Ohio History Journal

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He made them a neat speech telling them of the obligations they

owed to themselves, and to their children and their country; dep-

recating the necessity of bringing armed soldiers into the county,

and winding up by assuring them that he would not leave until

the guilty were delivered into his hands, and they promise to

make no more resistance to the laws of the county.

We are under many obligations to Mr. and Mrs. Bowers and

Mr. Thomas Fetterman of Napoleon, and Mr. and Mrs. Austin

of Loudonville, for favors conferred, for which they will please

accept our thanks.

MACK.

 

"AFFAIRS IN HOLMES COUNTY, OHIO"

 

(War of the Rebellion--Official Records, Series 1, Vol. XXIII;

Part I, Reports, pp. 395-396.)

Report of Col. Wm. Wallace, 15th Ohio Infantry,

Commanding United States Forces in Ohio.

 

COLUMBUS, June 20, 1863.

SIR:

I have the honor to submit my report of the expedition un-

der my command, which left this city by order of Brigadier-

General Mason, on Tuesday night, June 16, 1863, for the pur-

pose of suppressing an alleged insurrection in Holmes County,

Ohio.

The forces under my command consisted of 230 exchanged

men from Camp Chase, 50 sharpshooters from Camp Dennison,

1OO men of the Governor's guard and one section of Captain

Neil's battery.

I disembarked at Lake Station (known as Lakeville) on the

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, about 6 a. m.,

June 17, and at 7 a. m. commenced the march for Napoleon

(now Glenmont), about 12 miles distant, via Nashville.

I reached Napoleon about 4 p. m. where I ascertained the

Vol. XL--4.

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50        Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

insurgents were in force about two miles to the south. I ad-

vanced my whole force in that direction, throwing out an ad-

vance guard of 50 men under Captain Moon, of the Governor's

guard, consisting principally of the Third Ohio (exchanged

men). When about one and a half miles from Napoleon the

advance guard was fired upon by bushwhackers from behind

logs and stone piles, when the men under Captain Moon fired in

return and charged upon the ambushing party, when about 20

men sprang from their hiding-places and ran. Two were cap-

tured with arms in their hands. Captain Moon, having deployed

his company as skirmishers, advanced about half a mile and

halted and returned and reported his position. He had been

ordered by me not to fire but to ascertain if possible the position

of the insurgents, when I intended sending in, under a flag of

truce, the Governor's Proclamation; but if fired upon by bush-

whackers, to return the fire, halt and report, which he did. . . .

I arrived at the place of the supposed encampment about

5 p. m. but found no enemy visible. I deployed part of may

force as skirmishers and put the remainder in line of battle. I

advanced with the skirmish line but had proceeded about 100

yards when I was fired upon from behind a number of stone

piles in a field to my right. The fire was promptly returned and

a charge with a yell made on the stone piles, when about 50 in-

surgents sprang from the ground and fled. Several were over-

taken and captured. Three were wounded and two were said to

have been killed and carried off. I sent out a number of pa-

trolling parties who returned with prisoners and the intelligence

that the insurgents were flying in all directions. I camped on the

ground said to have been the headquarters of the disaffected.

On the morning of the 18th a number of citizens of Holmes

County came into my camp. Among them were some of the

leading men of Millersburg, all of whom   were exceedingly

anxious that hostilities should cease, promising me that as the

insurgents had dispersed they would see that the parties for

whom the Provost-Marshal had warrants should be delivered up.

I gave them one day to bring in the persons for whom the Mar-

shal, who was with me, had warrants. The reasons for waiting

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this length of time were these: First, I was satisfied the insur-

gents had dispersed; Second, my instructions were such that I

felt myself in duty bound to preserve the peace and not increase

the excitement already existing in Holmes County, and the peo-

ple I had met were an ignorant and misguided class who hardly

knew what they wanted or why they felt themselves aggrieved.

On the evening of the 18th the citizens returned with the

prisoners who had been formerly rescued from the marshal and

on the following morning I sent them to Cleveland, together with

the prisoners taken in arms on the evening of the 17th, in obedi-

ence to my orders. I then moved to Warsaw and camped for

the night, where the small cannon used by the insurgents was

found, and brought with me to this city. I reached Columbus

on Saturday evening via Coshocton.

In conclusion I am glad to report the good conduct of the

officers and men under my command. The irregularities com-

mitted by some of the men were owing more to their having

campaigned in the South than to any intention on their part of

violating my express orders to respect private property. I feel

satisfied that the object of the expedition has been accomplished;

that no further resistance to the execution of the laws will be

attempted in Holmes County, and that the slight shedding of

blood will be a warning to all evil-disposed persons that any fur-

ther attempt to resist the officers of the Government in the execu-

tion of the laws will be met with speedy and sure punishment. I

remain, Captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. WALLACE,

Colonel, Commanding United States Forces in Ohio.

CAPTAIN JOHN GREEN, Assistant Adjutant General.

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