Correspondence to the Governor and Adjutant General of Ohio
August 8-September 28, 1861.
August 8, 1861
A[braham] Sanders Piatt, Colonel, 34th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Zouave Brigade, Camp Lucas, Clermont County, Ohio. To D.T. Cockrill. Letter stating that Cockrill was authorized to raise an artillery company to attach to the Zouave Brigade being formed at Camp Lucas.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 92]
August 22, 1861
J[ohn] A. Gurley, Aide-de-Camp, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. To ? Letter stating that Colonel N.C. McLean, William H. Martin and Robert Reily were authorized to raise a regiment of infantry for service under Major General [John C.] Fremont in the army of the United States, provided the same was done and completed in fifty days and the troops were forwarded to St. Louis to the camp of instruction as fast as they were raised in squads or companies unless permission was given to go into camp at Cincinnati; and stating that the subsistence of such men as were mustered in would be paid at Cincinnati from place of enlistment at not more than thirty cents per day on the certificate of the officers, that transportation from point of enlistment to Cincinnati and St. Louis would be paid under the same condition, and that the Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and Major were to be appointed by Major General Fremont.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 138]
September 5, 1861
Joseph W. Frizell, Colonel Commanding, 11th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Gauley Bridge, Virginia. To ? Letter certifying that at an election held for officers to fill vacancies in different companies, Alexander Duncan was elected Captain of Company B, John E. Alexander was elected 1st Lieutenant of Company B, and David K. Curtis was elected 2nd Lieutenant of Company A.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 35]
September 9, 1861
T.J. Carlin, Captain, 5th Ohio Battery, Camp Benton, St. Louis, Missouri. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that he had lost a horse and that the railroad company should be responsible for the loss, that since his arrival in St. Louis, he had been home and enlisted 60 more men, that they were getting along "finely", but it would be necessary to have Lieutenant Bennett or some other competent artillery drill master for 2 or 3 weeks longer, that with recruiting and providing for the comforts of the men, he had little time to learn the field movements, and that he thought if the battery had suitable instruction, it would play an active role in the war and make Ohio proud.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 120]
September 11, 1861
Samuel Black, Camp Wool, Athens, Athens County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he still held the position of Assistant Commissary, that his continuance in said position could be but of short duration, that a large family of children, entirely dependent upon him for support, required that he ask Governor William Dennison and Buckingham for a position which would yield economic security for himself and family, that his full concurrence in the objects of the war, along with his patriotism, led him to look to his country for such employment, that while supporting his family, he could to some extent aid in upholding the glorious old flag of "Stars and Stripes" in maintaining the integrity of the Constitution and in perpetuating a Union constituted by the blood of their fathers, and that he believed it the highest religious duty to respond to his country's demands; asking if he could get some good position through Dennison and Buckingham on one of the gun boats; stating that he had many years of experience supervising men working on the railroads and other public projects, that he had served for approximately 9 years as Captain upon the Western rivers, had a full and thorough knowledge of the management of a boat and crew, and was acquainted, in detail, with the lower Mississippi and its navigation, that he wanted to serve his country in any capacity where he might be useful without doing positive injustice to his family, that he had been driven from the South for his vigorous and energetic support of the Union cause and had been forced, almost naked, to flee for his life, that he did not entertain a very high respect for rebels or a very deep love for traitors, that higher considerations than revenge called him to the service of his country, that there could be no compromise or peace with rebels in arms, and that compromise and peace could only come when rebels had met the traitors' doom and when the "Stars and Stripes", in all their ample folds, floated in triumph over every foot of American soil.
3 pp. [Series 147-9: 122]
September 11, 1861
E.A. Burr, Mount Vernon, Knox County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that the time had come when every person who could bear arms in defense of their country should do so, that knowing her son's anxiety to do his duty, she had consented to let him go, that she had a firm reliance upon Him who did all things well, believing that not a sparrow fell to the ground without His divine permission, that she was not willing to have her son go as a common soldier, and that her son was fitted by education for a higher sphere.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 138]
September 11, 1861
Jesse T. Burr, Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio. To General [Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham]. Letter enclosing the above letter from his mother giving her consent to his joining the army provided he did not enlist as a private soldier; and stating that he had been advised to apply for the post of Adjutant of some regiment or Aide-de-Camp to some General, that Colonel [Lorin] Andrews was still in a very dangerous condition, that Andrews' recovery was very doubtful as he had not passed the crisis of his disease, and that he could provide letters of recommendation, including from the faculty of Kenyon College.
