OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

A Part of Genealogy Express

 
Welcome to
Lorain County,  Ohio
History & Genealogy


 

A STANDARD HISTORY
OF
LORAIN COUNTY
OHIO
An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular
Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial Civic and
Social Development. A Chronicle of the
People, with Family Lineage
and Memoirs.
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G. FREDERICK WRIGHT
SUPERVISING EDITOR
Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors
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ILLUSTRATED
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VOLUME I
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THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1916

CHAPTER XIII -

MILITARY MATTERS
Pg. 247

   In proportion to its population, Lorain County sent into the Union rank and file an unusually large number of youth and men, and in no section of the state were the girls and the women more tireless in the work of relief than those "at home."  In the raising of funds, the forwarding of provisions, clothing and medical supplies, and hundreds of other acts which constituted war relief, the large and more effective organizations of Cleveland absorbed many of the activities and contributions of the people of Lorain County; but no thought of distinctive credit entered the minds of the patriots of those days; the all-important aim was to get the relief to the front as rapidly as possible.
     The all-pervading sentiment of patriotism so manifest during the period of the Civil war was only to be expected from communities which had so long been molded by strong moral and religious influences, with a sustained sentiment of many years growth against the institution of slavery; and Oberlin College, as the strongest force in the propulsion and dissemination of such influences, nobly  proved her faith by her works.

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CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OBERLIN COLLEGE.

     In speaking of the part taken by Lorain County in the Civil war, a special tribute must be paid the student body of Oberlin College.  The patriotic drafts upon the membership of that institution, upon several occasions, threatened the very life of the college.  On Apr. 20, 1861, not long after the firing of Fort Sumter , more than 430 students applied for admission to Company C, Seventh Regiment, Ohio volunteer Infantry.  Only eighty-one, the maximum of the company, were received.  A second company was promptly organized and filled to its maximum, and, a few months after Company C enlisted, Oberlin College and vicinity sent another company to the Forty-first Regiment.  In the second year of the war still another company was raised in the college and the village to join the One Hundred and Third Regiment, and not long afterward, when Cincinnati appeared to be threatened by the Confederate cavalry, every student in the college able to bear arms marched to the defense of that city.  Although the services of these so-called Squirrel Hunters were not required, their prompt action showed their manly spirit and they returned home with honor; but hundred of Oberlin students there were who saw actual service on the battle field, and many cheerfully sacrificed their lives to the union.  A testimony to this patriotism is the Soldiers' Monument which stands opposite the campus.
     On the main face, which fronts West College Street, is the inscription:  "Our brave volunteers who fell in the War for the Union."
     On the opposite side of the Memorial are the names of Lieutenant Herbert Kenaston, U. S. A., and the privates who also fell in line of duty.  Fredericksburg, Stone River, Gettysburg, Fort Wagner, Chickamauga and Pittsburg Landing are etched in this stony face, as they must have been in the memories of the gallant soldiers when alive.
     On the side facing South Professor Street is the sad and gallant record of Company C, Seventh Ohio Volunteers.  There appear the names of Captain O. P. Brockway, Lieutenant E. R. Smith and Charles F. King, and the battles of Cross Lanes, Chattanooga, Winchester, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain and Antietam, and on the reverse side of the monument, Ringgold, Petersburg, Fort Harrison, Five Forks, Cold Harbor, Olustie and Port Hudson.
     There are other memorials of the Civil war than those of stone.  For instance, there is an elm nearly opposite the Carnegie Library upon whose massive trunk is the inscription:  "Transplanted Apr. 2, 1859, by Burford Jeakins, Oberlin College, '61; Company C, 7th Regt. O. V. I.  Mortally wounded at Ross Lanes, Aug. 26, 1861.  Died at Carnieux Ferry, W. Va., Sept. 22, 1861."

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COMPANY C, SEVENTH OHIO INFANTRY

     Company C, Seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which contained so many Oberlin students, was mustered into the service at Camp Dennison, Ohio, June 20, 1861, and mustered out at Cleveland, on the 6th of July, 1864.  Following were its commissioned officers:
     Captain Giles W. Shirtliff, resigned Mar. 18, 1863.
     First Lieutenant Judson N. Cross, promoted to first lieutenant Nov. 25, 1861.
     Second Lieutenant Ephraim H. Baker, promoted to first lieutenant Nov. 25, 1861; resigned Mar. 1, 1862.
     Second Lieutenant Henry W. Lincoln, promoted from sergeant to second lieutenant, Aug. 9, 1862; to first lieutenant, No. 6, 1862; resigned Jan. 7, 1863.
     Second Lieutenant Isaac C. Jones, enrolled Mar. 1, 1863; promoted from sergeant to second lieutenant; died Nov. 30, 1863, of wounds received in the battle of Ringgold, Georgia, Nov. 27, 1863.
     Company C was with its regiment for more than three years, and its record shows what a firm basis true grit has in moral sentiment.  The Seventh Regiment was made up entirely of Northern Ohio men, and John S. Casement of Painesville was its first major.  He resigned after a time, and assisted in raising other organizations.  He ascended the steps of promotion until he was brigadier-general when he left the service.  At the expiration of the term of service for which they were mustered, the regiment re-enlisted, almost to a man, for three years; and on June 26, 1861, it started for the field to take part in the opening of the campaign in western Virginia, and on the following day first set foot on Rebel soil, near Benwood.  They marched along the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to Clarksburg and went into camp.  There a beautiful stand of colors was presented to the regiment by Captain Schulte, in behalf of the "Social Turnverein," of Cleveland.  The regiment made its first march fully equipped.  The day was aggressively hot, and before one mile had been laboriously overcome many valuable and useful articles, supposed to be absolutely indispensable, had become an intolerable burden; at three miles, when a halt was ordered, the men went deliberately to work reducing their baggage.  Blankets, dress uniforms, books, underclothing and every article that could possibly be dispensed with, were emptied on the ground and left there.  This march terminated at Weston.  After doing considerable marching, the regiment reached Cross Lanes on the 16th of August; and it was there, on the 25th of the same month, that they had their first fight, which proved a disastrous affair.  The regiment was obliged to retreat, although it held

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its position for some time against overwhelming numbers.  Its loss was 120 in killed, wounded and prisoners.  The next battle was at Winchester on Mar. 23d.  At 3 o'clock P.M. the battle began in earnest and raged furiously until dark, resulting in success to the Union army.  Again at Port Republic, the Seventh fought splendidly and effectively.  In that engagement, with less than 3,000 men, Stonewall Jackson's force of 14,000 Confederates was held at bay for five hours.  The Union forces were, however, obliged to retreat.  On August 9th, at Cedar Mountain, the regiment was again at the front and enraged in a fierce hand-to-hand conflict.  Of the 300 men engaged in the Seventh" only 100 escaped unhurt.  The next battle was at Antietam, but it would require a volume to tell of all the fighting the regiment did.  On Saturday, June 24, 1864, it took its departure for Cleveland, where it was mustered out of the service on the 8th day of July following, having been in the field a little more than three years.  During that time 1,800 men had served in it, and when mustered out there were but 240 men remaining to bring home their colors, pierced by the shot and shell of more than a score of battles.

FATALITIES

     The fatalities of Company C, which exceeded those of any other similar command which was drawn from Lorain County, were as follows:

     Killed in battle:
     First Sergeant Arthur C. Danford, promoted to first sergeant Nov. 20, 1861; killed at Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.
     Corporal John J. Evers, promoted to corporal Nov. 20, 1861; killed at Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Aug. 9, 1862.
     Corporal Lewis R. Gates, promoted to corporal Apr. 1, 1862; killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
     Corporal George R. Matgary promoted to corporal Apr. 1, 1862; killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
     Romain J. Kingsbury, killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
     Charles F. King, killed at Ringgold, Georgia, Nov. 27, 1863.
     James M. Rappleye, killed at Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Aug. 9, 1862.
     Warren F. Richmond, killed at Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Aug 9, 1862.

