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NOBLE COUNTY IN THE WAR
Source:
History of Noble
County, Ohio
with portraits and biographical sketches of some of
its pioneers and prominent men.
Chicago: L. H. Watkins & Co.,
1887
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BIOGRAPHIES OF
MILITARY MEN
Captain William T. Biedenharn
Captain John Brown
Lieutenant Henry Clinedinst
LieutenantCharles J. Engler
General William H. Enochs
Lieutenant William R. Kirk
Captain H. H. Moseley
Captain John M. Moseley
Captain William L. Moseley
Colonel John C. Paxton
Captain I. C. Phillips
Captain Joseph Purkey
General Charles S. Sargeant
Colonel Francis M. Shaklee
Freeman C. Thompson
Colonel Harmon
Wilson |
 GENERAL
WILLIAM H. ENOCHS,
one of the most gifted sons of Noble County, and the only native
of the county who attained to the rank of general in the late
war, is now a prominent lawyer and an influential citizen of
Ironton, Ohio. His parents were Henry and Jane (Miller)
Enochs. He was born near Middleburg, in Noble County,
March 29, 1842. He was reared on his father's farm and
attended the common schools in winter with the advantage,
however, of one term at the Ohio University. When
Fort Sumter was fired upon he was a student at the Ohio
University, and on the 19th of April, 1861, he enlisted in
Company B, Twenty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry; soon after he
was promoted to corporal and sent to guard the railroad between
Marietta and Parkersburg, thence to West Virginia, participating
in the numerous marches and skirmishes of his command, and the
battle of Rich Mountain. He was promoted to fourth
sergeant, and in that rank was mustered out of the service July
24, 1861. He at once re-enlisted in Company K, Fifth West
Virginia Infantry, an organization composed almost wholly of
Ohio men. In October he was elected captain of his
company, but owing to his youth the colonel of the regiment
refused to recommend him for a captain's commission, and he was
made first lieutenant of the company. His drill and
discipline soon attracted the attention of army officers, and he
was frequently complimented for the manner in which he had
brought up the company. His regiment was organized and
camped at Ceredo, West Virginia. Rebel regiments were also
being organized of its camp, the surrounding country swarmed
with bushwhackers, and his company and regiment was in active
service from the time of their enlistment. In the winter
of 1862 the regiment was ordered to Parkersburg. Soon
afterward Lieutenant Enochs was sent with his company to
New Creek Station and assigned to the command of that outpost.
At this time there was a vacancy in the majorship of the
regiment, and Lieutenant Enochs was recommended by the
officers of the regiment for the position, but again his youth
prevented his preferment, and he was promoted to captain and
assigned to Company E. This company soon became the best
drilled and disciplined company in the regiment, and in the
spring of 1862 led the advance at the battle of Moorfield,
participating in all its marches and skirmishes along the south
branch of the Potomac, including the battle of McDowell, May 8,
1862. Returning to Moorfield, the regiment crossed the
mountains with the army under Generals Schenck and
Milroy, striking the rear of the Confederate army under
Stonewall Jackson, where the regiment was engaged. The
Union armies, united under General Fremont,
followed Jackson up the Shenandoah Valley, skirmishing and
fighting day and night until the battle of Cross Keys, June 8,
1862, when Jackson crossed the river under cover of night,
burning the bridge behind him; Fremont's army went down the
valley. Schenck's division and General
Milroy's brigade (to which the regiment then belonged)
marched from Luray Valley across the Blue Ridge and joined the
army of Northern Virginia commanded by General John
Pope. The division was assigned to the Eleventh Corps,
then commanded by General Franz Sigel. The
regiment participated in numerous skirmishes until the terrible
battle of Cedar Mountain was fought, which was one of the most
desperate battles of the war. The regiment afterward
participated in the battles along the Rapidan and Rappahannock
Rivers, including Freeman's Ford and Sulphur Spring, being under
tire every day for about twenty days. In the first day of the
second battle of Manassas, although the junior captain of the
regiment, Captain Enochs was in command. The
regiment went into the fight near the stone house, and in the
woods some distance beyond, the regiment fought almost the
entire two days of the battle over the possession of a railroad
cut in the woods. The cut was taken and re-taken, until one
fourth of the regiment was either killed, wounded or missing.