3 pp. [Series 147-9: 138]
September 11, 1861
J.H. Clark, Assistant Commissary, Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that Major Leffingwell with his detachment arrived at Gallipolis on September 8, and that Leffingwell had brought no orders to him; asking if Leffingwell was to draw rations for his command from him or the U.S. Commissary, if Captain [James] Harper's company of Militia of the Reserve was to be continued, and if said company was to go into camp and draw rations; and stating that if the company went into camp, tents and utensils must be furnished, that guard duty was very severe upon all companies since they had so much territory to cover, that a strict patrol was kept every night all over the town of Gallipolis, and that the appearance and conduct of the companies were excellent and elicited universal approbation.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 118]
September 11, 1861
E.A. Ferguson, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that he had seen by the Cincinnati Commercial of September 10 that a committee of five prominent gentlemen were to be appointed in every Congressional District and authorized to select recruiting agents, and that General John McMakin, long connected with the Militia of Hamilton County and favorably known as an efficient officer, had been very active since the present war commenced in raising troops; recommending McMakin as a proper person to serve on the committee in the Second Congressional District; and stating that as an old citizen and late county commissioner, McMakin enjoyed an extensive acquaintance with the men who would have the local influence necessary to make them efficient agents. Bears statements from B. Storer, A.G.W. Carter, J.C. Baum, and M.D. Potter concurring in Ferguson's recommendation.
3 pp. [Series 147-9: 132]
September 11, 1861
James Harper, Captain, Company K, Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that Company K, 1st Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 7th Division, First Quota of the Militia of the Reserve numbered fifty men, exclusive of commissioned officers, that this company was called into service on August 29 by Post Quartermaster Clark for the protection of army stores at Gallipolis and had continued in such service by Buckingham's order, that he was at present co-operating with Companies A and B of the 31st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry under command of Major Samuel L. Leffingwell, that since Companies A and B were liable at any moment to be called to their regiment and he had only fifty guns, he wanted to increase his force by obtaining the guns now remaining idle in the hands of William H. Langley of Gallipolis and which numbered some thirty stand of arms, and that with this additional force, he felt confident that he could render all the protection that was currently required; and requesting an order for the guns.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 119]
September 12, 1861
T.J. Lawton, Piqua, Miami County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had not been able to recruit as fast as expected when he received the order, that he now had eighty-five men enrolled with most sworn into State service, that they were a very stout set of men, that he had assurances of being full by September 14 and hoped to be ready to leave Piqua on September 17, and that his expected date of departure was a little over his time; requesting an extension; and stating that his men wanted to join Colonel [Alexander McDowell] McCook's regiment.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 43]
September 13, 1861
M.W. Cordell, Pleasant Plain, Warren County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he wanted to raise a company of infantry; asking if Buckingham would send him an order for said purpose; and stating that if he went into the army, he wanted to go in one month or six weeks, and that he intended to raise a company of Irish.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 86]
September 14, 1861
Julius C. Curtis, Delphos, Allen County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had been acquainted with Buckingham as a boy, that in consequence of their family acquaintance, he hoped it would not be presuming too much to ask a favor for a friend, that the bearer, James M. Barr, wanted a position where he could be more useful in helping to put down the rebellion, that Barr had done more than any other man locally in raising volunteers, and that if Barr had a fault, it was his "over zeal".
