Correspondence to the Governor and Adjutant General of Ohio,
September 9, 1861-January 11, 1862.
September 9, 1861
Charles Whittlesey, Camp Chase, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that if there were reasons for not filling the vacancy of Lieutenant Colonel in the 20th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the way he had suggested, his Adjutant, Captain McElroy, could not be relied upon to remain, that Major Walcut, Major Force, or Captain McElroy were competent for field offices, that Lieutenant Roberts of Columbus, of whom he had before made mention, was competent for Adjutant, and that Captain Bond, late of General Hill's staff, was also competent for the place of Major, but if none of those named for Adjutant were to be appointed, he thought Bond would serve as Adjutant and 1st Lieutenant.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 187]
September 11, 1861
C.B. Goddard, Zanesville, Muskingum County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that his son, Charles C. Goddard, was desirous of a commission in the army and he reluctantly gave his assent, and that his son was 25 years old and of good moral character and circumstances which had given him a useful degree of knowledge of the duties of an officer of an infantry company; and providing references for his son.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 188]
September 16, 1861
James Barnett, Colonel, 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that Captain Warren P. Edgarton wrote that he was unanimously nominated by his men as Captain, that Edgarton had 110 men mustered into the service, that he supposed it was understood that Edgarton was to be commissioned as Captain, that if this was so, he wished Buckingham to notify Edgarton of his appointment, that Edgarton's company had also nominated A[lbert] G. Ransom as 1st Lieutenant, D.W. Houghton as 1st Lieutenant, W[illiam] W. Northrop as 2nd Lieutenant, and Andrew Berwick as 2nd Lieutenant, that he knew nothing as to the qualifications of these Lieutenants, and that the Captains of artillery in the three months' service had not been furnished with blank discharges; and requesting that they be sent.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 189]
October 23, 1861
[James B. Steedman?], Colonel, 14th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Wild Cat, Kentucky. To Brigadier General [Albin Francisco] Schoepf. Letter enclosing a list of commissioned officers of the 14th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry and also the date of commissions as near as could be ascertained.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 80]
November 22, 1861
William O. Collins, 7th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Headquarters, Camp Crittenden, Hillsborough, Highland County, Ohio. To John G. Marshall. Letter stating that he was sorry Parish had failed to do anything and was especially disappointed that Parish had not written him upon the subject, that if Parish had written him as he ought to have done, he could long since have made other arrangements, that all he could do now would be to send Marshall authority to raise a company and let him take his chance for the Majorship, that as the regiment was collecting, he found that it was more and more insisted that the regimental officers should not be appointed without consulting the commissioned officers of the companies, that they would therefore probably keep the remaining Majorship unfilled until the regiment was complete or nearly so, that he was having all their equipment brought to Hillsborough, that four carloads had arrived that week, that there were four companies now in camp and two more would probably arrive next week, that Marshall must judge for himself as to what was best for him to do, that he would like to have Marshall in the regiment, that if Marshall was disposed to take his chances with them, he should come ahead, that the necessary authority would be sent so that Marshall could get a recruiting commission if he was willing to take it, and that Marshall could have all the river counties from Portsmouth to Cincinnati or the whole State in which to operate.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 57]
November 25, 1861
Marion McDonald, et. al., Camp Huddleson, Virginia. To Governor William Dennison. Letter signed by twenty-six members of Company C, 12th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; and stating that a vacancy of the 2nd Lieutenancy having occurred in Company C, 12th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry by the resignation of Alonzo M. Dimmitt, they recommended that Sergeant Frances M. Slade be commissioned to fill said vacancy.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 198]
December 2, 1861
James MacKenzie, Chairman, and I.S. Pillars, Secretary, Military Committee of Allen County. To ? Letter certifying that Charles Kemmer of Allen County was a man well qualified to command a company of volunteers; stating that Kemmer was about fifty years old, an intelligent German, and in 1848 and 1849, a Captain in the German Rebellion, and that Kemmer served with entire satisfaction; and recommending Kemmer for a recruiting commission for Allen County.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 73]
December 4, 1861