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     Edward P. Sheppard, killed at Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Aug. 9, 1862.
     Charles E. Wall, killed at Ringgold, Georgia, Nov. 27, 1863.
     Daniel P. Wood, killed at Ringgold, Georgia, Nov. 2, 1863.
     Died:
     Sergant William W. Parmenter, taken prisoner at battle of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861; died in Parish Prison, New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 18, 1861.
     Sergeant John Gardner, appointed sergeant May 1, 1863; died Dec. 19, 1863, of wounds received in battle of Ringgold, Georgia, Nov. 27, 1863.
     Sergeant Oliver C. Trembly, appointed sergeant Jan. 1, 1864; drowned in the Ohio River, June 24, 1864.
     Corporal Edward W. Goodsel, died Sept. 19, 1862, of wounds received in battle of Antietam, Maryland, Sept. 17, 1862.
     William Biggs, taken prisoner at battle of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861, and died in Parish Prison, New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 17, 1861.
     Wallace Coburn, died Mar. 29, 1862, of wounds received in battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.
     Joseph H. Collins, died Aug. 27, 1861, of wounds received at battle of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861.
     Cyrus P. Hamilton, wounded and captured at battle of Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862; died in Rebel hospital of wounds.
     Daniel S. Judson, wounded and captured at battle of Port Republic, June 9, 1862; died of wounds in Rebel hospital.
     Burford Jenkins, wounded and captured at battle of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861; died of wounds Sept. 6, 1861.
     Harrison Lewis, died in Fairfax Seminary Hospital, Virginia, Dec. 6, 1861, of fever.
     Joseph McCanan, died July 22, 1863, of wounds received at battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.
     Levi Myers, died in hospital at Nashville, Tennessee, Dec. 20, 1863, of smallpox.
     Fred M. Palmer, died Apr. 7, 1862, of wounds received in battle of Winchester, Mar. 23, 1862.
     Edward G. Sackett, died Mar. 29, 1862, of wounds received in battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.
     Thomas Sweet, died Nov. 30, 1863, of wounds received in battle of Ringgold, Nov. 27, 1863.
     Orlando Worcester, died Apr. 16, 1862, of wounds received in battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.

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THE SQUIRREL HUNTERS.

     In striking contrast to the foregoing record is that of the organization, which so promptly assembled, in the autumn of 1862, to repel the Confederate general, Kirby Smith, from his anticipated attack upon Cincinnati.  Governor Tod had issued a proclamation calling upon all who would furnish themselves with rations and arms to turn out, organize under their own officers, and rendezvous at the threatened city, transportation over the railroads to be provided by the Government.  About 350 citizens of Lorain County responded to the call of the governor.  They saw no fighting, but their work was cheerfully performed, and they were ready for whatever might come.  Governor Tod caused lithograph discharges to be forwarded to those whose names could be obtained, and not a few of them have been preserved by the descendants of the home guard, as highly prized documents.  Although those who thus gathered at Cincinnati were afterward jocosely called Squirrel Hunters, they were always honored just the same.

COMPANY D, TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

     Company D, of the Twenty-third Regiment, was recruited mostly from Lorain County.  It went into the service over 100 hundred strong, being organized at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, May 16, 1861.  It was mustered out at Cumberland, Maryland, July 26, 1865.
     The commissioned officers of Company D were as follows:  Captain Howard S. Lovejoy; resigned Feb. 19, 1863.
     First Lieutenant Abram A. Hunter, promoted to captain Mar. 1, 1862, and assigned to Company K.
     Samuel Lieutenant Henry Richardson, promoted to first lieutenant July 24, 1861, and assigned to Company B.

FATALITIES.

     Corporal John H. Lindley, promoted to sergeant; killed at south Mountain, Maryland, Sept. 14, 1862.
     Isaac W. Barker, Hiram Durkee, Frederick Hooker and Edmund A. Sims, also killed at South Mountain.
     James V. Eldridge, killed at Antietam, Maryland, Sept. 17, 1862.
     John R. Searl died at Raleigh, North Carolina, July 17, 1864.
     Samuel Clifford, died in Confederate prison, July 12, 1864.

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COMPANY K, TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

     Company K, of the Twenty-third Regiment, was organized at Elyria, and mustered into the service the month following the organization of Company D.  They were both mustered out with their regiment, at Cumberland, Maryland, July 26, 1865.
     The commissioned officers of Company K were as follows:
     Captain Dewitt C. Howard, resigned July 11, 1862.
     First Lieutenant Frederick H. Bacon.
    
Second Lieutenant Archie C. Fisk.

FATALITIES.

     The fatalities of the company during the war include the following:
     Sergeant Thomas G. Wells, killed in the battle of South Mountain, Maryland, Sept. 14, 1862.
     Corporals Timothy C. Wood and Lyman W. Carpenter, both of whom died at Charleston, West Virginia, the former Nov. 20, 1862, and the latter, Aug. 8th of that year.
     Jonathan Ring, wounded at Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862; died Sept. 14, 1862.

REGIMENTAL HISTORY.

     Companies D and K had the honor of being units of one of the most famous regiments which ever went from Ohio - famous, not only for its soldierly record, but for the after-fame of its commanding officers.  Their simple names are the proof to all who have even an inkling of American history.  William S. Rosecrans was colonel, Stanley Matthews lieutenant colonel, and Rutherford B. Hayes major, when the regiment was first organized.  Under command of Colonel E. P. Scammon, the Twenty-third went into active service in West Virginia, meeting with the new and exciting events common to inexperienced soldiers, which were almost forgotten amid the sterner realities of active warfare.
     The regiment participated in the battles of Carnifex Ferry, Virginia, Sept. 10, 1861, and Giles Courthouse, May 10, 1862, and had the honor of opening the battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862, where it lost thirty-three men killed and eighty wounded, among the latter Rutherford B. Hayes, afterward President of the United States.  As an incident of this battle, it is said that the Twelfth and

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Twenty-third Ohio and Twelfth and Twenty-third North Carolina - Companies B on each side - were directly engaged with each other.  The Twenty-third, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Hayes, was in the advance on that day.  It was an early hour to advance up the mountain and attack the enemy.  From behind stone walls the Confederates poured a destructive fire into the Federal ranks at very short range.  The command of the Twenty-third fell upon Major Comly after Lieutenant Colonel Hayes was wounded, the latter again making his appearance on the field, with his wound half dressed, and fought, against the remonstrances of the whole command, until carried off.  Near the close of the day at Antietam a change was made by the division to which the Twenty-third belonged, and it was exposed to a large force of the enemy posted in the rear of the left.  Its colors were shot down, and at the same time a feint was made in its front.  The colors were planted on a new line at right angles with its former front, and teh regiment formed a line in the new direction, and opened fire upon the enemy, who retired.  The division withdrew, but no order reached the Twenty-third, and it remained on the field until the division commander returned and ordered it to the rear.
     The Twenty-third assisted in heading off Morgan's command at Buffington's Island, then returned to Charleston, West Virginia, and afterward joined General Crook's forces for a raid on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.  May 9, 1864, the Twenty-third fought at Cloyd Mountain.  The enemy occupied the first crest of the mountain, defended by artillery and rudely constructed breastworks.  The hill was steep, thickly wooded, difficult of ascent, and skirted by a stream of water two or three feet deep.  At the word of command the regiment advanced across the stream to the foot of the mountain, under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, without returning the fire of the enemy.  A furious assault was made upon the enemy's works, carrying them, with two pieces of artillery.  The struggle at the guns was of the fiercest description.  The Confederate artillerymen attempted to reload their pieces when the Federal line was ot more than ten paces distant.  The Twenty-third was with Hunter in the attack on Lynchburg, and in numerous skirmishes and battles in the Shenandoah Valley.  At Winchester, July 24, 1864, it lost 153 men.  At the battle of Opequan, September 19th, Hayes' brigade had the extreme right of the infantry.  Moving forward under fire, the brigade came upon a deep slough, forty or fifty yards wide and nearly waste deep, with soft mud at the bottom overgrown with a thick bed of moss.  It seemed impossible to get through it, and the whole line was staggered for a moment.  Just then Colonel Hayes plunged in with his horse, and under a shower of bullets and

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shells he rode, waded and dragged his way through - the first man over.  The Twenty-third was ordered by the right flank over the slough.  At the same place men were suffocated and drowned; still the regiment plunged through, re-formed, charged forward again, driving the enemy.  The division commander was wounded, leaving Colonel Hayes in command.  He was everywhere, exposing himself as usual; men were falling all around him, but he rode through it all as though he had a charmed life.  No reinforcements, as promised; something must be done to stop that fire that is cutting the force so terribly.  Selecting some Saxony rifles in the Twenty-third, pieces of seventy-one calibre, with the range of twelve hundred yards, Lieutenant McBride was ordered forward with them to kill the enemy's artillery horses, in plain sight.  At the first shot a horse drops, immediately another is killed, a panic seems to seize, the artillerymen, and they commence limbering up.  The infantry take the alarm, and a few commence running from the intrenchments, and the cavalry, which has been hovering upon the flanks, sweeps down upon the enemy, capturing them by regiments; and the battle is at an end.  The Twenty-third fought at North mountain, Sept. 20, 1864, and at Cedar Creek, October 19 - a day that is a household world throughout the land.  The Twenty-third was mustered out on the 26th day of July, 1865, at Cumberland, Maryland, and was paid and disbanded at Camp Taylor, Cleveland.

COMPANY H, FORTY-FIRST REGIMENT.