1 p. [Series 147-9: 100]
September 14, 1861
William E. Gilmore, Colonel, 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Worthington. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he was submitting his first report from the camp where he was ordered to reorganize the 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that his "mortification" at the state of things constrained him to write Buckingham in explanation, that he had told Governor William Dennison two weeks ago that he could flll up the 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry within three weeks, that he could have fulfilled his promise had not extraordinary causes intervened to prevent it, that some six hundred men from the 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (three months' service) had enrolled themselves for the reorganization and the majority of the remainder expressed themselves as intending to do so after having had a couple weeks at their homes, that two weeks had now elapsed and he had but one company of 64 men in camp for the regiment, that several men of the old regiment, who had proven themselves unfit and incompetent for commands, applied to him for permits to recruit for the regiment and he refused them, that all of these men got, or pretended to have gotten, permits from headquarters or from Colonels of other regiments and, being bitter at his refusal, had been active in seducing men by the most improper means from his regiment to others and had succeeded in taking nearly two hundred men mostly for regiments going West, that Colonel [Abraham Sanders] Piatt either directly or indirectly bought at $5.00 per head one company raised for his regiment in Fayette County, another by Lieutenant Wood in Scioto County, and still another in Athens County, that two of his old companies from Clermont County had been reorganized and reported themselves ready to come into camp where they were arrested in their movements and lost to him by an order obtained by Mr. Fyfe and Captain Olmstead to the effect that if they could raise a regiment in Clermont and Brown Counties, commissions would be issued to them as Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel, that one company raised for him by Mr. Minshal had gone into Colonel [Joshua W.] Sill's regiment because its members disliked one of his field officers, that the competition for men was so great at present and the varieties of "fool-baits", such as Zouave uniforms, the prospect of service as [John C.] Fremont's personal attendants, and Maynard rifles, so numerous that it was difficult to keep men waiting, that they were suffering for want of blankets, that the nights were quite cool at Camp Worthington and it was impossible to get blankets, and that some four hundred blankets had already been collected and donated by the citizens to other companies and they could give no more.
4 pp. [Series 147-9: 137]
September 14, 1861
L.A. Harris, Colonel Commanding Post, Camp Dennison, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter calling Dennison's attention to the condition of the arms at present being furnished to the troops at Camp Dennison; stating that it was a subject upon which the men felt strongly and a matter which called for immediate and prompt attention, that the Enfield rifle furnished to the flanking companies was undoubtedly the very best weapon ever used by troops, that the Greenwood musket in its present unfinished and incomplete condition was in his estimation very inferior to the improved smooth bore musket, that the Greenwood musket had been adapted to the rifle ball without any alteration being made in the lock, spring or bayonet and required a force of from five to eight pounds upon the trigger to discharge the piece, and that any rifled gun in his estimation should be fitted for accurate firing; asking why the old musket should be superseded if it was true, as some army officers affirmed, that accuracy of aim was neither necessary or desirable at close quarters; and stating that the Greenwood musket was not provided with a guide sight or hausse without which it was absolutely impossible to use the weapon to advantage, that he wanted his regiment armed with Enfield rifles for the flanking companies and Springfield rifled muskets for the battalion companies, that he believed if weapons of this character were placed in the hands of men accustomed to the use of firearms from infancy, it would prove destructive to the enemy and inspire the men with additional confidence, and that the Greenwood guns issued to Colonel [Thomas H.] Ford were in many instances almost worthless.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 123]
September 14, 1861
David Tod, Brier Hill, Mahoning County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that his old friend, Captain Samuel R. Mott, in command of a company at Camp Chase was an applicant for a higher military position, and that he had a high opinion of Mott's fitness for even the command of a regiment; and urging Dennison to promote Mott.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 173]
September 15, 1861
William H. Douglas, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had received the appointment of Commissary of Subsistence; and that he was resigning the Captaincy of Company C, 33rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 126]
September 15, 1861
David T. Harkins, Salem Center, Meigs County, Ohio. To Sir. Letter stating that there was a probability that a company of infantry could be raised in his township, that a number of three months' men wanted to go for the war and many others would volunteer if all could go together from the area, that the material for a good company was available locally, and that he had been repeatedly requested to raise a company; and asking for the necessary authority. Together with a recommendation of Harkins signed by six individuals.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 44]
September 15, 1861
Wirth, Surgeon, 37th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Charlestown, Virginia. To Assistant Adjutant General R[odney] Mason. Letter stating that the letter informing him of his appointment as Surgeon of the 37th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry reached him at Charlestown on his way to Cincinnati while in charge of a transport of wounded soldiers to be treated at the military hospital in Cincinnati; accepting his appointment; and stating that he was unable to report at once since he did not know the current location of the regiment.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 68]
September 16, 1861
