Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-11-30
ing leave Of absence under critical
conditions in the nations history.
j. FRAISE RICHARD,
Historian Army of the Ohio.
Ala Cannon.- Mouth.

~ tIc way suiu the AlaJots ms
Twenty-third Ohio made one of the
best long distance marches ON record.
In August. 1862 it was ordered from
West Virginia to Washington and IL
marched 1G4 miles in three days. arriv-
ing at the point at which 1t was to take
boats for Parkersburg on schedule
time, and after a journey on foot, ~
boat, and by rail. reached Washington
in nine days from its remote station in
the mountains.
The Twenty third however. was a
good, all around regiment Its first
Colonel was w. s. Rosecrans, its sec
ond Il. =. Scammon, its third Ruther-
ford Il. Hayes, and its fourth James
NJ. Comfy. Its First Lieutenant Colo
mel was Stanley Matthews. and among
the Captains were William Mckinley,
Jr.. and Harrison Gray Otis. Rosecrans
became Major General, Scammon
Brigadier General, Hayes and McKin-
ley Presidents of the United States,
Matthews went to the United States
Senate and to the Supreme Court, and
publishers.
There never was in any regiment of
the war a group of officers who in the
years after the war stood together as
did the field officers of the Twenty
third, and from Rosecrans down they
had many stories to tell of the men of
the regiment. On one occasion General
Hayes. while Governor of Ohio, ex-
pressed n preference for the appoint
ment of certain man. His political
advisers We're at loss to account for
this preference and pressed the Gov
ernor for his reason. Well said the
Governor, conclusively, he was a
Twenty third Ohio man. you know
and that settled it.
again. when Hayes was President
and there was a vacancy in the Su-
preme Court. he turned from other can
didates strongly urged by his political
trends TO Matthews, Twenty third
Ohio man. The Senate at first refused
TO confirm the appointment, but Mat
thews went to the Supreme bench
Colonel of the Twenty third Ohio. !
met Matthews in Washington during
the discussion over his appointment,
and he was not disturbed as to the out
come,
General Comfy was a student of hu-
man nature and he told many stories 10
illustrate the peculiaritIes of men un-
der fire Ore of Them related to u
youug recruit named Kosht, who join
ed Company 6 short time before the
battle of CIoyd Ncuatain, in May,
1864 Eosht was not more than Is
years old and ia impulse and general
conduct was a regular boy. The older
men wondered how he would aet in
battle and he answered the question TO
their satisfaction at Cloyd Mountain.
THE Twenty-third Ohio WAS ordered
TO charge a battery. and went forward
at run. The rebel artillerymen stood
their ground, however and. after hlaz-
ing away at tie charging line began
to reload their pieces when the boys
Of the Twenty-thirl were net ten steps
away This qulckened the steps of the
men in the charging line TO a pellmei
/ rush on the gunners, Among the first
TO reach the guns was Kosht. and his
/ first act was 20 hang his hat on the
muZzle Of one Of the cannon and give
Il boyish whoop Of eyultation. Re was
as unconeerned as TO what the rebels
might do as school boy playing foot
bah, and not many men of Company G
ever forgot how his hat looked on the
cannons mouth" - Chicago Inter
Gppau