History has never given the facts concerning this
battle; the loss and disaster to the Union army there has never
been fully told. The regiment next participated in the battle of
Chantilly. In all these marches, skirmishes and battles
Captain Enochs took an active part, being in command
of either his company or the regiment. After the battle of
Chantilly the regiment, being almost entirely destroyed, was
ordered to the fortifications around Washington to obtain shoes
and clothing. Soon afterwards it was transferred to the Kanawha
Valley, West Va. In the spring of 1863 it was ordered to Gauley
Bridge on the Kanawha, where it remained the greater portion of
that year, scouting and skirmishing through the mountains of
that country. August 17, 1863, Capt. Enochs was
commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. May 4,1864, his
command broke camp and started toward Louisburg, West Va. At
Meadow Bluffs it joined the army under General George
Crook, and crossed the mountains, destroying the railroad
and bridges. It joined the army under General Hunter
at Staunton, Va., and under that general made the raid upon
Lynchburg. In its endeavor to get into Lynchburg, Colonel
Enochs with his regiment charged the breast-works but was
repulsed and driven back with heavy loss. The Union army was
compelled to retreat to the Kanawha Valley. This was one of the
longest and hardest raids of the war. It was, as the general
states it, "days and nights of marching, starving and
fighting.'' The regiment remained but a short time in the
Kanawha Valley, when it was ordered to Harper's Ferry and the
Shenandoah Valley. The army started up the valley, lighting the
rebels at Bunker's Hill, July 10, 1864, and at Carter's
Farm, July 20,1864, and at Winchester, July 24. The Union army
was driven north of the Potomac River and soon became a part of
the army under General Sheridan, and under him was
in the battles near Halltown, Va., August 22, 23 and 24, 1864.
At the battle of Berryville, September 3, 1864, Colonel
Enochs regiment made a brilliant charge on a Mississippi
brigade of .four regiments, driving them from the field and
capturing a number of prisoners. At the battle of
Winchester, September 19, 1864, Colonel Enochs'
regiment was in the front on the extreme right of the Union
army. Shortly after going into the fight the rebels were found
behind stone walls on the opposite side of a deep slough, the
regiment waded through and charged the rebels, driving them from
their chosen positions until their fortifications were reached.
In this charge Colonel Enochs was severely wounded
when within one hundred yards of the fortifications, a ball
striking him in the head and cutting through a heavy felt hat.
He was supposed to have been instantly killed, and was left
where he fell. During the night he was conducted to his
regiment, and the next morning was again in command, following
the retreating rebels toward Fisher's Hill, which point they had
strongly fortified. September 22, Colonel Enochs'
was given charge of the advance, which climbed the mountain and
got in the rear of their works before they were discovered. When
the signal was given, the whole army charged the fortifications,
capturing most of the enemy's artillery and routing their army.
The regiment under Colonel Enochs participated in
numerous other skirmishes up to the battle of Cedar Creek.
For gallant and meritorious services during this
campaign, Colonel Enochs was brevetted general,
being the youngest man of his rank in the Army of the Potomac.
During this service his regiment had become so depleted that it
was consolidated with the Ninth West Virginia, and was
afterwards known as the First West Virginia Veteran Infantry.
The regiment remained in the valley under General
Hancock until near the close of .the war, when it was sent
to Cumberland, Md., where Colonel Enochs was
assigned to the command of the department of Maryland, and on
March 13, 1865, he was commissioned brigadier-general.
General Enochs saw much hard service during the war,
and distinguished himself for bravery and gallantry, as is shown
by his successive promotions. His fellow officers speak in
the highest terms of his intrepidity, and the fact that he
commanded a brigade at the age of twenty-two years is the very
highest possible testimony as to his superior abilities as a
soldier and officer. He was mustered out of the service July 21,
1865. He studied law as he could during the war, and on being
discharged, entered the Cincinnati Law School, from which he
graduated in 1867. He began practice in West Virginia, removing
in the fall of 1868 to Ironton, Ohio, where he soon rose to
prominence and is still in successful practice. General
Enochs was married in 1875 to Miss Annis
Hamilton. Ex-President Hayes thus
speaks of General Enochs:
"Brigadier-General William H.
Enochs served in my command as colonel of the Fifth
Virginia Infantry, and after the re-enlistment of the regiment
and its consolidation with the Ninth Virginia as colonel of the
First West Virginia Veteran Infantry— that being the title, as I
recall it, of the consolidated veteran regiment. Of course I
knew him intimately as a soldier and as a regimental commander.
He was conspicuous and a man of mark always. His courage,
promptness and energy were extraordinary. He was faithful,
cheerful and hopeful. His diligence was great, and his ability
and skill in managing and taking care of his regiment were
rarely equaled. If called upon to give his distinguishing merits
as a soldier, I should say force, energy, intrepidity. I have
often said that the old Kanawha Division could make its fastest
and longest march in a day with an enemy in front, trying to
retard and obstruct, and with Colonel Enochs and
his regiment in the advance clearing the way. His military
record is in all respects honorable and bright. In the language
of the old ironclad oath, "it is a pleasure to commend his
soldierly qualities, without any mental reservation whatever."
