The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1865-01-11
Wood made county levies in aiaoftl,s fund,

IuE NAlltNAls GUARD.
5 The milltia system Of the State was pu
toa severe tsSt during the year, and | an
happy TO say that IT paSscd the ordeal in tn
most satisfactory manner. In the month o
J April, at n cCnierenCe of the Governors q
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin
IT was determined to offer 20 the Govern
mcnt tho services of eighty-6ve thOusanl
militia for the term of one hundred days
! the quota of Ohio being fixed at thirty thou
sand. The policy of this movement did no
admit Of doubt or hesitsncy. The summer
, campaigns were about to open in Virgins.
and Tennessee. Both of them must neces
. sarily operate upon continually lengtheninl
lines Of communication, requiring larg,
! forces to protec. them At the same time
: it was necessary that the Virginia ann,
should cover and protect the National Capi
tai, aud that of Tennessee hold safe tho
, bOrder. ln previous campaigns we had suf
tsred from this species of depletion to al
extent that seriously i'm paired the value O
successes.
At the time of considering this PROPOSE
ti0n large body of hardy and veteran
troops were engaged in garrison duty, anc
guarding lines of communication, which
! could be as well done by less experienced
men. 10 relieve these, and throw them
forward, was to give TO each Of our operat
ing armies large reserve furce. The time
before the opening Of the campaigns VIA.
too short to admit of call, with It's atten-
dant OF draft, even if the legislation of
Congress, not then completed, had admit
ted of such measure. The policy was,
therefore, apparent, OF supporting our ac-
tive armies by the mlitis, until legislation
could be perfected, and an additional call be
| made -'
The States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois
had another manifest interest in this move
nent In order to slave our southern bor-
ders from mCursions and raids, it was evi-
dently sound policy to so strengthen our main
armies as to furnish full employment for the
rebel forces in their own territory. In this
particular the result fully justified tn. wis
dom OF the movement. But one raid was
attempted during the season, and that was
checked and overwhelmed in Kentucky be-
fore reaching the Ohio river.
This offer Of the States was promptly ac-
cepted by the President on the 10Th of
April, and this fact, being then in Wash
ingfon,) | communicated by telegram to
the Adjutaait General He Immediately is
sued his order for the assembling Of the
National Guard at their respective places of
rendezvous on the I'd day Of May. On a
very inclemcnt day, amid q storm of snow
and rain, there met and reported for duty
nearly forty thousand men, who, without
question or reservation, offered their ser
vices to the country in its hour of need. -
From these were organized forty-one regi-
ments and one battalion, with an aggre-
| gate strength Of 5,9S2 mel. Of these,
one regiment and the battalion were re-
served at Johnson's Island, one regiment at
Camp CHEESE, one at Galipolis, and two at
Camp Denpison. The remaining thirty-six
regiments, embracing an aggregate strength
OF 81, ,U5l men, were sent out or the State
into Virginia, Maryland and the District Of
Columbia, Six of these regiments went to
| the front Nnder Gen. Butler; two of them
vnre. in the battle of. Monocacy, where they
s,G4ered q loss of four killed and seven woun-
de,', and number Of prisoners; ona was
stationed at Martinsburgh, Virginia, where
it suffered loss of over two hundred pris-
oncl ), who are still in rebel hands; one regi-
ment was with Gen. Hunter in his severe
march L Lynchburgh and back, reporting
the loss OF only one man; other regiments
were station. 4 at Baltimore and Washing
ton, and saw a. tive service in the raid upon
the latter city. OF the force retained in the
State, the l56th, l,GSth and 17lst were all
thrown into Kentucky to meet the raid of
Norgan, where they dlt geod service In
the fight near Cynthan,N the l6Sth had
nineteen wounded, Of whom two died. The
Colonel and Lieutenant Colon wuIe both
included in the list of wounded the 1rmer
very severely. In the surrender by zen.
Hobson large number of this regiment VAS
included, but they were afterwards parole,'.
as the retreat Of Morgan WAS necessarily 30
expeditions that he could not retain them.
This statement Of the services Of the
Guard, | am we'll aware, is imperfect, and |
does not do justice to them. Efforts have
been made to get full returns of casualties |
and record OF the service. ! anticipated |
that the Adjutant-Gcncral would be able to
present such a statement in his annual re-
port; but he is not prepared to do so. In
process Of time hope this record will be
completed. In every position the conduct |
of the force was highly creditable, and the
entire success of the movement reflected |
honor upon the men and the State. H
This large force was called out, organized |
into regiments, mustered, armed, equipped, /
and placed at the disposal of the Govern
ment in the short period of sixteen GAYS
For this extraordinary dispatch r'..ach credit
is due to the Adjutant- Gener d and his chief
clerk, who laboored with great energy and
assidnity 1t is also q very satisfactory ex-
empllhcGatlon not orly Of the militia system
OF the state, br.to also Of the promptitude
and patrlotF- Ill that animated the body of
men eomr r,osing the Guard, ] do not in
tend to aay that these men are entitled to
any lore commcndatibh as soldiers, or pat
E.Jtic citizens, than the thousands Of brave
men who make up the volunteer forces of
our State; but the circumstances under which
they responded to the call certainly entities
them to honorable mention From the ma
ture OF their organization it was entirely TN
expected to them. They had comparative
y no notice and but few hours to arrange
their home affairs. They left farms, and
stores, and Offices, and mechanical pursuits,
many of them without ability, and all of
them without time or opportunity, to make
provision for their families, or arrange for
the protection of their industrial interests
during their absence. This they did not
only without murmur, but with zeal and
enthusiasm. This fact, which so materially
enhances their credit, should not be wah-
held .,,S 1TT
The Guard was returned home as speedi-
ly as practicable, upon the expiration of its
time; but owing to unavoidable delays in
transportation, payment and muster, the
average term of service was about one hun
dred and twcEty days.
As the force was to be delivered to the
Government ready for the feld, there we're
expenses that must necessarily be incurred
in the organization. These we're met and
paid so far az they have bean presented, |
from the million appropriation made last
winter for the defense of the State. The
amount Of this expenditure estimating that
not yet presented for payment) will be about
as follows m 'a' H' ''
For transportation. ..,',,....".~.. $52,553 81 |