P[hilander] P. Lane, Captain, Company K, 11th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Point Pleasant, Virginia. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that J.C. Cottingham had been commissioned as 1st Lieutenant in Company K, 11th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry without his consent or knowledge and with much injustice to 2nd Lieutenant George Johnson, that Johnson was a good officer and had served during the whole campaign in western Virginia with credit to himself and benefit to the company and regiment, that Colonel Charles A. DeVilliers had taken to himself the right and assumed the power to recommend such persons as pleased him, that DeVilliers did not want the best men, but such as would suit his purposes, that serious charges had been preferred against DeVilliers, that Buckingham would do the service a positive good by refusing to grant any additional commissions on DeVilliers' recommendation alone, that the members of the regiment asked and thought they were entitled to express their preferences as they were the most directly interested in their officers, that Cottingham had not done a month's duty since he came from Camp Dennison in July on account of sickness and other causes, that Johnson had been on duty the whole time with the exception of twenty days leave of absence from which he had just returned, and that Cottingham was taken from Company B and put into Company K when they had better material in their own company; and requesting justice for Johnson.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 147]
December 5, 1861
Charles W. Hill, Brigadier General Commanding, Headquarters, Camp Chase, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Captain O[liver] D. Greene, Assistant Adjutant General, U.S. Army. Letter stating that in response to the admonition from the commanding General conveyed in Greene's letter of December 2, 1861, that the absent with leave and furlough list of Hill's command was entirely too large and must be very much curtailed, he would say that he had at all times endeavored to avoid such a state of facts, that he begged to remind the commanding General that all of the troops in Camp Chase had been recruited and mustered there, that the recruiting, uniforming, arming, and equipping had been going on under such circumstances as rendered a large per cent of absence indispensable and but very little of the absence referred to had occurred except on the public business, that he desired the attention of the commanding General to the necessity of moving the 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, the 40th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and the 42nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry into the field or to some other camp away from their friends and too attractive associations, that all of those regiments commenced forming at Camp Chase in August, that many of the men were gathered from the districts nearby and while the effort had been continuous to maintain proper discipline and enforce proper instruction, the difficulties from proximity to friends and too intimate acquaintances and in getting arms and equipments had been a serious obstacle to entire success, that except for a portion of the outfit waiting at Cincinnati to be delivered over, the nine companies of the 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry at Camp Chase were in good condition and ready for the field whenever they might be ordered to march, that in the case of this regiment, additional reasons prompted an immediate removal, that the ground occupied by the regiment, though excellent in dry weather, was too wet for Fall, Winter, or Spring and aside from being very uncomfortable for the men, endangered the safety and efficiency of the horses, that the drill ground intended for the cavalry was unfit for use and the cavalry had to be put upon the infantry drill ground, to the serious inconvenience of both, that unless the ground should continue frozen (now the frost was nearly thawed out), the cavalry must be withdrawn or the grounds would be rendered unfit for infantry, that he felt confident that every proper consideration indispensably required the immediate removal of the 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry and in requesting that it have marching orders, he merely expressed the earnest wish of every officer and nearly all of the men, that the 42nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry could be ready in four days and the 40th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry in one week, that these regiments only had their arms a few days, but had worked hard to be ready for immediate active service and were quite familiar with the school of the battalion and had practiced some as a brigade in the evolution of the line, that all three of the regiments had been pretty well instructed and practiced in guard mounting and guard duty as prescribed by the army regulations, that the flank companies of infantry had drilled considerably as skirmishers and had practiced target shooting, and that he thought the regiments in question would be reliable and efficient if placed in the field now and he was certain that the good of the service required their early removal from Camp Chase. Bears a note dated December 9, 1861, from D[on] C[arlos] Buell, Brigadier General Commanding, Headquarters, Department of the Ohio, stating that the importance of removing new regiments as fast as they were formed from the vicinity of their homes could not be too highly estimated, that he had established a camp of rendezvous and instruction near Bardstown, [Kentucky] for some raw troops that were coming in, that the regiments in question could go to the same point if they were not intended for service further north, that he was told that the regiments in question, particularly the 42nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, were quite fit for service now, and that these regiments could be useful. Bears a note dated January 4, 1862, from George D. Ruggles, Assistant Adjutant General, U.S. Army, referring the letter to the Governor of Ohio with a request to forward the regiments as recommended provided they still remained at Camp Chase.