General I. H. Duval, of Wheeling, speaks of General
Enochs as follows :
" I first met General W. H. Enochs early in the war in
the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia. I think he was at that time
major of the Fifth West Virginia Regiment. I was very favorably
impressed with him at sight, and soon discovered that he was a
remarkable man for his age. We were intimately associated during
the war, and I can safely say that I did not meet an officer
during that time in whom I had more confidence. He was brave,
daring and efficient, always ready for whatever duties were
required of him. Later in the war his regiment and mine were
consolidated and formed, the First Veteran Regiment of West
Virginia. I was retained as Colonel, and General
Enochs was the lieutenant-colonel. I was proud of the
association, feeling that I had an officer upon whom I could
rely under all circumstances. Soon after the consolidation he
was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment. At the head of
the regiment he distinguished himself on all occasions, wherever
he fought, and I think commanded one of the grandest regiments I
ever saw. It was thoroughly drilled and disciplined." |
GENERAL
CHARLES S. SARGEANT was born in Morristown, N. J.,
September 5, 1839. At the age of eighteen he entered the service
as private in the First United States Mounted Rifles, and at the
breaking out of the war was stationed at the St. Louis arsenal,
at St. Louis, Mo. In 1861 he entered the volunteer service as
sargeant of Co. G, First Missouri Infantry, a three months'
organization, and shortly after was promoted to
second-lieutenant of the company. Upon the re organization of
the regiment for the three years' service, he was again
commissioned second-lieutenant. His command was engaged in the
capture of Camp Jackson, at St. Louis, Mo. This is now regarded
as one of the important events in the history of the Rebellion,
as it placed the city in the possession of the Union army. He
was in the fight at Boonville, which was the first engagement in
the West. August 10 the regiment was engaged under
General Lyon at the battle of Wilson's Creek.
General Lyon was killed and Captain Cavender
seriously wounded, thus devolving the command of company upon
Lieutenant Sargeant. In September of 1861, the
regiment was again reorganized as the First Missouri Light
Artillery, and he was commissioned first-lieutenant, and
assigned to Company H With this command he remained until he was
detailed as aide-de camp on the staff of General
Schofield. March 27, 1862, he was promoted to a captaincy
and placed in command of Company I, First Missouri Light
Artillery. This battery was brigaded with the Second Division of
the Army of the Tennessee, and was engaged in the battles of
Shiloh and the siege at Corinth. August 31, 1862, he resigned
his commission to accept promotion to major and assistant
adjutant-general, and was assigned to duty on the staff of
General Schofield. December 4,1862, he was promoted
to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Eighteenth Missouri Infantry,
and to colonel August 15, 1864. The regiment was in all the
battles of the Atlanta campaign, Colonel Sargeant
being in command of the regiment. At the battle of Atlanta, July
22, 1863, his command held a position on the extreme right of
Fuller's division, and were hotly engaged in repulsing the
terrific attacks of a division of the enemy under General
Walker, in one of which the Confederate commander was
killed. In this engagement Colonel Sargeant
distinguished himself by the able manner in which he commanded
his regiment. He was with Sherman in "The March to the
Sea," and the advance through the Carolinas. His regiment took a
prominent part in the battle of Bentonville, N. C, in which
Mower's division gained the rear of the rebel army and forced
the evacuation of their lines of intrenchment. With his
command he participated in the closing events of the war, and
the grand review at Washington, D. C , in May of 1865, after
which the regiment was ordered to St. Louis, where it was
mustered out of the service, in July of 1865.
March 13, 1865, he was brevetted brigadier-general
United States volunteers, for u gallant and efficient services
during the war."
Lack of space prevents a detailed statement of the
service of General Sargeant. For the greater
portion of the time he was connected with the Army of the
Tennessee, and participated in all the notable battles in which
it was engaged. His successive promotions (from a private to
that of brigadier-general) is all the evidence required to show
his record as a soldier. At the close of the war he engaged in
the commission business at St. Louis, Mo.; thence to Iowa and to
Caldwell, in 1870, where be is now engaged in the produce
business. Is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the
Republic.
In April 8, 1874, he was married to Miss Anna
Keeler, of Muscatine, Iowa. They have three children
living, Stella, Fanny and Florence. |
COLONEL
HARMON WILSON was born near Cadiz, Ohio, March 15, 1840.
When thirteen years of age he entered the manual labor school at
Albany, Ohio, where for two years he supported himself by his
labor mornings and evenings, at eight cents per hour. At the age
of fifteen he began teaching winter terms of school in Noble
County, using his earnings to defray his expenses in summer at
the Ohio University. In the spring of 1861 he took his salary
for the preceding winter and invested in an outfit to bore for
oil on Duck Creek. Failing in this enterprise, he returned to
the school room. At the expiration of the first month, after the
dismissal of his school in the evening, he wrote upon the
blackboard, "Gone to the war" That night he walked to
Summerfield, and enlisted in Captain John Moseley's
company (I, Twenty-fifth Infantry) Upon the organization
of the company he was made corporal. December 7, 1861, he was
promoted to second lieutenant, and assigned to the
Seventy-ninth. When this regiment was consolidated with the
Seventy-fifth he was transferred to the Twentieth, and became
first lieutenant of Company I. February 11, 1862, he was made
the adjutant of the regiment; October 5, 1862, promoted to
captain of Company F, and to major, January 6, 1865; January 11,
1865, to lieutenant-colonel; to colonel June 20,18o'5; was
mustered out July 15, 1865. Colonel Wilson
served with the Twenty-fifth in the West Virginia campaign of
1861. He was with the Twentieth at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and
Vicksburg, and was with Sherman on "The March to the Sea," and
after the battle at Atlanta was in command of the regiment.