     Company H, Forty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was largely recruited from Lorain County, and several joined Company K, of the same regiment.  With other companies of that stalwart command, they saw more than four years of service covering every phase of warfare conceived by the brave and ingenious soldiers of those days.
     The commissioned offices of Company H included the following:
     Captain, Alonzo Pease, resigned Jan. 9, 1862.
     First Lieutenant, John W. Steele, promoted to captain, Feb. 3, 1862.
     Second lieutenant, Albert McRoberts, promoted to first lieutenant Mar. 1, 1862; resigned, May 24, 1862.

REGIMENTAL HISTORY.

    The Forty-first was one of the famous veteran regiments of the Union army.  It was raised immediately after the battle of Bull Run by a number of citizens of Cleveland and Capt. William B. Hazen of

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the Eighth United States Infantry, was appointed colonel.  The camp was established near Cleveland, and by September 1st it was quite full and the work of instruction commenced.  An officers' school was instituted, and the strictest discipline enforced, and, by the time the regiment was mustered as complete, on the 31st of October, 1861, the officers and men were quite well drilled.  On November 6th the regiment moved by rail to Camp Dennison, where he was supplied with arms.  These consisted of the Greenwood rifle, a weapon nearly useless and soon discarded by the Government.  After a week at Camp Dennison, the regiment proceeded to Gallipolis, taking steamer from Cincinnati.
     A few raiding excursions from this point into Virginia was the only relief from daily drills, and in the later part of the month, the regiment was ordered to Louisville, and reported to General Buell then organizing the Army of Ohio.  The forty-first became a part of the Fifteenth Brigade, Nelson's division, and during the winter remained at Camp Wickliffe, Kentucky.  There the Forty-first was made the nucleus of a new brigade (the Nineteenth), to which were assigned the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Indiana and the Sixth Kentucky, commanded by Colonel Hazen.
    
On the 14th of February, 1862, Nelson's division marched to West Point, which was reached after a severe march of three days.  Thence the two Indiana regiments were sent to GrantNelson embarked on transports of the Tennessee river, and arrived at Nashville on the 27th of February, 1862.  About the middle of March, the regiment moved with the army to Savannah on the Tennessee River arriving within two miles of that point the Saturday preceding the battle of Pittsburg Landing.  Heavy firing was heard on the morning of the 6th of April, and at 1 o'clock P.M., after being supplied with rations and ammunition, the regiment moved for Pittsburg Landing, one company (G) being left to guard the camp and garrison equipage.  At 5 o'clock, the troops arrived opposite the battlefield, and Hazen's brigade was the second to cross the river.  The regiment lay that night on the field, in the driving rain among the dead and wounded, and at day-light moved forward in its first engagement.
     The Forty-first was on the right of Nelson's division, and when the rebels were discovered to be advancing Hazen's brigade was ordered to charge.  The Forty-first was placed in the front line, and advanced steadily through a dense thicket of undergrowth, and, emerging into the more open ground, was saluted with a murderous fire.  The line still advanced, checked the approaching Confederates, drove them back beyond their fortifications and captured their guns.  Three officers and

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three men, who, at different times, carried the colors in the charge, were either killed or wounded, and, of the 373 who entered the engagement, 141 were put out of the fight in the space of half an hour.
     The night after the battle, Hazen's brigade, as an outlying force, occupied the Tan Bark Road upon the left of the army.  The regiment occupied a miserable camp on the field of battle, surrounded by the half buried bodies of men and horses, until the army moved on Corinth.  It suffered very much from exposure, during the march and in the operations immediately following.  The Forty-first was with Buell's army on its march to Louisville, moving, day after day, over bad roads, with short rations and water supply, until, nearly exhausted, ragged and dirty, it entered Louisvile on the West Point Road, and encamped for a three days' ret.  On the 2nd of October, the regiment marched against Bragg.  At the battle of Perryville, its duties were chiefly in the line of skirmishing.
     About October 20th, the brigade commenced its return to Nashville.
     December 26th, the Forty-first, with the army, moved on Murfreesboro.  At midnight, on the 30th, the regiment took position in the first line facing Cowan's house, and from this time, until the cessation of hostilities, was actively engaged.  Of the 410 officers and men of the Forty-first, the largest number it ever took into battle, 112 were killed and wounded.
     On Jan. 10, 1863, the regiment moved to Reedyville, where it remained, in comparative quiet, until the 24th of the following June, when the command moved to Tullahoma; but as that place had been evacuated before they reached it, the troops returned to Manchester and went into camp.  Tents were struck on the 15th of August, and the command, moved toward Chattanooga, near Gordon's Mills.  About 9 o'clock A.M., the battle commenced, and at 1 o'clock P. M. Palmer's division (comprising the Forty-first), went into the fight, attacking in echelon by brigades, Hazen's brigade being the first echelon.  The regiment advanced rapidly over an open field to a strip of woods.  After holding the position two hours, and, during the time losing 100 men, the regiment was withdrawn.  It was immediately moved to the assistance of General VanCleve, and was continually under fire.  At length the brigade was formed in columns, by regiments, and advancing, one after the other, delivered its volley into the dense masses of the enemy, who reeled and fell back.  This was the last fighting on Chickamauga.  The next day was spent on Mission Ridge, and on the following night the regiment retired to Chattanooga.
     In the reorganization of the army, Hazen's brigade was composed of the First, Forty-first and Ninety-third Ohio, Fifth Kentucky and

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Sixth Indiana, and was assigned to the Fourth Army Corps, Maj. -Gen. Gordon Granger, commanding.
     At 3 o'clock in the morning of October 27th, fifty-two pontoons, bearing Hazen's brigade, pushed out silently from Chattanooga and floated down the river.  In half an hour's time the leading pontoons were passing in front of the enemy's pickets on the bank, 100 feet above.  The conversation of the rebels could be distinctly heard, but their attention was not once directed to the 1,200 silent enemies floating past, within pistol shot.  Just as the first pontoon arrived opposite its landing, it was discovered; but the landing was effected, the  pickets driven in and the hill gained.  When the morning haze cleared away, the Confederates on Lookout saw the hills beneath them, commanding two roads to Bridgeport, covered with Union soldiers who occupied a position from which they could not be driven, with a pontoon bridge to connect the with Chattanooga, almost completed.
     At noon, on the 23d of November, the brigade was ordered to fall in for a reconnoissance.  The brigade advanced briskly, driving the enemy's skirmishers into a dense undergrowth, on a small ridge, between   Chattanooga and Mission Ridge.  The line followed, and received a heavy fire.  Nothing could be seen; but it was too hot a fire to bear quietly.  Colonel Willey ordered the regiment to charge, and orders from Hazen, at the time, directed the taking of the line on the hill.  The Forty-first delivered a volley, trusting to fortune for its effect, then dashed forward through the thicket and balls into the enemy's works, capturing the colors of the Twenty-eighth Alabama Regiment.  In this, its severest, engagement, the Forty-first was associated with the Ninety-third Ohio, which shared fully the danger and honor of the fight.  The position was held without trouble, and was known as Orchard Knob.  Soon after the fight, Generals Grant, Thomas and others, passed along the new line, when Thomas, looking at the ground within fifty paces of the rebel works, where the fight had been fiercest and where lay the horses of Colonel Willey
and Lieutenant-Colonel Kimberly, called for the officers of the regiment, and said to Colonel Willey:  "Colonel, I want you to express to your men my thanks for their splendid conduct this afternoon.  It was a gallant thing, Colonel - a very gallant thing."  That, from General Thomas, was better than an hour's speech from any other man.
     On the 25th, Hazen's brigade moved across the valley from Orchard Knob to Mission Ridge, under a heavy artillery fire; and, at the foot of the ridge, a dash was made and the enemies' works captured.  The troops were here exposed to canister and musketry, and to remain was impossible: so they advanced up the steep hill, swept by an enfilading

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fire of artillery; up they went, and when near the top, the fire of the Forty-first was directed to the batteries on the right.  The Confederates retired, and, with a cheer, the line occupied the works on the ridge.  A squad of the Forty-first seized a battery almost before the enemy had left it, turned it to the right and discharged it directly along the summit of the ridge, where the enemy in front of Newton's division still stubbornly held their position, with the result that they were quickly dislodged.  Eighteen captured pieces of artillery graced General Hazen's headquarters that night, of which the Forty-first and Ninety-third cold fairly claim six as their trophies, while the former also captured a battleflag.  The losses were severe.  One hundred and fifteen of the Forty-first, most of them in a fight of the 23d, had fallen.
     After resting scarcely long enough to bury the dead, the regiment moved with its corps for Knoxville.  Supplies had been scarce, and before the march was half accomplished two-thirds of the men were walking over the frozen ground barefooted; but with their feet wrapped up in sheep-skins and cow-hides they journeyed on and finally reached Clinch Mountain, twenty miles above Knoxville.  There the regiment re-enlisted, 180 out of 188 becoming veterans, and on the 5th of January, 1864, starter for Chattanooga, reaching Cleveland, Ohio, on the 2d of February.
     With nearly 100 recruits, the regiment joined its division, in East Tennessee on the 26th of March, and was placed in a battalion with the First Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel Kimberly commanding.  At Rocky Face Ride the battalion was complimented for its steadiness under a galling fire, and at Resaca it gained a crest within seventy-five yards of the enemy's main line and effectually prevented the use of his artillery.  At Dallas, on May 26th, the Forty-first lost 180 men out of 260.  During subsequent movements the regiment was engaged at Peach Tree Creek, before Atlanta, in the movement against Hood, in December, where it did noble work it participated in the pursuit o Hood, and finally rested at Huntsville, Alabama.
    In June, 1865, the corps embarked at Nashville, for Texas.  Near Cairo the steamer collided with a gunboat, and sank in a few minutes, with all the regimental and company papers and most of the personal property of the officers and men.  Fortunately no lives were lost.  In Texas the regiment was stationed near San Antonio until November, when it was ordered to be mustered out.  It reached Columbus, Ohio, about the middle of the month, and was discharged on the 26th of November, 1865, after four years and one month of creditable service.
     The fatalities of Company H, of the Forty-first Regiment, were:

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First Sergeant Henry S. Dirlam, promoted to first lieutenant Mar. 24, 1863; killed Nov. 23, 1863.
     Hyman A. Brown, died at Corinth, Mississippi, in 1862.
     James W. Blackwell, killed in battle, Nov. 23, 1863.
     Matthews Chamberlain, killed at Shiloh, Arp. 7, 1862.
     Albert I. Clark, died at Corinth, Mississippi, 1862.
     Albert M. Kellogg, died 1862.
     Ebenezer Kingsbury, killed in battle, Nov. 23, 1863.
     Daniel Lawrence, died in 1862.
     John C. Lenhart, killed at Stone River, Dec. 31, 1862
     Joseph H. Lincoln, died in 1862.
     William A. Mills, killed in battle, Nov. 23, 1863.
     John G. Mills, killed in battle, May 27, 1864.
     Franklin Pomeroy, died in 1862.
     Harvey Sanderson, died at Corinth, Mississippi, 1862
     Oliver H. Smith, died in 1862.
     Josiah Staples, killed in battle, May 27, 1864.
     Benoni B. West, died in 1864.
     Henry West, killed at Shiloh, Apr. 7, 1862.

FORTY-SECOND OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.

     The band of the Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry and Company E, of that regiment, drew much of their membership from Lorain County.  The company was mustered into the service at Camp Chase near Columbus, in October, 1861, and the band was organized in the following month.  The forty-second was a three years regiment being mustered out of the service in November 1862.

COMPANY E.

     Commissioned officers of Company E:
     Captain Charles H. Howe, resigned May 1, 1863.
     First lieutenant, George F. Brady, resigned Mar. 27, 1862.
     Second lieutenant, Melville L. Benham, promoted to captain, May 17, 1863.
     The record shows the list of fatalities to be as follows: 
     Frederick Brooks, died at St. Louis, Missouri; date not given.
     Christopher Dimmock, wounded in battle; died March, 1863.
     Luke Flint, died Feb. 8, 1862.
     Henry Hibner, died Aug. 19, 1863.
     Lyman Hawley, wounded at Vicksburg; arm amputated; drowned Mar. 12, 1864.

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     Martin Lilly, killed in battle Dec. 29, 1862.
     George W. Lee, died Jan. 12, 1862.
     Charles O'Brien, died May 18, 1862.
     Sanford Phinney, died; no date given.
     George Sexton, died Feb. 7, 1862.
     Cornelius Springer, died of wounds, 1863.
     Mason Terry, died at Baton Rouge, Louisiana; date not given
     Thomas Williams, died in Memphis.
     Frederick Watson, killed at battle July 12, 1863.
     John Curl, died June 30, 1863.
     George Goldsmith, died Feb. 12, 1863.
     Alfred Lucas, died May 6, 1863.
     Friend McNeal, died Mar. 25, 1863.
     Julian W. Smith, died Jan. 29, 1862.
     Thomas F. Williams, died of wounds, Apr. 11, 1863.

REGIMENTAL HISTORY.

     Companies A, B. C and D of the Forty second Regiment were mustered into the service at Camp Chase, Sept. 25, 1861; Company E, October 30th; Company F, November 12th, and Companies G, H. I and K, November 26th.
     On the 14th of December, 1861, orders were received to take the field, and on the following day the regiment moved by railroad to Cincinnati, and thence by steamer up the Ohio River to Catlettsburg, Kentucky, where it arrived the morning of December 17th.  The regiment, together with the Fourteenth Kentucky Infantry and McLaughlin's squadron of Ohio Cavalry, proceeded to Green Creek.  Another advance was made December 31st, and on the night of Jan. 7, 1862, the whole command encamped within three miles of Paintville.  The next morning five companies, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Sheldon took possession of the village.  On the evening of the same day Colonel Garfield took the Forty-second and two companies of the Fourteenth Kentucky, and advanced against Marshall's fortified position, about three miles south of Paintville Village.  Arriving at about 9 o'clock P. M., they found the works evacuated, and everything valuable either carried away or destroyed.  Marching all night, they reached Paintville a little after daylight.
     About noon on the 9th, Colonel Garfield, with 1,100infantry from the Forty-second Ohio and other regiments, and about 600 cavalry, started in pursuit of Marshall, and about 9 o'clock in the evening the advance was fired upon by Marshall's pickets, on the summit of Abbott's

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Hill.  Garfield took possession of the hill, bivouacked for the night and the next morning continued the pursuit, overtaking the enemy at the forks of Middle Creek, three miels southwest of Prestonburg.  Marshall's force consisted of about 3,500 men, infantry and cavalry, with the three pieces of artillery.  Major Pardee, with 400 men, was sent across Middle Creek to attack Marshall directly in front, and Lieutenant-Colonel Monroe (Twenty-second Kentucky) was directed to attack on Marshall's right flank.  The fight at once opened with considerable spirit, and Pardee and Monroe became hotly engaged with a force four times as large as their own.  They held their ground with great obstinacy and bravery until reinforcements reached the field, when the enemy commenced to fall back.  The National forces slept upon their arms, and at early dawn a reconnoissance disclosed the fact that Marshall had burned his stores and fled, leaving a portion of his dead upon the field.  From this date, for a considerable time, the regiment was engaged in several expeditions against guerillas.
     The arduous nature of the campaign, the exceedingly disagreeable weather, and the want of supplies, were disastrous to the health of the troops, and some eighty-five of the Forty-second died of disease.  On June 18, this regiment led the advance, and was the first to plant the Union flag on the stronghold of Cumberland Gap.  When the regiment left the Gap it numbered 750 men, and while on the march there were issued to it 275 pounds of flour, 400 pounds of bacon, and two rations of fresh pork: the rest of the food consisted of corn grated down on tin plates and cooked upon them.  The distance marched was 250 miles.  The weather was very dry and the men suffered for water.  They were without shoes, and their clothing was ragged and filthy.  The Forty-second lost but one man from all causes, and it was the only regiment that brought through its knapsacks and blankets.  These proved of great service, as the men were compelled to camp at Portland, Jackson County, Ohio, two weeks before clothing, camp and garrison equipage recruits, and at Memphis, whither it arrived on November 28th, sixty-five more.  It had from time to time received a few, so that the whole number reached 200 or more, and the regiment could turn out on  parade nearly 900 men.  At Memphis the division was reorganized as the Ninth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps.
     On the 20th of December the Forty-second, with other troops, under Gen. W. T. Sherman, embarked at Memphis, and proceeding down the river, landed at Johnston's plantation on the Yazoo.  The Forty-second led the advance against the defenses of Vicksburg on the 27th of December, and skirmished with the enemy until dark.  The next morning the 

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regiment resumed the attack, and by a charge, which was made with great spirit, succeeded in gaining possession of the woods, driving the Confederates into their works.  About 9 o'clock A. M., on the 29th, a charge was made, the Forty-second being on the extreme right of the assaulting column.  The storm of shot and shell was terrific, but the regiment maintained its organization and came off the field in good order.  An important victory followed, in January, 1863, being the assault upon the capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas.  In this the regiment led the advance.  The spoils were 7,000 prisoners, all the guns and small arms and a large quantity of stores.  At Port Gibson the regiment had hot work, and sustained a heavier loss than any regiment in the corps.  After the surrender of Vicksburg the regiment marched to Jackson and participated in the reduction of that place, and then returned to Vicksburg, where it remained until ordered to Department of the Gulf.  Companies A, B, C and D were mustered out November 25th, and the other four companies, Dec. 2, 1864.  One hundred and one men remained whose term of service had not expired, and they were organized into a company and assigned to the Ninety-sixth Ohio.

THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRD INFANTRY.

