The National tribune., 1902-01-09
A FIGHTING REGIMENT
Four Years Service at the Front
With the 36th Ohio.
BY ANDREW WYkLE, co. X. Both OHIO,
CwINNER OF 37TH PRIZE ,)JACKSON,o O.

,
1S41. My brother and wanted to enlist
My parents were opposed to it. We ran
away from home. enlisted Aug 10, 1861.
in Co. X, Both Ohio. Oar company Went
to Marietta, where we went into camp ut
Camp Putnam From Marietta our
company went by boat to Parkcrsburg.
There we remained six weeks.
From Parkcrsburg we went to Camp
Piatt. From Camp Piatt we marched
through mud and rain by way of Gauley
Bridge, thence to SummersvIle. and there
went into camp, occupying the houses
vacated by the rebels. We cut logs and
sawed them into timber, with which we
built drill-house 200 feet long We
drilled here all Winter.
scout on Birch Greek. The weather was
bitter cold. We built great fires and lay
between them, part of the boys watching
and keeping the fires up while the others
slept.
Our company and Co. took two men
hanged. They had killed a 14-year-old
lad who was employed as cook by one of
our officers. The little fellow was sent
to house to get something to eat, and
| the women of the house directed him to
the meadow, where the men were working.
The villains cut the child's head off with
| their Scythcs.
The men of my company and Co. were
detailed to dig the graves and build the
scaffold for the wretches. | never heard
men pray so hard as they did. They con-
fesSed their crime on the gallows. Alex
McColm made a hangman's knot, and
pulled the trap from under them.
| From Sutton We returned to Summers
vile.
We next went to Lewisburg w. Va,
where occurred the first battle in which
took part We walked across the noun
| tains in cOwpathS. 1t was hard work.
| and some of us became SO tired that we
| threw away part of our clothing.
We went out from IewiSburg on raid
to Jackson Depot, on the James River,
where we tore up the railroad and had a
! little skirmiSh with the rcbS. We re-
turned to Lewisburg by way of White
Sulphur Springs. Gen. Heth paid us a
visit on May 23. His forces outnumbered
ours three to one. but we whipped them
across the bridge over Greenbrier River.
| They burned the bridge. We killed 40,
wounded 100, captured 100 prisoners and
four pieces Of artillery. Our loss was 13
killed, 40 wounded and four prisoners.
OF my company four were killed and IA
wounded. The captured were our picket
guards at the bridge. One Of our boys,
Wm Rice, whom we though captured.
came in after the battle, bringing with
him two rebels. Those killed i'll our com
pany We're Thomas McD. Cole, Sylvanus
Golf, s. j. Simmons and A. DOwncr.
We marched to. Meadow Bluffs. whore
we stayed three weeks. We went on a
raid across the GreeBbricr River in Mon
roe County, w. Va. We drove Gen.
Heth away from UriOntown. We then
went into camp at Salt Sulphur Springs,
where | was placed on guard at house,
in which an old man and two women We're
living The women got our suppcrs and
made some biscuits. Those biscuits were
the first we had seen for a long time; they
tasted like those that mother used to
make. a.
We returned to Meadow Bluffs by the
way of Blue Sulphur Springs, camping
there one night. We remained at Meadow
Bluffs for some time; then went down
New River by way of Hawks Nest. We
went as far as Ganley Bridge and then
returned to Camp Piatt, where we took
a boat for Parkersburg, camping in our
old quarters Of 1861. 1t was now July
or August, 1862. As we came up the Ohio
Samuel Hanna was drowned.
We remained at Parkersburg 4 few
days then went to Washington, ID. c. |
At Warrenton Junction we found Gen. |
Pope and the Army Of the Potomac. He |
took our regiment for his body-guard.
was detailed TO stand guard at his head |
quarters. About - o'clock | heard |
musketry and cannon in the rear. We |
moved out that night i'll pursuit of Gen.
Lees army. The road was strewn with |
dead soldiers, horses, mules, and burnt |
railroad cars. We followed the army 10 |
Bull Run, and there ] fought my second |
battle on Aug. 80, 1862 | was detailed |
to help take 900 rebel prisoners to Alex |
andria, Va.
We next met the enemy at Frederick, |
Md, Sept u, 1862. We drove them back |
to South Mountain on Sept. II. Of my |
company sever were killed and IA wound !
ed My brother James was wounded. | /
saw him fall. AS | was going TO him | |
heard noise in the bushes. and looking !
closer saw that the laurel thicket was full !
of rebels | dropped behind rock. Bull |
lets flew thick and fast all around me.
A minute later a regiment came up, and |
the rebels retrcated.
| was on picket duty that night. After |
got off duty | dropped down and was |
instantly asleep. When | awOke ! was
next day was Sept. u. VIM. Rice made
cup of coffee. We We're ordered to fall in.
AS we were standing at rest arms, he |
had his coffee in his hand, and was break
ing crackers in il, when he put his foot |
on the lock of his gun. The weapon was |
discharged, blowing the top Of his head |
of. | saw his cap go 10 feet i'll the air. |
| never felt 50 bad at any other time in |
all my life
We marched for Antietam on Sept. Z, |
1862 We had fight there. While tak-
ing bridge across Antietam Creek ] saw |
Il haversack shot from the side Of Capt |
Sclby. ] had never before heard such |
cannonading and musketry. The bullets |
and shells filled the air. | saw Col.
Clark fall. both legs shot off close TO his |
hips lie died in a few minutes.
We camped at Antictam for four or
to Carksburg, w. Va, where we stayed |
about two weeks, then marched through |
mud and rain TO Weston; thence through |
Sutton back to Summersvillc. then to
Gauley River 10y Gauley Bridge, thus to
Camp Piatt. and on To Charleston. We |
camped on the Elk and Kanawha Rivers.
We remained here till February, 1863.
We went from here TO Fort Donelson, just
as the rebels We're leaving. We stopped
one day, and then went OH to Nashville.
We campcd here, and then went to Garth
age. One night we went on scout up
Duck Creek. We captured several cav
alTymen. We also capturcd rebel spy,
who was hanged at Carthage. The way
we learned he was SPY was this: Six
of our boys dressed in rebel clothes and
went across the river, where he told them
he had been in our camp the day before,
and that he had all our officers names and
the number of our men. We made short
work of him. atTp4
We next went to MurfrecsbOro; then
on the Tullahoma campaign. Next to
Hoover's Gap, June u, 1868. We fought
the enemy and drpye them from their