After the close of the war he studied law with
Attorney-General James Murray, at Sidney, Ohio, where lie is
now engaged in the practice of his profession. |
COLONEL
FRANCIS M. SHAKLEE.— The people of Noble County take a
just pride and evidence a commendable interest in the
perpetuation of the names and records of her brave boys, who for
four long weary years fought for the maintenance of the
patriotic principles taught them by their fathers. Among the
number entitled to special mention in this chapter, is
Colonel Francis M. Shaklee. He was born near Moscow Mills,
Morgan County, Ohio, August 30,1828. Here his youth was passed
attending school and learning the trade of millwright, that
being his fathers vocation. In 1850 he entered the Meadville,
Pa., college, being the first student from Noble County. In 1852
he left college to try his fortunes in the gold fields of
California. His journey there, which occupied seven months, was
one of adventure. He visited the Sandwich Islands, and made
quite an extended trip into Mexico. Arriving in California, he
first engaged in mining, but not meeting with desired success he
turned his attention to ranching, in which he was engaged for
two years. In 1857 he returned to Illinois, whither his parents
had immigrated in 1853. Two years later he returned to
Noble County and began teaching, which he followed successfully
until June 26, 1801, when he enlisted in Company I, Twenty-fifth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and upon the organization of the
regiment was given the position of corporal he was with the
regiment until some time after the death of Captain John
Moseley, when he received from Governor Todd a
recruiting commission. Returning to Noble County, he enlisted in
Company I, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was
commissioned its captain. He joined the regiment at Cincinnati,
where he taught his company the rudiments of a military
education, and from there was ordered to join the army in front
of Fort Donelson. After the battle the captain was detailed to
guard 1,000 prisoners, whom he conveyed to St. Louis, Mo.
Fearing that an attempt to rescue them would be made by the
rebel element of the city, he took them to Bloody Island, where
his command remained for three weeks. Their sufferings were
great, owing to the inclement weather and the inadequate
provisions for comfort. April 6, 1862, his regiment was engaged
in the battle of Pittsburgh Landing. On the second day of the
fight his company made a gallant charge, gaining possession of
one of the Union hospitals, which had been captured by the
Confederates, and rescuing a body of Union prisoners, in the
evening of the same day he was sent with a detail of 100 men to
fill a vacancy in the picket line. In posting his men he got
beyond the lines, and making a mistake in the countersign it was
with some difficulty that he established his identity. After
this battle his regiment was for some time engaged in guarding
the base of supplies. During this time he signalized his
thirty-fourth birthday by gallantry in the battle of Bolivar,
where Armstrong's cavalry of fifteen regiments were repulsed and
routed. From this time he was with Logan's division and
participated in all its battles and skirmishes. On the 12th of
May the Twentieth deployed in advance of the Seventeenth Corps,
Colonel Shaklee commanding the skirmishers of General
Logan's division. The regiment participated in the battle
of Champion Hills, and were placed under such severe fire that
it was dangerous for a staff officer to approach with orders.
Crossing the Big Black, his regiment reached the rear of
Vicksburg, and acted as support to the assaulting party on the
21st of May. June 4 Colonel Shaklee took command of the
regiment, which position he filled with credit afterwards. In
January of 1864 the regiment re-enlisted, and returned to their
homes on veteran furloughs. During this time he received his
commission as major. In April he returned to his regiment. In
the battle of Atlanta he had his horse shot from under him, and
was injured by explosion of a shell.
The regiment left Atlanta with Sherman's army,
but was detached on the 19th of December at Marietta, Ga., there
the colonel was detailed to conduct eighty men, whose terms of
enlistment had expired, to Chattanooga, Tenn., to be mustered
out. At that time that section was overrun with Mosby's
guerrillas. Coming up to the rear guard of the Fourteenth Corps,
in command of General Davis, he learned that the
guerrillas were harassing our men and that further advance was
exceedingly dangerous. He called upon General Davis,
who advised him to halt. The colonel, upon consultation with the
men, decided to make the attempt. As soon as he had left the
protection of the rear guard he directed his men to cut sticks,
which they carried to represent muskets, their arms having been
taken from them on leaving the regiment. At Kingston they came
upon a force of rebel cavalry. The colonel immediately deployed
his men as skirmishers, and giving his commands in a loud voice,
convinced the rebels that it was the advanced line of a heavy
force. The rebels retreated, and he ordered his men to charge,
and pursued them for eight miles, when he learned that they had
gone into camp. By taking a devious course he got in the
advance, and at midnight they went into camp. This illustration
is given to show that while possessing other qualifications of
an officer, he was not lacking in expedients. At this time his
health had become so impaired that lie tendered his resignation,
which was accepted November 25, 1864. January, 1865, he was
brevetted lieutenant-colonel for "meritorious services." After
resigning his commission he returned to Middleburo and engaged
in merchandizing until 1869, when he began milling, in which he
is now engaged. April, 1864, he was married to Miss
Margaret, daughter of Alfred Ogle. She died in
February of 1877, and in December following he was married to
Miss Frances Simmerman. Four children were the result of the
first marriage — Alfred O., Norville E , Mattie
S., and Bertha M. In closing this biography, it is
but just to say that the career of Colonel Shaklee,
both as a citizen and soldier, is an unspotted one, and that he
is entitled to a prominent position among the officers from
Noble County. He was a rigid disciplinarian, and still retained
the confidence and esteem of his command. He was regarded by his
superior officers as not only brave and daring, but entirely
trustworthy. |
COLONEL
JOHN C. PAXTON was born in Gettysburg, Pa., Feb. 22,1824,
and died in Marietta, Ohio, Feb. 28,1881. He began life for
himself at the age of ten years He came to Ohio at an early age,
and for some years was engaged in the mercantile business at
Sharon, where he remained until his removal to Marietta in 1853.