4 pp. [Series 147-22: 208, and 209]
December 7, 1861
John A. Whiteside, Camp Wickliffe, near New Haven, Kentucky. To Governor William Dennison. Letter asking to what position Dennison had assigned him or intended assigning him if any; and stating that he was at present temporarily (not being sworn in) connected with the 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and that he supposed Dennison received the recommendations of the Preble County Military Committee, faculty of Miami University, etc.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 86]
December 9, 1861
John G. Marshall, Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he received a permit to raise a company for the 7th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry dated November 28, requiring him to report in 20 days and limiting him to Brown County and the adjoining county, that Colonel [William O.] Collins had assured him by letter that he could have the limits of the State if he desired it, and that he would like to have the river counties to operate in as nearly all their young men locally had gone into service; enclosing his permit; requesting a new one, and that his current permit be returned if a new one could not be issued; and stating that he would make the effort regardless, and that he hoped for an extension of his time.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 58]
December 15, 1861
A.G. Putnam, Greenville, Darke County, Ohio. To Dear Cousin. Letter stating that the last five years of her life had been years of deep affliction, that in that time, she had buried five of her family, that one of her sons had enlisted in the Spring and went with the second company of three months volunteers which left Greenville, that he would have gone again but for circumstances over which he had no control, that he was a brave, manly boy and his heart was with the brave army which was now in the field fighting for their beloved country, and that last week, he enlisted in the 71st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry at Camp Tod, Troy, Ohio; asking if there was any position for him higher than Private that he might be relieved from some of the exposure; and stating that she had been so bereaved of her family and had so few left to her that it was a trial to give up this dear son, but she wanted to do it cheerfully.
4 pp. [Series 147-22: 116]
[December 16?, 1861]
C[harles] P. Cavis, Lieutenant, Company D, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, et. al. To ? Letter signed by sixty-one members of Company D, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, stating that the office of Captain of Company D, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry being vacant caused by the resignation of Captain [Jeremiah] Slocum, and knowing the excellent qualities of Lieutenant J[ames] D. Smith as an officer, his kindness to the men under his command, and his coolness and bravery in action, they earnestly prayed that Smith might be commissioned as Captain of said company.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 192]
December 16, 1861
M.C. Lawrence, formerly 1st Lieutenant of Company F, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (three months' service), Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had filed a recommendation in favor of 1st Lieutenant James D. Smith for the appointment of Captain of Company D (formerly Company F), 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry to fill a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Captain Jeremiah Slocum, that the recommendation was signed by 61 members of the company which was a large majority of the company present and fit for duty, that it was signed by them with the understanding that R.R. Henderson, formerly Adjutant of the regiment but now removed, would also make application, that the recommendation by the President and Secretary of their county committee was made with the same understanding, they having a decided preference for the promotion of Smith, that Henderson had been a candidate before the company (upon reorganization for three years) for 1st Lieutenant and was defeated by the election of Smith by a large majority, and that Smith was efficient and very popular with the company, while the appointment of Henderson would doubtless give great dissatisfaction.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 190]
December 16, 1861
Douglas Putnam, Harmar, Washington County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that the bearer, Reverend William Pearce, was an applicant for the Chaplaincy of the 77th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that Pearce had been the acting Chaplain of the regiment during its formation, and his standing and influence in the region had been instrumental in securing the enlistment of a good portion of the men, that he had known Pearce for a number of years as a minister of the Baptist church and a man of liberal views, that Pearce had acted as agent of the tract and Bible societies and had made himself useful in those spheres, that with Pearce's Christian character, experience, intelligence, and practical good sense, he regarded him as well fitted for the duties of Chaplain, and that if appointed, he had no doubt Pearce would be acceptable and useful; and recommending Pearce's appointment.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 217]
December 16, 1861