     The One Hundred and Third Ohio was composed of men from the counties of Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina, Companies F and H being especially representative of Lorain County.  Its service covers the period form September, 1862, to June, 1865, and Cleveland saw both the commencement and the close of its good record.
     Field and staff officers from Lorain County: 
     Major, Dewitt C. Howard
, discharged Feb. 15, 1865.
     Surgeon, Luther D. Griswold resigned Aug. 1 ,1864.
     Quartermaster sergeant, Clark P. Quirk promoted a regimental quartermaster, July 21, 1863.
     Hospital steward, Cyrus Durand, promoted from sergeant in Company H.
     Fife major, John Mountain, discharged May 15, 1863.

COMPANY F.

     Commissioned officers of Company F:
     Captain, Philip C. Haynes, promoted to colonel of the regiment June 6 1865.
     First lieutenant, Simeon Windecker, promoted to captain, June 24, 1862.
     Second lieutenant, Charles E. Morgan promoted to captain Nov. 18, 1864.

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     Fatalities of Company F; Luther Bemis, died at Danville, Kentucky, July 17, 1863.
     John H. Bowers
, died Nov. 26, 1863, of wounds received in battle near Knoxville, Tennessee, on the preceding day.
     Lewis Carver, died at Camp Nelson, Kentucky, Oct. 3, 1863.
     Lampson B. Franklin, died at Lexington, Kentucky, Nov. 21, 1862.
     Silas Kingsley, died at Camp Dennison, Ohio, July 12, 1863.
     David Robinson, died Nov. 28, 1863, of wounds received in battle near Knoxville, Tennessee, three days before. 

COMPANY H.

      Commissioned officers of Company H:
     Captain, George F. Brady, resigned May 9, 1863.
     First lieutenant, John Booth, promoted to captain May 9, 1863; resigned Apr. 24, 1864.
     Second lieutenant, P. B. Parsons resigned June 18, 1863.
     Fatalities of Company H:
     Frederick Ambrose, died Apr. 27, 1863.
     Thomas Bunnell, died Jan. 14, 1863.
     Benjamin F. Crippen, died Jan. 18, 1863.
     Robert Dickson died Oct. 15, 1863.
     Harrison Goding, died Nov 25, 1863, of wounds received at battle of Armstrong Hill.
     Martin Hudson, died Nov. 3, 1863.
     William Howes, died Dec. 6, 1863, of wounds received at Armstrong Hill.
     Joseph Mathews, died at Frankfort, Kentucky, Mar. 26, 1863.
     Hannibal T. Osgood, died Mar. 23,  1863.
     Grosvenor Pelton, died Nov. 10, 1863.
     Carey J. Winckler, died Mar. 13, 1863.

REGIMENTAL HISTORY.

     Ten companies of the One Hundred and Third Regiment rendezvoused at Cleveland, in August, 1862, and on the 3d of September started for Cincinnati, which they found in a state of excitement and alarm, because of the near approach of the enemy, under Kirby Smith, upon Lexington, Kentucky.  Having received arms from Cincinnati, the regiment crossed over to Covington, where it was furnished with clothing and other necessaries for camp life.  Thus equipped, it marched out to Fort Mitchell, on the evening of the 6th.

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     After a few days of suspense information was received at headquarters that the enemy had retreated.  Immediate pursuit was ordered.  The One Hundred and Third moved out on the 18th, with other forces in pursuit, taking the pike toward Lexington.  Having followed three days, without being able to overtake the Confederate cavalrymen, the National forces returned as far as Snow's Pond, where they encamped for a short time.  While there sickness prostrated nearly one-half of the regiment.  It was now organized, with two other regiments, into a brigade under the command of Brig.-Gen. Q. A. Gillmore.  The regiment, with its brigade, moved on the 6th of October, to repress the outrages of the enemy's cavalry, and, becoming separated from the brigade, went into camp on the bank of the Kentucky River, at Frankfort, where it remained until the 5th of April, 1863.  At that date, the regiment marched to Stanford.
     Marauding bands of mounted men, nominally belonging to John Morgan's command, but, in reality, independent squads of freebooters, had kept all this region in a constant state of excitement and alarm, and gave considerable annoyance to the National troops - capturing parties stationed at outposts and destroying supply trains.  A large force was gathered at Stanford, and on the 25th an advance was ordered by Gen. S. P. Carter, then commanding.  The National forces moved forward to Somerset and Mill Springs, the enemy falling back all the time; but there were not wanting indications of an intention, on the part of the Confederates to concentrate their scattered forces for the purpose of making a stand at some point favorable for defense.  The Union infantry had considerable difficulty in crossing the Cumberland, on account of high water; but, once over, it pushed rapidly after the enemy, preceded by the cavalry which had crossed a little below.  On the 30th, the cavalry came up with a body of Confederates, when a smart skirmish took place.  On the 5th of May, the Federal forces were ordered back to the Cumberland.  The One Hundred and Third took a position near Stigall's Ferry, where it was soon visited by a body of enemy troops, who fired on them from the southern bank.  Much power was expended by both parties, but with little result.
     On the 5th of July, the regiment, with other troops, marched toward Danville, where they remained a few days and then fell back to Hickman Bridge.  Returning to Danville shortly after the regiment with other commands, was formed into the Twenty-third Army Corps, and placed under the command of Major-General Hartsuff.  The Ninth Army Corps having been added to the Union force at that point, the troops began to move on the 18th of August under the command of Gen. A. E. Burnside.  That army suffered many hardships in its march from

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Danville, via Stanford, Crab Orchard, the Cumberland, Burnside's Point, Chitwood, Montgomery, Emery's Iron Works and Lenoir, to Concord, Tennessee.  On the 19th of September, the regiment joined in the general  advance, which resulted in driving back the enemy to his main force, then assembled at Jonesboro.
     On the 4th of November, the regiment proceeded by railroad to Knoxville, and was stationed with its brigade, on the south side of the river.  Longstreet was now advancing upon the city, with a large force.  During the investment, the Union troops suffered much from insufficient clothing, short rations and other privations.  About noon, on the 25th, six companies of the regiment were sent forward to relieve a company on picket-duty, and, while so doing, a heavy charge was made by the Confederates with the intention of capturing the entire detachment.  The men, assisted by the pickets of the Twenty-fourth Kentucky and the Sixty-fifth Illinois, poured into the ranks of the enemy a well-directed fire; but this did not check them in the least, for, with wild yells, they rushed upon the picket-line, and a desperate struggle ensued.  The regiments of the respective pickets coming up, in full force, a bayonet charge was ordered, which soon decided the contest, for the opposition broke and fled, leaving the dead and wounded upon the field.  The regiment lost, in this engagement, some thirty-five in killed and wounded.
     The One Hundred and Third Regiment finally became a part of the grand army, with which Sherman march to the sea, and on the 13th of May arrived in front of Resaca.  The next day, the Twenty-third Corps charged the enemy's works and carried his two lines.  The regiment lost, in this engagement, over one-third of its effective force.  Among those who fell were Captains W. W. Hutchinson and J. T. Philpot.  The regiment finally reached Decatur on the 8th of September.  It has lost heavily during this campaign.  On May 1st its effective force numbered 450 men; but when it encamped at Decatur, it could only muster 195.
     At Spring Hill, the regiment, while supporting a battery, showed conclusively its reliable material.  On the 24th of February, 1865, with its corps, it arrived at Wilmington, and on the 6th of March it started forward, moving through Kingston to Goldsboro, where it again met Sherman's army.  The whole army soon took up its march, and on the 10th of June, when it started for Cleveland, Ohio, to be mustered out. As the train, conveying the men, was descending the western slope of the Alleghany Mountains, a truck broke loose, throwing three of the cars down a steep embankment and causing the death of three men,

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and the mutilation of a much larger number.  On the 19th, the regiment reached Cleveland, and on the 22d it was paid off and mustered out.

THE FORTY-THIRD INFANTRY.