In 1845 he wedded Agnes, daughter of Alexander
Greenlee, one of the pioneers of Olive Township. They had
five children, of whom three survive — Augusta J., wife
of M. W. Downing, an oil operator at Dexter City;
Mary A., wife of D. C. Blondin, of Nebraska, and
Margaret H., wife of Dr. A. E. Osborne, Santa
Clara, Cal.
In 1857 he married Sophia L. Reed, a native of
Pennsylvania, who is still living. Mr. Paxton was
a man of strong talent, ready wit and generous nature. He was
in Louisiana in 1860, when the vote was carried to tear down the
old flag upon the capital, and witnessed the raising of the
first rebel flag in that State. He hastened north and was soon
enlisted for the great contest. He served in the Eighteenth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry as quartermaster for a term of three months,
and at its expiration in August, 1861, returned to Marietta and
recruited, a regiment from the border counties of Ohio, which
entered the service as the Second Virginia Cavalry. He was
commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, Sept. 16, 1861,
and on the resignation of Colonel William M. Bolles, was
made colonel July 18, 1862. He proved a bold, persevering and
dashing leader, and was spoken of in the highest terms by his
fellow officers and his command. He left the service in 1863,
and after the war ended was heartily in favor of burying the
past. |
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CAPTAINS
WILLIAM L., JOHN M. AND H. H. MOSELEY.— Captain
William L. Moseley was born in Barnesville, Belmont County,
Oct. 23,1826. The following year the family removed to
Summerfield, where they found but one family — that of James
W. Shankland. Here the elder Moseley resided until
1839, when he removed to a farm in the immediate vicinity. He
removed to Enoch in 1813, and died in Cambridge in 1880. He kept
a hotel in Caldwell for quite a time, and was extensively known
as a man of strict integrity and great energy. He had a family
of seven children, of whom only three are now living —W. L.,
H. H. and Martha M. (Askey). In 1846
William L. was married to Miss Jane, daughter
of James Hesson, one of the pioneers of Enoch
Township, and soon after settled in Middleburg, where he
followed his trade — that of a carpenter — until 1862, when he
received from Governor Todd a recruiting
commission. In company with Colonel Teeters he
enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment. He
was mustered into the service as second lieutenant. The regiment
was attached to the command of General Crook's,
and did service in West Virginia and the Valley campaigns. The
captain was with his company in all the battles and skirmishes
in which it was engaged until the battle of Opequan, where he
was severely wounded. Soon after he was promoted to first
lieutenant and to captain in February, 1864. He was in
command of a company, however, during the campaigns of 1861. One
noteworthy fact in connection with the military history of this
family is that there were but three sons, and that all were in
command of Noble County organizations. John M. was
captain of the first company that went from Noble County (I,
25th). He died at Cheat Mountain, in 1861. Had he lived he would
no doubt have distinguished himself, as he was a brave officer.
Henry was sergeant of the same company, and after the
death of his brother took command. He was taken prisoner at
Gettysburg on the first day of that battle, and confined in
Libbey; thence removed to Charleston, S. C, where, with other
officers, he was placed under the fire of Union war vessels
during the siege. From Charleston he was removed to Millen, Ga.
Here he attempted his escape. In company with Lieutenant Roach
and a captain of a battery, they passed through almost
incredible hardships, and when so near Sherman's army that they
could hear the bugle calls, they were recaptured and taken to
Columbia, S. C. Twice again he made the effort to escape. On one
occasion he got his comrades to bury him in the sand just
previous to the removal of the prisoners, but through the
perfidy of an Illinois captain, his hiding place was revealed,
and he was again closely guarded. His last attempt — which was
successful—was made while they were being taken to
Charlottsville. The train stopped in a swamp; he jumped from
the. train, took to the swamp, and through the kindness of a
negro was concealed and cared for until the arrival of
Sherman's army. lie was a prisoner for twenty-one months. He
now resides in Orville, Wayne County. After the close of the war
William L. returned to his home, and in 1870 was elected
treasurer of the county, and in 1872 was re elected. He served
the people with credit. Daring Hayes' administration he
was appointed to a position in the Navy Department, where he
remained three years. He now resides upon a farm near Dexter
City. As a soldier, official and citizen, Captain
Moseley has met all the requirements of each position.
