The National tribune., 1910-09-29
THE 18TH OHIO.
Not One of "Foxs 300" fbut They Did
Service Even Before They Were Mus
tered In tzis II


tered In. tzis ~
Editor National Tribune;, In reply to
Comrade Moor. / can say there are
some of the 129th Ohio lett. Few regi-
ments saw as much service in the same
| length of time as we did. Before even
we were an organization we We're hur-
ried to the field, and had the honor of
| helping to capture the onfs rebel force
that dared tn invade Ohits and we es-
corted them to the peniteiufary. Then
we were gathered from tue Ohio River
| to Lake Erie and formed into regi-
! ment at Cleveland, o.. and We're mus
| tered in Aug. 10, 1863. after we had
seen six weeks active service with no
pay, as the L lited States did net recog-
nize us until VIC were mustered in as
regiment. Being only boys. most of us
| about Is, we did not think of kicking
as men do now Every boy there got n
new uniform and a bright new gun
The next day we left for the seat of
| action, and on the 18th We camped in
| Kentucky, near where Fort Thomas Is
| located
| Other regiments may have lost more
men-enough to be Cfsssed with the
300-and yet not have seen the service
! that we did. I would not detract one
bit from others. But to prove that we
saw as much service as some of the
| 900 fighting regiments: We left Cow
ington, KY, on Aug. II. during the dry.
! dusty season, when we often drank
stagnant water in ponds by the roadside
| to quench our thirst. while going away
| from our supplies thru strip of the
enemy's territory, over which both arm
| les tried to subsist and failed We
climbed the ro Igh hountain sides, wad-
ed streams. ever hungry, and when the
| Colonel told us not to break a hardtack.
! for the Lord alone knew when we
would get more, we never said word,
just pressed sternly. brayely on until
we saw the forts and colors of the reb-
els at Cumberland Gap.
After short siege they surrendered
to us 2200 prisoners and IA pieces of
artillery. I was in the detail to escort
them out of fyarm's way. The escort
was three companies of the 129th Ohio.
three companies of the seth Ohio and
two companies of the 4th Tenn. Cav.
We marched to Lexington, KY, 135
miles, where the loyal citizens gave us
a grand reception, and then we retraced
our steps and arrived at Cumberland
Gap during the first weeks of Novem-
her, just in time to learn that Burnside
had permitted Longstreet to close
around him at Knoxville, so that he
could no longer get letters from the
folks at home until Longstreet had read
them.
1t was and Is my firm belief that it
was the brigade from the Gap that
harassed Longstreet's rear, that caused
him to release his grip, and, as you may
see by looking over tine map of the
country, we were 200 miles from our
base, Lexington, Ky. Our term of en-
iistment had expired, and then arrange
ments were made to walk us home over
the same road, nearly 200 miles, after
we had been wintered on less than half
rations February came. and we finally
started for the Ohio with mud eight
inches deep. We did not now suffer
from want of water, but from surplus
age, yet we plodded on at the rate of 10
to 10 miles a day, and finally saw the
muddy Ohio, and got across as soon as
the ferryman would permit US.
We were sent to our old camp at
Cleveland, to be mustered out of SER
vice on March 8,7Ts64, having served
nearly 10 months, yet credited with
only six months service, and as the
most of us returned at once, were not
given the veteran bountry, nor were we
given any bounty for the 10 months we
served. AS I said before, we entered
old regiments and filled the places of
veterans, and as we were longer with
is almost lost; and as history does not
that does not carry a press correspond
ent with ii. and as we had no railroad
so that they could go home over.Sun-
day to see their best girls, we were not
accounted for often wish could
meet and greet the comrades of the
129th, but find but few IF these few
lines should meet any Of you. drop a
line to a Co. D boy.--John M. Young,
Co. ID, 129th Ohio, Butler, Ind