     The Forty-third Infantry had quite a number of Lorain County men, Companies F and I being well represented in that regard.  Company F served from the fall of 1861 to July, 1865, and Company I was mustered in in 1862 and out, in the last year of the war.
     As a regiment, the Forty-third was organized at Camp Andrews, Mount Vernon, Ohio, Feb. 7, 1862, and left it rendezvous for the front on the 21st of the same month.  On the 26th of February, it reported to Brig.-Gen. John Pope, commanding the District of Mississippi, and was at once assigned to the Ohio brigade, composed of the Twenty-seventh, Thirty-ninth, Forty-third and Sixty-third regiments, First Division, Army of the Mississippi.
     It was but a few days before the regiment was introduced to active service, for in March, 1862, it was under fire at New Madrid, Missouri; and in all he operations against that post it bore a prominent part, especially in its final bombardment and capture on the 13th and 14th of March.  The loss of the regiment in killed and wounded was quite severe.
     In the movements against Island No. 10, and the crossing of the Mississippi River in the face of the enemy, the Forty-third bore a conspicuous part, as also in the subsequent capture of the forces of General McCall, at Tiptonville, Tennessee.  The next movement was against Fort Pillow.  In all the operations of that campaign, the Forty-third bore its part.  The actions of the 8th, 9th and 20th of May, may be particularly mentioned.  At Corinth, the Forty-third was posted immediately on the left of Battery Robinett, and the Sixty-third on the right of the battery; and it is said these two regiments did more to save the day than any other organization engaged.  The grand assault of the Confederates was made at daylight on the 4th of October.  They opened on Battery Robinett with artillery at about 300 yards, and at 10 o'clock A. M., led by Colonel Rogers, of the Second Texas, moved forward to the assault.  The Forty-third and Sixty-third Ohio stood firmly at their posts and succeeded in staggering the assaulting column and in hurling it back, at a time when the Union lines were broken and the troops were seen flying from every other part of the field.  The opposing forces were but a few feet apart, and fought almost hand to hand, and men went down on both sides in great numbers.  Colonel Smith fell mortally wounded at the first onset, while gallantly discharging his duty.

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Adjutant Heyl and Captain Spangler were killed at about the same moment.  Capt. S. F. Timmons and Lieut. S. McClaren, A. L. Howe and H. L. Prophet received honorable wounds.  The casualties among the men were very severe.  In a few minutes of fighting, over one-fourth of those engaged of the Forty-third were either killed or wounded.  Colonel Smith died eight days after the battle.  The next movement of the Forty-third was with Grant's army, at Oxford, Mississippi.  In the campaign against Forrest, in West Tennessee, in the winter of 1862-63, and in General Dodge's raid in North Alabama, in April, 1863, the Forty-third was with General Sherman when he made his memorable march from Memphis to the relief of the Army of  the Cumberland.
     In December, 1863, the regiment almost unanimously re-enlisted as veterans, and went home on a furlough of thirty days.  Returning, the regiment assisted at the capture of Decatur, Alabama, and lay at that point until the opening of General Sherman's campaign against Atlanta.  On the 13th, it was engaged in the advance on Resaca and suffered severely.  At Dallas, the Forty-third took an important part; and in the advance on the enemy's position near Big Shanty, Company D, of the regiment, participated in a most brilliant charge of skirmishers, capturing a strong barricade from the Twenty-ninth Tennessee and numerous prisoners.  Immediately thereafter came the siege of Kenesaw, with its deadly skirmishing, its grand cannonading and the disastrous repulse of the National forces on the 29th of June.
     The Forty-third participated in the general movements of the corps until the advance of the army on Decatur, when it was detached to hold the bridge across Chattahoochee.  This was successfully accomplished, and during the remainder of the Atlanta campaign the Forty-third shared the trials and successes of the Sixteenth Army Corps; and on the 4th and 7th of August, particularly, in advancing the National lines, won the thanks of Ransom, the division commander, by splendid and steady fighting.  After the fall of Atlanta, the Forty-third enjoyed General Shermans "full month's rest;" after which, the regiment participated in the chase after Hood as far as Resaca, and then hurried back to join Sherman in his great "march to the sea."  Of this campaign, the history of one regiment is the history of all.  It was a daily succession of easy marches, with little interruption, with plenty of forage for both man and beast and full of pleasant adventure.  Savannah was reached and besieged.  In this the Forty-third performed its full share of duty.
     In January, 1865, the regiment moved to Beaufort, and directly afterward upon Pocotaligo, where it lay until the beginning of

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Sherman's march through the Carolinas.  On the 2d of February the Seventeenth Corps crossed Whippy Swamp, and was soon confronting the enemy, strongly posted at River's Bridge.  There Colonel Swayne lost a leg by a shell.  The regiment lost in him a brave and competent leader, who had been with it from its organization, and who had always shown the utmost devotion to its interests.  The next day, the regiment received a baptism of fire, in a charge on a battery which commanded the bridge and the causeway approaching it.  Down this narrow causeway the regiment rushed amid a storm of shot and shell, compelling the Confederates to withdraw their battery and uncover the crossing.  The war closing, the regiment went to Washington and took part in the grand review; returning to Ohio, it was mustered out of service on the 13th of July, 1865.

THE FIFTY-FOURTH REGIMENT.

     The Fifty-fourth Regiment was represented in the county by Company B, of which Robert Williams was captain.  He was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of  his regiment, and honorably discharged Sept. 14, 1864.
     The reported fatalities were:
     Samuel Glunt, died July 6, 1863.
     Jesse and John Glunt, died in hospital; no record.
     Francis V. Hale, killed in the battle of Shiloh.
     Recruiting for the Fifty-fourth Regiment began late in the summer of 1861, at Camp Dennison, where it was organized and drilled during the fall of 1861.  It entered the field Feb. 17, 1862, with an aggregate of 850 men.  The regiment reached Paducah, Kentucky, February 20th, and was assigned to a brigade in the division commanded by General Sherman.  On the 6th of April the regiment engaged in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, its position being on the extreme left of the army; but, on the second day, it was assigned a new position near the center of the line.
     In the two days' fighting the regiment sustained a loss of 198 men killed, wounded and missing.  It was next engaged upon the movement upon Corinth, and, upon the evacuation of that point, was among the first organized bodies to enter the town, and afterward performed provost duty there.  During the summer the regiment was engaged in several short expeditions.  It was engaged in the assault on Chickasaw Bayou, December 28th and 29th, with a loss of twenty killed and wounded.  On Jan. 1, 1863, the regiment ascended the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers and engaged in the assault and capture of Arkansas Post.  On the 6th of May, the regiment began its march to the rear of

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Vicksburg, by way of Grand Gulf, and was engaged in the battles of Champion Hills and Big Black Bridge.  It was engaged in a general assault on the enemy's works, in the rear of Vicksburg, on the 19th and 22d of June, losing in the two engagements forty-seven killed and wounded.  It was continually employed in skirmishing and fatigue duty during the siege of Vicksburg.  After the fall of Vicksburg, the Fifty-fourth moved with the army upon Jackson, Mississippi, and was constantly engaged in skirmishing from the 9th to the 14th of July.  It was engaged in the battle of Missionary Ridge, November, 26th, and the next day marched to the relief of the garrison at Knoxville, Tennessee.  It went into winter quarters, Jan. 12, 1864, at Larkensville, Alabama.
     The regiment was mustered into the service as a veteran organization on the 22d of January, and at once started to Ohio on furlough.  Returning, it entered on the Atlanta campaign on the 1st of May.  It participated in a general engagement at Rasaca, and at Dallas, and in a severe skirmish at New Hope Church, June 6th and 7th.  It was in the general assault upon Kenesaw Mountain, June 27th, losing twenty-eight killed and wounded, and was in a battle on the east side of Atlanta, July 21st and 22d, sustaining a loss of ninety-four killed, wounded and missing.  The Forty-fourth lost eight men killed and wounded at Ezra Chapel, July 28th; and from the 29th of July to the 27th of August, it was almost continually engaged in skirmishing before Atlanta, was in the march to Savannah, and assisted in the capture of Fort McAllister, Dec. 15th.  It was closely engaged in the vicinity of Columbia, and participated in the last battle of Sherman's army at Bentonville, North Carolina, on Mar. 21, 1865.  The regiment marched to Richmond, Virginia, and thence to Washington City, where it engaged in the grand review.  It was mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio, Aug. 24, 1865.
     During its term of service the Fifty-fourth Regiment marched a distance of 3,682 miles, participated in four sieges, nine severe skirmishes, fifteen general engagements, and sustained a loss of 506 men killed, wounded and missing.

THE GERMAN ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH.

     The One Hundred and Seventh Regiment was composed almost entirely of Germans and recruited principally in Cleveland.  Company G was raised to a large extent in Lorain County.  It was mustered into the service at Cleveland, Sept. 9, 1862, and mustered out, July 10, 1865, at Charleston, South Carolina.