Throughout the county he is known as one of its valued citizens
and a gentleman of unimpeachable character. |
CAPTAIN
JOSEPH PURKEY was born in Sharon, Noble County, Ohio,
February 20, 1836. He came of a robust German family, noted for
their strength, indomitable courage, and. deep religious
convictions. In the early days they built a church and
school-house of logs, which for nearly a century was known by
their name.
Captain Purkey here resided until 1850, when he
removed with his parents to Iowa, where the elder Purkey
died of cholera, devolving the care of his widowed mother and
his younger brothers and sisters upon himself. Eager for
education, and seeing no prospect for it in the West, he
returned to Ohio with the family, and settling upon a farm
undertook the support of his almost helpless charge and the
acquisition of the rudiments of an education. In 1856 he entered
Sharon College, and there remained as a student, alternately
teaching, laboring on the farm, and attending college until
August 12, 1862, when he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and
Sixteenth, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was chosen orderly
sergeant of the company, the duties of which office he
discharged with satisfaction of his officers until the battle of
Piedmont, Va., where he was severely wounded, taken prisoner,
and started off for Andersonville. While passing through North
Carolina he was again severely wounded while endeavoring to
effect his escape. He was re-captured, and confined in
Andersonville for eight weary months. He finally succeeded in
eluding the vigilance of the guards, made good his escape and
returned to the Union army, more dead than alive.
After recuperating his health at home he returned to
his command with the rank of second lieutenant, and took part in
the final struggle which culminated in Lee's surrender at
Appomattox. Soon after, he was made first lieutenant and brevet
captain for "gallant conduct in the field." He was a brave
soldier, and wears his scars and promotions with becoming
modesty to this day. In October, of 1862, during a short absence
from his regiment, he married Miss Augusta, daughter of
James Canaday, of the old Globe Hotel, where he was a
guest in his college days, and where their courtship ripened
into love. The union has been indeed a happy one, surrounded by
an interesting group of intelligent children, in whom Captain
Purkey takes pardonable pride.
Returning home at the close of the war, he commenced
the study of the law with the Hon. W. H. Frazier. After
his admission to the bar he removed to Cumberland, Ohio, where
for the past eighteen years he has prosecuted his profession
with success, at the same time managing large agricultural
interests and holding the humble but honorable office of justice
of the peace.
A good scholar, a brave soldier, a successful lawyer
and magistrate; a genuine gentleman of the old school, respected
and trusted by all who know him, the life of Captain Purkey
furnishes to the young another example so frequently seen in
American life of what industry and pluck will accomplish without
regard to the adverse circumstances of early life. |
CAPTAIN
I. C. PHILLIPS was born in West Virginia, April 5, 1837.
In 1844 the family moved to Guernsey County, Ohio, and the
following year came to what is now Noble County. His youth and
early manhood were spent upon the farm and as clerk in a dry
goods store. August 13, 1861, he enlisted in Company E,
Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and upon the organization
of the regiment was made orderly sergeant. He participated in
the numerous scouts and skirmishes of the regiment during the
winter of 1861 and 1862; was in the battle of Louisburgh, and
accompanied his command when ordered east to reinforce
General Pope. He was present at the second battle of
Manassas, and was engaged in the battle of South Mountain and
Antietam. The regiment was then ordered to join General
Rosecrans, at Nashville, Tenn. January 18, 1883, he was
promoted to second lieutenant and transferred to Company F,
which he commanded at the battles of Chickamauga and Mission
Ridge. At the latter engagement his regiment formed a part of
the column which stormed the Ridge. During the fight some of the
enemy's artillery was being drawn down the I eastern slope of
the Ridge. Captain Phillips with a squad captured
the guns and drew them back to position. After this battle the
regiment veteranized and returned home on a furlough, at the
expiration of which they returned to West Virginia, and on the
9th of May fought the battle of Cloyd Mountain, Phillips
being in command of his company.
He joined General Hunter at Staunton, Va.,
and participated in the assault upon the outworks of Lynchburg
and endured the sufferings of that disastrous retreat to the
Kanawha Valley. The command were compelled to march day and
night without sleep or rations for more than one hundred miles,
and were harassed by the enemy's cavalry until the mountain
passes were reached.
July 24, 1864, the battle of Kernstown was fought,
Company F losing twenty-two men of sixty-one who went into the
fight. September 3, 1864, the battle of Berryville was fought.
In this engagement Captain Phillips was severely
wounded. December 30,1864, he was promoted to first lieutenant,
and to captain January 20, 1865. His wounds incapacitated him
for active service and he was honorably discharged by order of
the War Department, Jan. 23, 1865.
