. C. Smith, and the others are in the Court House at Waukegan, 
 Lake County, Illinois. The colors carried during the closing months of 
 the Regiment's service, and which are now in Memorial Hall at Spring- 
 field, 111., are not shown in the engraving. The canteen, the accoutre- 
 ments, and the stack of Enfield rifled muskets shown are of the pattern 
 used by the Regiment, and the sword represents the one presented by the 
 Regiment to Gen. J. C. Smith.
 
 ^IVERSITYOFILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 SS THE NINETY-SIXTH REGIMENT ILL