E.B. Putnam, Greenville, Darke County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that at the request of his mother, whose letter accompanied his, he was writing as to the capabilities of his brother [James] to fill a position in the Commissary Department should there be such a position within Buckingham's gift, that his brother was 22 years of age, had a good education, and was "as steady as a clock," that his brother had good business habits and was an excellent accountant, that his brother went with the first group into the three months' service and would have remained for three years if he had not pledged his mother that he would return at the end of his initial term, and that immediately upon returning, his brother wished to enlist again but was prevented from so doing by the entreaties and persuasions of his mother who for the last four years had been suffering from one bereavement after another until she had almost concluded the family was fated.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 117]
[December 16?, 1861]
C. Rathburn, Chairman, and A.F. Wilkins, Secretary, Military Committee of Union County, Ohio. To ? Letter stating that being informed that there was a vacancy in the office of Captain of Company D, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry occasioned by the resignation of Jeremiah Slocum, they recommended the appointment of James D. Smith to fill said vacancy believing that Smith was competent to fill the office, and that greater satisfaction would be given to the company than by the appointment of anyone else; and recommending that the other officers of the company be raised by regular promotion to fill the vacancy which would be occasioned by the appointment of Smith who was now 1st Lieutenant.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 191]
December 16, 1861
William R. Williams, Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that two weeks earlier, he sent a letter to Dennison stating that he and his company were willing to again enter service and that he had quite a number of recruits, that he had received no reply to this letter, that as his company was desirous of entering the artillery again, they were waiting to hear whether Dennison would accept their services, that with a recruiting order and his old company as a nucleus, he could readily bring up their number to the amount required for a U.S. battery, that men would enlist in the artillery with four times the rapidity they would enter any other arm of the service, that there was no one recruiting in Lawrence County at present, that Captain Barber's independent cavalry company was now full and he was informed by Barber's Lieutenant that this left the field vacant, that he now had many excellent mechanics and some good hostlers who were willing to enter the three years' service, and that his old company being of four months and more of actual experience was an object for Dennison's consideration; asking if the attitude of their unhappy conflict did not indicate plainly the necessity of an army on their side of one million men, if anyone would assert that they had reported fit for duty on any day an army exceeding four hundred thousand men, and if it was not only the opinion of the best military minds of America, but of Europe that they had to rely more on the long range than the bayonet; and stating that the physical character of the country answered the question, and that his company awaited a reply.
3 pp. [Series 147-22: 85]
December 19, 1861
D.W. Brown, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To the Governor of Ohio. Letter stating that he had a son, Ethan Allen Brown, in the Army of Western Virginia and serving as 1st Lieutenant in Company H, 34th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who attained his present position entirely upon merit without any aid or influence whatever except the vote of the company, that he learned from the officers of the regiment (one of whom at least had been in the regular service for many years) that Ethan was regarded as an excellent officer and had the confidence and respect of the officers and men generally, that Ethan was a young man of excellent physical ability, steady habits, and good education, that it was thought by his friends that Ethan deserved a better position than he now occupied, that the post of Major had been suggested as one Ethan was well qualified for, that the anxiety of a father in this matter could readily be appreciated when it was understood that the service of the 34th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry had been of the most severe and hazardous character, that as fondly as he cherished the idea of his son's promotion, he would not ask it were he not confident of his son's ability to discharge the duties honorably to himself and beneficially to the service, and that he learned there was no vacancy at present, but he flattered himself that before long there might be an opportunity of placing his son in a desirable position without infringing upon superior claims; and asking, should there occur no vacancy in his son's regiment, if Ethan could be transferred to Kentucky or some more hospitable region than where he now was or receive some appointment out of active service to afford him some respite from the severe and dangerous service he had endured.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 221]
December 19, 1861
B. Butterworth and J[ohn] H. Fessenden. To ? Copy of legal document stating that in consideration of one hundred dollars paid to Butterworth by Fessenden, Butterworth hereby assigned to Fessenden all men who he had recruited for the 75th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that the foregoing was upon the conditions that Fessenden pay or caused to be paid to Butterworth the sum of forty dollars in hand and execute to Butterworth his promissory note with approved security for the sum of sixty dollars payable in sixty days and that Fessenden procure the discharge of E.M. Eastman from the 75th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry and pay for whatever clothing Eastman may have drawn from the Quartermaster of said regiment, and that it was further agreed and understood that if Butterworth could recruit a sufficient number of men to fill up Company E of the 75th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry to the minimum number, he was to take the position of 1st Lieutenant in said company.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 501/2]