During the time Captain Phillips was a
member of the regiment he participated in fifty-two battles and
skirmishes, never missing a march nor an engagement. After his
return from the service the captain engaged in merchandising in
Summerfield, where he remained until his removal to Caldwell, in
1880. In 1870 he married Miss Ella, daughter of
Stephen Wilson. |
|
CAPTAIN
WILLIAM T. BIEDENHARN, merchant, of Harriettsville, is
among the leading business men of the county. He was born in
Batesville, Noble County, in 1840. In his boyhood he acted as a
clerk in a store at Louisville, Monroe County. August 11, 1862,
he enlisted as a private in Company C, One Hundred and Sixteenth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry (Captain Arcknoe), and served
until discharged by order of the War Department, June 11, 1865.
Entering as a private, he was chosen orderly sergeant; promoted
second lieutenant June 15, 1863; promoted first lieutenant
January 12, 1865; and "for gallant and meritorious service" was
brevetted captain to rank from March 13,1865. He served as
aide-decamp and acting adjutant-general on the staffs of
Lieutenant-Colonel Wells, Thirty-fourth Massachusetts;
Colonel Thomas F. Wildes, One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio;
Major Potter, Thirty-fourth Massachusetts, and Colonel
William S. Lincoln, Thirty-fourth Massachusetts. He was with
the regiment in all its engagements except one (Hilltown), and
was a gallant soldier and good officer, as the record shows.
After the war he came to Harriettsville, where he has been
engaged .in the mercantile business since August 21,1865. He has
been extensively engaged in tobacco packing ever since he came
to the place; first as a member of the firm of Miles &
Biedenharn until 1884, and since alone. As many as 225
hogsheads of tobacco have been packed in a single year by the
above firm. Of late years the business has been less extensive.
Captain Biedenharn was married in 1882, to Fannie
Davenport, of Washington County. They have one child —
George Frederick. |
|
LIEUT.
CHARLES J. ENGLER. John Engler came from
Susquehanna County, Pa., with his family in 1832 to Caldwell,
where he remained until 1842, when he removed to a farm near
Macksburg. He followed his trade, that of a wagon-maker, in
connection with farming, until age compelled him to retire. He
is still living in Macksburg, at the good old age of
seventy-nine; his wife died in 1875, aged seventy-seven; both
were Methodists in their religious belief. To them were born a
family of eight children—Elizabeth, William S.,
Joseph T., Lydia M., John G., Charles J., Nancy
J., and David H. John died in the
service. He belonged to Company B, Seventy-seventh Ohio
Volunteer Infantry. He was taken prisoner at Mark's Mills, Ark.,
April 8,1864. He died a prisoner of war. Charles J. was
born in Noble County in 1839. Nov. 22, 1861, he became a member
of the same company. He distinguished himself at the battle of
Shiloh, and at the same time suffered a great injustice from one
of those accidental matters to which soldiers as well as every
one else are liable. The night preceding the battle he was
sergeant of the guard, and reported the enemy advancing in
force. The report was carried to General Sherman,
who, disbelieving it, ordered his arrest, for causing what he
thought to be a false alarm. A few hours later the general
learned that Lieutenant Engler's statement was correct,
and had his report been accepted and acted upon, the present
debatable question as to whether the Union forces were on that
occasion taken by surprise would not exist, and many valuable
lives would have been saved. As soon as the facts were known he
was released, and in that great battle he wiped out by his
conspicuous bravery every vestige of the undeserved stigma. At
this time the papers had been forwarded to headquarters
recommending his promotion to a first lieutenancy, but on the
receipt of the information that he had been arrested, and with
no knowledge of the facts, they were destroyed. Some time
afterward, however, slight reparation was made by his
appointment as second lieutenant of his company. He followed the
fortunes of his regiment, and was in the battles of Shiloh,
Corinth, Fallen Timber; Mark's Mills, Little Arkansas, Little
Missouri River and other minor engagements. In April of 1864, he
received a first lieutenant's commission, and in December of
that year was mustered out of the service, his term of
enlistment having expired. His brother Joseph was in
Company D, Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was in all
the battles in which the Forty-second was engaged. In 1865
Charles J. was married to Miss Margaret C. Keller.
They have two children — Burt M. and Mary C. |
|
LIEUTENANT
HENRY CLINEDINST, son of Adam and Julia A. Clinedinst,
was born in York County, Pa., January 16, 1840, and came to this
county with the family when three years of age. He was raised on
a farm and in July of 1861 entered the three months' service. At
the expiration of his term of enlistment he returned to his
home, and upon the organization of the Seventy-seventh Ohio
Volunteer Infantry he re-enlisted in this regiment and became
corporal of Company B. He soon rose to first sergeant, and was
finally made first lieutenant of his company. He participated in
the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Fallen Timber, Little Rock,
Ark., Marks Mills, and other lesser engagements. At the battle
of Mark's Mills he was severely wounded in the foot, from which
he never fully recovered, although he remained with his command
until mustered out of the service in the autumn of 1864. A
braver heart than that of Lieutenant Clinedinst
never beat under a blue coat. He did his whole duty
unflinchingly and without a murmur. He possessed all the
requirements of an officer and was better qualified to command
than many of his superior officers. His bravery and integrity
were never questioned, and he was said to have been one of the
best soldiers in the service. He was twice married. His first
wife, Miss Almira Warren, to whom he was
united in 1866, died the following year. His second wife was
Miss Jane M., daughter of Samuel and Marrilla Hussey.