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Commissioned officers:
     Captain, Anton Peterson, resigned Nov. 7, 1862.
     First lieutenant, John Pfaff, resigned Nov. 23, 1863.
     Second lieutenant, Charles F. Marskey, promoted first lieutenant Nov. 25, 1862; resigned Jan. 12, 1863.
     Fatalities:
     Nicholas Burr, died Mar. 25, 1865.
     Joseph Cramer, died of wounds, Jan. 22, 1863.
     Michael Klinshern
, died prisoner, Jan. 13, 1864.
     Mathias Pfeifer, died Jan. 25, 1863.
     Peter Simmer, died prisoner, Jan. 7, 1864.
     John Weber, killed in battle, July 1, 1863.
     Martin Walls, died prisoner, Nov. 16, 1863.
     Company E, which contained a few Lorain County men, had the same length of service as Company G, and both were mustered out with their regiment.
     The One Hundred and Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was organized at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, and lay in camp at that place until late in September, when it moved under orders to Covington, Kentucky.  The move was made with reference to the anticipated attack on Cincinnati by Kirby Smiths Confederate cavalry.  The regiment was next ordered to Washington and for nearly a month was engaged in the construction of fortifications around the  national capital.  In November it was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division, Eleventh Army Corps, Major-General Siegel commanding.  On the 2d and 3d of May it participated in the battle of Chancellorsville, and suffered a loss of 220 officers and men killed, wounded and captured.  On July 1st is reached Gettysburg, was at once engaged with the enemy on the right wing of the Union army, and was obliged to fall back, through the Town of Gettysburg, to Cemetery Hill, which it held during the remainder of the battle.  In that movement it was further decimated to the number of 250, and it also lost heavily in the second day's fight.  The total loss of the regiment in the three days' battle was over 400 out of about 550 rank and file, with which it entered; but the remnant joined in the pursuit of the enemy.  Its subsequent engagements were light, the most important being at Sumterville, South Carolina, Mar. 23, 1865, where it captured quite a detachment of the defeated enemy.  On Apr. 16, 1865, news was received of the surrender of Lee's and Johnston's armies.  Three weeks thereafter the regiment was taken by steamer to Charleston, South Carolina, where it was mustered out of the service and sent home to Cleveland, where the soldiers were paid off and discharged.

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OTHER INFANTRY BODIES

     Company C, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Regiment, was mustered into the service for one year, in September, 1864.  Its commissioned officers were: 
     Captain, Aaron K Lindsley, mustered out with company.
     First lieutenant, Joseph A. Lovejoy, promoted captain Apr. 8, 1865, and assigned to Company H; mustered out with company.
     Second lieutenant, Ramson Peabody, promoted to first lieutenant Apr. 8, 1865, and assigned to Company C mustered out with company.
     Several of its members died before the muster-out of June, 1865, as follows:
     Albert Forbes, died Dec. 5, 1864.
     James Foote, died May 2, 1865.
     Nathan Gray, died Nov. 2, 1864.
     Morris W. Plain, died Apr. 14, 1865.
     Albert S. Reynolds, died Dec. 24, 1864.
     Company C, One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Regiment, was mustered in for a year in April, 1865, but its services were only required until the following July.

BATTERY B. LIGHT ARTILLERY

     Quite a number of the men from Lorain county joined the light artillery service of the state.   Battery B and the Fifteenth Independent Battery were the representative commands from Lorain County.  The former was mustered into the service Oct. 8, 1861 re-enlisted Jan. 4, 1864, and was mustered out July 22, 1865.  The Independent Battery's service commenced in January, 1862, and ended in June, 1865.
     Non-commissioned officers of Battery B:
     Corporal, Alonzo Starr, died of fever at Mount Vernon, Kentucky, Nov. 19, 1861.
     Corporal, Harvey P. Fenn, died of fever at Lebanon, Kentucky, Feb. 22, 1862.
     Corp. Merwin Blanchard, discharged by reason of severe injury caused by his horse leaping a fence while endeavoring to escape the enemy, by whom he was captured and paroled.
     Corp. Lewis R. Penfield, promoted to sergeant Oct. 2, 1862; re-enlisted as veteran volunteer, Jan. 4, 1864.
     Besides the deaths of Corporals Starr and Fenn, Thomas White died at Lebanon, Feb. 18, 1862, and Leonard G. Starr,

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who joined the battery Sept. 28, 1862, died of fever on the 27th of November following.
     Battery B, First Ohio Light Artillery, was organized at Camp Dennison and mustered into the service Oct. 8, 1861, with an aggregate strength of 147 men.  By order of Gen. O. M. Mitchell it left Cincinnati to report to Gen. George H. Thomas, then in command at Camp Dick Robinson, Kentucky.  The first experience it had in the field was a brisk little affair at Camp Wild Cat, in which it fired twelve rounds and silenced one of the enemy's guns.  From Wild Cat it marched to London, Kentucky, where it remained two weeks.  On November 5th, the battery, under orders, joined the Seventeenth  Ohio at Fishing Creek, and was engaged during the whole of that month in skirmishes and scout duty, with headquarters at Somerset.  On January 27th, it moved to Mill Springs to re-enforce General Thomas.  It took part in the battle of Mill Springs, and performed very effective service.  On February 10th, it took up its line of march for Louisville, Kentucky, where it embarked for Nashville; arriving there, it was assigned to Colonel Barnett's Artillery Reserve.
     On July 18, 1862, the battery reported to Major-General Nelson at Murfreesboro, and during the months of July, August and September was almost constantly on the march, and frequently engaged in skirmishes with the enemy.  On December 26th it moved with its brigade and division from Nashville towards Murfreesboro, skirmishing heavily in and about La Vergne.  It was there that John Blanchard, afterward county recorder, lost his right arm.  In the battle of Stone River Battery B was stationed on the left of General Negley's division.  It was involved in the disaster on the right, but succeeded in withdrawing all its guns from the field.  Its bore its full part in the battle, and lost seventeen men, killed, wounded, and missing, and twenty-one horses killed.  On June 24, 1863, it joined in the advance of the National forces on Tullahoma, and on September 19th, it engaged in the battle of Chickamauga.  On the next day it was charged by the enemy, but succeeded in beating him off.  A second charge soon followed which overwhelmed the battery, and it was obliged to leave two of its guns in the hands of the enemy.  In this charge several members of the battery were wounded and captured.  This was at the siege of Chattanooga.  On Jan. 4, 1864, sixty-five of the original members of the battery re-enlisted as veterans, and were furloughed home for thirty days.  The battery returned to Nashville in March, and on the 16th of that month  reported at Bridgeport, Alabama, where it remained until July, 1866.  It was then sent home to Columbus and there mustered out, being one of the last organizations to leave the service.

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FIFTEENTH OHIO INDEPENDENT BATTERY.

     Of those residing in Lorain County James Burdick, promoted from first lieutenant, was at one time captain of the Fifteenth Independent Battery.  The members who died were as follows: 
     William Berry
, at Vicksburg, Mississippi, Aug. 7, 1863;
     George W. Knoup
, at Memphis, Tennessee, Sept. 23, 1862;
     John H. Taylor, Curtis E. Thompson
and Lyman W. Smith, in the same city, during 1863;
     Chester Phillips, at Collierville, Tennessee, Feb. 7, 1863;
     John H. Taft, at LaGrange, Tennessee, Jan. 23, 1863, and
     Charles I. Spencer, at home (date unknown).
     The Fifteenth Ohio Independent Battery was recruited by Capt. J. B. Burrows and First Lieut. Edward Spear, Jr.; was mustered into the service Feb. 1, 1862; ordered to Cincinnati, where it embarked February 16th, under orders for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, but on reaching Paducah, Kentucky, was disembarked by order of General Sherman.  Horses were drawn here and the battery embarked to report to General Grant, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.  While proceeding up the Tennessee and when near Whitehall Landing, the boat was fired into by guerrillas from the shore.  The fire was returned with shell, under cover of which the men of the battery landed, drove the guerrillas from their cover and captured some prisoners and horses  In this expedition, the battery lost one man wounded.  It reported to General Grant on the 20th, and was assigned to the Fourth Division, Army of the Tennessee.  The battery was on the first line during the siege of Vicksburg, having position on  the Hall's Ferry Road, southeast of the city and within 200 years of their line.  In this, as in all engagements in which the battery figured, most excellent service was performed.  The Fifteenth was with General Sherman and participated in his famous "march to the sea."  An incident is related that at the battle of Chattahoochee River a bird flew upon the shoulder of Private Seth Bowers, who was acting No. 1 on one of the guns, where it remained during the engagement.  At every discharge of the piece, the bird would thrust its head in the man's hair.  After the recoil, it would again take its position on the man's shoulder and watch the operations of loading.  After the battle, the bird remained around the men's quarters, but, after a few days, disappeared.

SECOND REGIMENT, OHIO VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.

     The Second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry was organized at Camp Wade, Cleveland, in the fall of 1861, and served for three years.

