The National tribune., 1901-07-18
A GALLANT BUCKEYE COMMAND.
Splendid Record of the Old 18th Ohio and
Its Heavy Rattle LOSSES

EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: The his
tory of the 10th Ohio in the war of tn,
rebellion from the day of its organization
until its final discharge was one of active
| operation. 1t was organized at CAM
| Tifin, near Wooster, Ohio, on Oct. 2
| 1861, and was discharged from service
at Columbus, Ohio, ON Oct. 81, 1864.
The regiment Travelled by railroad 1,2Si
miles; by steamboat, 3,619 miles, and or
| foot, 1,621 miles, and saw service from
| Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf OF
Mexico. Its fighting record was well es
| tablished during the entire time of its
enlistment, and in every section of the
country where it saw service.
In March following its enlistment it was
brigaded with the 42d Ohio and ODD Ky.
forming the Twenty-sixth Brigade, Sev.
enth Division, Army of the Ohio, under
command of Brig Gen. George w. Nor
gan. 1t was first under fire on March u
1862. when reconnaissance was made
toward Cumberland Gap, and a slight skir-
mish with the enemy resulted. On the
22d of the same month another reconnois-
sance was made, without results. On the
2Sth of April third reconnaissance was
made to the top of Cumberland Mountain,
in the vicinity of the Gap. A dense fog
hung over the mountain when the com
mand arrived at o'clock in the morn
ing. A determined fight ensued, which
lasted until the middle of the afternoon.
In this engagement our first man was
killed and more wounded. From this time
until June II the regiment was employed
in preparing to take Cumberland Gap. On
the morning of this day the regiment
marched up POwelfs Valley to the rear
of the Gap, when it was discovered that
the enemy had abandoned the place and
retreated to Knoxville, Tenn.
The 10th Ohio was the first regiment
to enter the abandoned intrenchments and
raise the National colors.
The history of the regiment as above
given is fresh in the writer's mind, as he,
young soldier, in his 18th year, was
fully alive to its incidents, and they made
lasting impression upon his memory, and
it is fully sustained in Whitelaw Reid's
"Ohio in the War;
On Aug. 6, 1862, the regiment was or
dered to Tazewell, Tenn, to relieve the
18th KY, and here the writer had such
a personal experience, mixed with the
serious and ludicrous, as will last him
during his lifetime. About the middle of
the forenoon companies B and z were
ordered forward as advance pickets. The
writer was a member of the former COM
pany, and together with the other mem
bers of the two companies was cut off
from the main Union force by rebel bri-
gade. The company was on q hill when
the commanding officer informed the men
that each one must look out for himself
and the writer in his haste to obey the
commanding officer Immediately took such
rapid steps to put distance between him
self and the rebel force that he stubbed
his toe and landed ingloriously in the
midst of an old brush-heap, which sue
cumbed to this fOrcible method of ap-
proach, and completely covered him. In
his aerial flight he lost his gun, but for
tunately he retained his saber, with which
he cut his way out of his unsolicited sur
roundings. The bullets of the enemy had
been plentiful around him before his en-
trance into the brush-heaps, and they
were anxious to greet him on his exit
therefrom, but none of them came in con-
tact with him; yet all attempts to escape
were futile, and the writer, and most OF
the members of the two companies, were
taken prisoners. After II days as the
involuntary guests of the Confederates,
we were paroled, and the writer, having
enlisted in the Union cause for a definite
time, recanted his parole and went back
to his regiment, and after receiving accOu-
terments i'll the place of those which he
had lost entered into active service again.
In this battle at TaZewell the writer, in
order to delay the approach of the rebels
who were surely surrounding our picket
line, took deliberate aim at an officer who
was at the head of column nearest to
our line. That the shot took effect was
evident, for the officers horse Immediately
stopped, the column halted, and those who
were near the officer hurriedly gathered
around him. Whether the shot was fatal
or not | do not know; L only know that
this was the only shot l fired during my
service in the army when took deliberate
and careful aim at a particular person.
The delay caused by the shot taking eff
feet initiated to the advantage of our
line, which was the great desideratum
The sharpest and most determined bat
tie in which the 10Th Ill. participated was
at Champions Hills. Here the roar of
and ear-splitting crash of artillery
were inccssant, and hand-to-hand conflicts
were frequent. 1t was here that lost all
hearing in my left ear, the resrlt of con-
cussion caused by artillery and cannon
firing.
The regimental loss was heavy in the
disastrous assault upon Chickasaw Ba-
you, 81 officers and men being killed,
wounded and taken prisoners. The COM
mand was also with Gen. Grants expe-
dition in the rear of Vicksburg. This is