By this union there were three children—Mary E.,
Samuel H. and Adam B. She died in 1877, aged
twenty-nine years. After his first marriage he settled on a
farm, where he died in 1874, aged thirty-four years. |
|
FREEMAN
C. THOMPSON was born in Washington County, Pa., February
25, 1846. In the autumn of 1854 the family removed to Noble
County and settled in Stock Township. Shortly after he had
passed his sixteenth birthday he enlisted as a private in
Company F, One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, and although but a mere boy he was with the regiment
in all its marches, skirmishes and battles, and on many
occasions he evidenced a degree of bravery and coolness under
fire that would have done credit to a veteran. In the assault on
Fort Gregg, April 2,1865, he distinguished himself for his pluck
and daring. In this engagement (which General Grant
in his Memoirs says "was the most desperate that was seen at any
time in the East" through a perfect tornado of grape and.
cannister, he and his comrades reached the last ditch. How to
scale the parapet was a question requiring only a moment for
solution. Using each other as ladders they commenced the ascent.
Almost at the top one was shot and fell back into the ditch.
Thompson was struck twice with a musket, and fell into the
ditch with several ribs broken, but in a short time was again on
the top of the parapet fighting with muskets loaded and handed
him by his comrades below. Soon, the advantage was taken
possession of, and the whole army swept in, and the fort was
ours. In appreciation of this, " the greatest feat of personal
heroism recorded during the war," Congress voted the "gallant
thirteen" medals of honor. The order under which Mr.
Thompson's medal was bestowed is as follows :
WAR DEP'T, ADJ'T-GENERAL'S
OFFICE, WASHINGTON,
May 9, 1865. Corporal F. C. Thompson, Co. F, 116th O.:
Herewith I enclose a medal, of honor to be
presented to you under resolution of Congress
for distinguished service at Fort Gregg.
By order of the Secretary of War.
Very respectfully, E. D. TOWNSEND, A. A. G.
Thompson participated
in the closing events of the war, and witnessed the surrender of
the Confederate army at Appomattox. He was one of the number
selected to carry the rebel flags surrendered by General
Lee to Washington. They were conveyed by special steamer
and were received by the Secretary of War with great ceremony.
He took them each by the hand, and in language which evidenced
his sincerity and gratitude, he thanked them for the great
service they had done their country.
On the muster out of his regiment he returned to his
home. He had not at this time attained his majority although for
three long years he had been fighting his country's battles.
In 1875 he was elected sheriff of the county, and upon the
expiration of his term was re-elected. In 1866 he was married to
Miss Mary Archer. She died in 1879, and in
1883 he was again married to Miss Amanda Archer,
a cousin of his first wife. By the first marriage there were six
children, only two of whom, Clara and Frank, are
living; by the second, two—Lulu and Hugh. |
|
CAPTAIN
JOHN BROWN, an officer of the Ninety-second Regiment Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, was a Scotchman by birth, and emigrated to
this country when he was about eighteen years of age. He was an
industrious and honorable gentleman, identifying himself with
all the moral and secular interests of the communities in which
he was located. When, the storm of war broke over his adopted
country, it found him an outspoken and staunch patriot, ready to
help in any way to preserve the life and unity of the Republic.
In 1862 he aided in the raising of a company here at Summerfield
that united with other companies at Camp Marietta, forming the
Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The company
was called Company D, of which he was elected first lieutenant;
and in June, 1863, was promoted to the captaincy of Company H of
the same regiment. He was a splendid officer, beloved by all his
men, ready to share with his men in all the hardships and
dangers of an army life in active service. While gallantly
leading his company on the dreadful field of Chickamauga,
September 19, 1863, he was wounded in the heel or ankle; at the
time no thoughts were entertained but that he would get well. He
was taken back to Nashville, where, unexpectedly to almost all,
he died on the 5th of October. His remains were brought back to
Summerfield, October 10, 1863, and buried in the old cemetery on
the hill. |
|
LIEUTENANT
WILLIAM R. KIRK was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, in
1835, and came to Sarahsville in 1854. In 1862 he enlisted as
private in Company E, Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. By
virtue of his unimpeachable record as a soldier he rose from a
private to the lieutenancy of his company. His regiment was
attached to the Army of the Cumberland, and he participated in
all the notable battles in which it was engaged. He was mustered
out with his company at the close of the war, and returned to
his home in Sarahsville, where he now resides. |
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