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A portion of the men then re-enlisted, thereby becoming veterans of the service.
     The local company H, was mustered into the service in October, 1861, and served as a body until September, 1865.
     Commissioned officers:
     Captain, Aaron K. Lindsley, discharged Feb. 15, 1863, and
     second lieutenant Franklin S. Case, promoted captain.
     The Second Cavalry was recruited and organized in the summer and autumn of 1861, under the supervision of the Hon. Benjamin F. Wade and Hon. John Hutchins, who received special authority from the war office.  The regiment rendezvoused at Camp Wade, near Cleveland, Ohio, and the last company was mustered in on the 10th of October,  1861.  Being the first cavalry regiment raised in the northern part of the state, it drew into its ranks a large proportion of wealth, intelligence, capacity and culture.  Men and officers were almost wholly from the Western Reserve, and represented every trade and profession.  The Second was uniformed, mounted and partly drilled in Cleveland, and in November was ordered to Camp Dennison, where it received sabers and continued drilling during the month of December.  Early in January, 1862, under orders from the war department, the Second proceeded, by rail to Platte City, Missouri.
     On the 18th of February, Doubleday's Brigade, of which the Second was a part, was ordered to march through the border counties of Missouri to Fort Scott, Kansas.  On the 22d of February, and during the march, a scouting party of 120 men of the Second Ohio Cavalry was attacked in the streets of Independence, Missouri, by an equal force, under the command of Quantrel.  As the result of the Second's "first fight," Quantrel was routed in fifteen minutes, losing five killed, four wounded and five captured, including one officer.  The Second lost one killed and three wounded.  Arriving at its destination about March 1st, it remained for several months doing garrison and scouting duty.  In the fall following, it participated in the campaign ending in the victory of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, Dec. 3, 1862.  It also fought at Carthage and Newtonia, Missouri, and at Cow Hill, Wolf Creek, and White River, Arkansas.  In November and December, the Second was transferred to the Eastern army, moving by rail to Camp Chase, Ohio, to remount and refit for the field.  This accomplished, the regiment left early in April for Somerset, Kentucky, and remained in camp there, with the exception of an occasional reconnaissance, until the 27th of June.
     In May and June, the Second fought twice at Steubenville, twice at Monticello, and once at Columbia, Kentucky.  On the 1st of July it joined in the pursuit of John Morgan, and followed the great raider.

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1,200 miles, through three states, marching twenty hours of the twenty-four, living wholly upon the gifts of the people for twenty-seven days and finally sharing in the capture at Buffington Island.  On Jan. 1, 1864, nearly the entire regiment re-enlisted and it was mustered out at Camp Chase, Ohio, Sept. 11, 1865.
     The Second Regiment campaigned through thirteen states and one territory.  It marched an aggregate distance of 27,000 miles; fought in ninety-seven battles and engagements; served in five different armies forming a continuous line of armies from the headwaters of the Arkansas to the mouth of the James.

THE TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY.

     Company F, of the Twelfth Cavalry Regiment, served from October, 1863, to November, 1865.  First Lieut. Reuben H. Sardane, of Lorain County, who had been first lieutenant, was promoted to the captaincy.
     The fatalities:
     Sergt. William W. Worcester, died Oct. 19, 1864;
     Sergt. Charles H. Sherburne, died from wounds Dec. 13, 1864;
     Corp. George C. Rising, died Mar. 20, 1864;
     Charles M. Hall, died from wounds, June 16, 1864.
     The Twelfth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, was recruited during the months of September and October, 1863, from nearly every county in the state, rendezvousing at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, where it was mustered into the service on the 24th day of November, 1863.  One-half of the regiment was engaged in doing guard duty, during the winter of 1863-64, on Johnson's Island, having been ordered thither on the 10th of November.  The regiment was mounted, armed and equipped at Camp Dennison, and moved successively to Louisville, Lexington and Mount Sterling, Kentucky.  Little of importance transpired until the 23d of May, when the regiment was a portion of General Burbridge's command on the first Saltville raid.  On the arrival in the vicinity of Pound Gap, after eight days' marching, it became evident that John Morgan had entered Kentucky, and the command immediately started in pursuit.  After severe marching, with but little time for eating or sleeping, the command arrived at Mount Sterling on the 9th of June, 1864.  The Twelfth was closely engaged with the enemy at this point, behaving with so much gallantry, as to the especially complimented by General Bainbridge.  The Twelfth again overtook Morgan at Cynthiana and fought with him, scattering his forces in every direction.  The regiment charged through the town, crossed the river, and pursued the retreating cavalrymen for three days.  During the second expedition to Saltville in September, it became necessary to

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silence a battery posted upon a hill; the Twelfth, with its brigade Charged up the hill and drove and enemy for his works.  Afterward the regiment encamped at Lexington, until ordered to Crab Orchard to join another Saltville expedition.
     The division left Crab Orchard on the 22d of November, during a severe snow-storm, and moved to Bean's Station.  On the night of their arrival the Twelfth made a successful reconnoissance to Rogerville.  It did its full share of duty under General Stoneman, at Bristol, at Abingdon, at Marion, and thence as support to General Gillam in his pursuit of Vaughn.  It then returned to Marion, where General Stoneman engaged Breckenridge for forty hours and finally defeated him.  In this engagement all of the Twelfth bearing sabers, participated in a grand charge, driving back the enemy's cavalry.  The regiment behaved gallantly throughout the fight, and received the praise of Generals Stoneman and Burbridge.  On the 21st of December Saltville was captured, and the forces returned to Richmond, Kentucky, where headquarters were established.  As a result of the raid four boats were captured, 150 miles of railroad, thirteen trains and locomotives, lead mines, salt works, iron foundries; and an immense quantity of stores of all sorts were destroyed.  During the raid, Company F acted as escort to General Burbridge.  About the middle of February the regiment was thoroughly armed, equipped and mounted.  It then proceeded by way of Louisville and the river to Nashville, arriving March 6th.  Thence it moved to Murfreesboro and Knoxville, where it again formed part of a raiding expedition under General Stoneman.  The Twelfth finally rendezvoused at Nashville, and was mustered out on the 14th of November, 1865; then proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, where it was paid and discharged on the 22d and 23d of the same month, after two years of incessant service.

OTHER CIVIL WAR ORGANIZATIONS.

     Among other military organizations which may be credited, at least in part, to Lorain County, may be mentioned:  Company E, Sixteenth Ohio Infantry, which served more than a year of the later war period; Company G, Seventy-second Regiment, with a record of over three years in the field; Company C, Eighty-sixth Regiment, a six months' organization; Company D, Eighty-seventh Regiment, which served three months; Company C, One Hundred and Eleventh, a three years' command; Company K, One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment, Ohio National Guard (100 day men); company A, B, and G, Twenty-seventh Regiment United States Colored Troops; Fifth Independent Company

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of Sharp Shooters, who served from December, 1862, to July, 1865, and the so-called Hoffmans Battalion, comprising Companies B, C, D, E, F, I, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
     The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment, although chiefly occupied in guard duty within the borders of the state, was an organization of three years' troops, enlisted and mustered into the United States service the same as other volunteer troops, and was liable to service wherever required.  It attained maximum strength on the with of December, 1863, and consisted of four companies before known as the Hoffman Battalion raised at different times in 1862.  At and before the time of forming the regiment, the Hoffman Battalion was under the command of a lieutenant-colonel and major.  Six new companies were mustered in at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, between the 8th and 15th of January, 1864.  The four old companies had been on duty at Johnson's Island nearly all the time since their muster-in, but had frequently furnished detachments for service elsewhere, including a short but active campaign in pursuit of Confederate troops in West Virginia in 1862.  The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth was chiefly occupied at the frontier posts of Johnson's Island and Sandusky.  Fortune did not give the regiment an opportunity to win a battle record, but it performed all the duties assigned to it with faithfulness and efficiency - both essentials of military service and success.  The regiment left the island on July 10, 1865, and was mustered out at Camp Chase, on the 17th of that month.
     The fatalities reported during the forgoing period of service, were as follows:
Company B -  Privates William H. Lindman and Amasa Squires, the former of whom died July 3, 1862, and the latter, Nov. 8, 1864.
     Company D - Sergt. Andrew Ryan, died Mar. 29, 1863;  privates George Phipps (died Oct. 24, 1862), Henry C. Royce (Feb. 15, 1863), and Andrew F. Hamlin (Jan. 23, 1863).
     Company E - George Puff died Jan. 2, 1865.

FIFTH REGIMENT, OHIO NATIONAL GUARD.

     The Ohio National Guard, as the organization affects Lorain County, originated in the Ely Guards, afterward changed to the Hart Guards.  They were mustered into the service of the state in July, 1877, to serve for a period of five years.  The organization was soon afterward assigned to the Fifteenth Regiment as Company G, with headquarters at Cleveland.  With the subsequent reorganization of the Ohio National Guard, into nine regiments of infantry, with cavalry, artillery, signal and engineering corps, and marine companies, to complete the state military

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system, the various units of the Fifth Regiment were distributed through Northeastern Ohio.  Company headquarters were established at Cleveland, Berea, Elyria, Norwalk, Geneva, Warren and Youngstown.  Company B is stationed at Elyria, with Capt. Roy E. Hultz in command.  It was organized at Elyria Jan. 25, 1907.  Captain Hultz' predecessors were Captains H. W. Davis, S. A. Beyland, J. L. Richey and H. B. Clawson.  The present strength of the company is fifty, including three officers.

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NOTES:

 

 

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