James Barnett, George Worthington and Company, Dealers in Hardware Iron and Nails, Corner of Superior and Water Streets, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had heard more in regard to the Lieutenants nominated by [Warren P.] Edgarton's Battery (E); suggesting that the appointments be deferred for the present; asking if it would not be well to appoint a Surgeon or Assistant Surgeon to join their regiment [1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery] at Camp Dennison; and stating that their men complained for want of medical attention.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 124]
September 16, 1861
E[dwin] D. Bradley, Colonel, 38th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Trimble. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that on August 17, he appointed Erastus H. Leland as Adjutant of the 38th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and that Leland had devoted his entire time to the organization of the regiment; requesting that Leland be appointed 1st Lieutenant in the 38th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry so that he could be regularly mustered into the service; providing a list of officers of companies who had been examined and passed by Captain [E. Morgan] Wood, who were selected by their respective companies, and who met with his approval; and requesting the appointment of said officers.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 30]
September 16, 1861
A.N. Goldwood, Richfield, Summit County, Ohio. To the Adjutant General of Ohio. Letter stating that before arriving at home and after receiving his orders to enlist a company, he was attacked with a severe case of billious fever and dysentery, that he was confined to his bed for one week, that he was just now able to be out and attend to his business, that his time expired on September 15, and that in consequence of being sick, he had failed to enlist his company. Bears a note from the doctor who attended to Goldwood and attesting to the above.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 105]
September 16, 1861
Charles M. McIlvain, Palo Alto, Seneca County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that the pressing need of men to fill the regiments now forming in Ohio prompted every good citizen to aid in the great work, and that he had joined with James Lockhart, a good moral citizen of Seneca County and a man of some military experience, to enlist an infantry company; requesting authority; and stating that the 55th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, now forming in Seneca County, Huron County, and adjoining counties, needed men, that no company had been enlisted upon the territory which he and Lockhart had in view, and that Lockhart had many friends and acquaintances in the area who would greatly aid him in procuring men.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 42]
September 16, 1861
William H. Trimble, Hillsboro, Highland County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter regarding efforts to raise the 60th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (one year's service); and stating that officers of an Indiana regiment told him there were two one year regiments in Indiana and that the formation of these regiments had not interfered with the service in Indiana, and that if they succeeded in raising the regiment, it would make 1,700 men put into the field from "this secession county" (Highland County).
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 121]
September 17, 1861
M. Heckard, Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that he had been asked by a number of their patriotic German citizens to write for authority to raise an artillery company, that the German citizens who had spoken to him were active, intelligent, and reliable men, some of whom had seen a similar service in their native land, and that these men had been solicited to accept orders under Governor [Francis Harrison] Pierpont, but they preferred to enter the Ohio service; requesting that an order be issued to John Brechtel to raise an artillery company at Pomeroy; and stating that Brechtel thought he could raise a company of one hundred men.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 2]
September 17, 1861
Eli Nichols, Wolfpen Spring, near Newcastle, Coshocton County, Ohio. To My Dear Sir. Letter stating that his son, Clarkson Collins Nichols, who was home on furlough was in haste to depart as his regiment (Colonel Ford's) was called into service in Virginia, that his son's furlough extended to September 20, and to go immediately left much unsettled business, that his son had not found time to write and express his appreciation for being authorized to raise a company, that the company now in service numbered 105 men, and that two additional fine fellows would leave with his son that day, that his son felt the chief difficulty in raising companies was that too many wanted to be Captains, and that to avoid this difficulty, his son agreed not to run for Captain.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 12]
September 17, 1861
W.F. Sanders, Akron, Summit County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that Jonas Schoonover of Northampton in Summit County wanted orders for the enlistment of a company of infantry, that Schoonover could fill a company shortly, and that he had known Schoonover for a number of years and could recommend him as a man worthy and well qualified.
1 p. [Series 147-9: 3]
September 17, 1861
Peter J. Sullivan, Headquarters, 48th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Dennison, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter regarding difficulties in obtaining blankets, camp equipage, uniforms, etc., for his regiment; stating that Captain [John H.] Dickerson refused to supply the necessary material without an order similar to that issued to the other Colonels organizing at Camp Dennison, and that this difficulty was being readily used against him by those "body-snatchers" who were ever ready to steal his companies; requesting that Buckingham send the necessary order to Dickerson; stating that his regiment would be filled in two weeks; requesting that Governor William Dennison not appoint a Lieutenant Colonel or Major for his regiment until he had an opportunity to consult with Dennison; and stating that some would-be Colonels had caused themselves to be published as having been appointed Lieutenant Colonels of his regiment, and that those very individuals could not bring a man into camp and, instead of bringing strength, would greatly endanger the prospects of the regiment being filled in due time.
2 pp. [Series 147-9: 158]