December 21, 1861
J[ohn] C. Lee, Colonel Commanding, 55th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp McClellan, Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that he had appointed Reverend John G.W. Cowles as Chaplain of the 55th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry on December 11, and that Cowles was duly mustered on December 20; and requesting a commission for Cowles.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 4]
December 21, 1861
O[rmsby] M. Mitchel, Brigadier General, Headquarters, 3rd Division, Camp Jefferson. To Major [Joseph W.] Burke, Commanding 10th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Letter stating that if there was a vacancy of a 1st Lieutenancy or 2nd Lieutenancy in any of the companies of the 10th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry which he could nominate a person to fill, he would deem it a special favor, that the person he nominated would be detailed for duty on his staff and would not therefore serve with a company for the present, and that he had no other means of obtaining officers for staff duty.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 6]
December 21, 1861
Charles A. Rowsey, Acting Captain, and Charles Hennessy, 2nd Lieutenant, 67th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that they had nearly recruited a company in which Florence Sullivan enlisted as a Private with the understanding that he would aid in enlisting others and be appointed 2nd Lieutenant, that they were convinced Sullivan was thoroughly qualified for the position and were greatly indebted to his activity and exertions for the larger proportion of the men recruited, that Sullivan's example in first enlisting himself was of essential influence in inducing others to do likewise, and that they therefore respectfully, but earnestly, asked that their pledge to Sullivan should be fulfilled and his services properly rewarded by his being made 2nd Lieutenant of Company D, [67th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry]. Bears the endorsement of Richard Mott, M[orrison] R. Waite, E.D. Patten, E.P. Bassett, John Fitch, and Charles W. Hill.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 219]
December 21, [1861]
C[arlos] A. Sperry, Captain, Company B, 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Union, Fayetteville, [Virginia]. To all whom it may concern. Letter certifying that Robert L. Bowden was duly appointed 1st Sergeant of Company B, 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry on June 1, 1861 and duly performed the duties as such until July 1, 1861, at which time he was duly elected 1st Lieutenant by the company and acted as such until July 23, 1861; and stating that the Governor did not recognize the election of the company and appointed another Lieutenant in Bowden's place, that Bowden was 26 years of age and six feet tall, with a dark complexion, black hair, whiskers, and dark eyes, that Bowden was born at Augusta, Georgia in 1835, and enlisted at Jefferson, Ohio to serve for three years, and that while in Company B, Bowden received one flannel shirt valued at $1.13, one pair of shoes valued at $1.30, and one pair of stockings valued at 26 cents. Bears a note from R[utherford] B. Hayes, Lieutenant Colonel, 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, stating that the information in Sperry's letter was correct.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 202]
December 22, 1861
L[ionel] A. Sheldon, Lieutenant Colonel, 42nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Louisa, Kentucky. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had received his commission and it said that he was commissioned upon condition that he take the oath endorsed on the back of it; asking if it was necessary to take that oath having been mustered in, and if so before whom; and stating that their officers were all in the same condition, and that they had no opportunity to take the oath since leaving Columbus.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 13]
December 23, 1861
B.S. Cowen, St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that a strong desire that justice might be done to a very meritorious and valued friend induced him to write on behalf of Major, late General, Ferguson, that the promptness with which Ferguson acted when the call was made for volunteers in April 1861 and the diligence with which he had labored to raise men for the service of the country and to counteract the disloyal efforts of many of his political associates, operated powerfully in Ferguson's favor, that in his part of the State, he knew of no one to whom they were so much indebted for aid in collecting their noble army of volunteers as to Ferguson, that Ferguson had for years given more time and attention to military science than any other in that part of the State, that Ferguson was now well qualified to take command of a regiment, that Ferguson's habits were "unexceptionable" and his fidelity above suspicion, that Ferguson had a family and had done little in his profession since the first call for volunteers, that Ferguson's oldest son, not yet eighteen, had gone into the service, that he hoped Dennison would be able to give Ferguson a position better suited to a man of his age, attainments, and experience than the one he now held, that now, when Dennison's administration was near its close, he wished to tender his grateful acknowledgements as a citizen for the fidelity and ability with which the arduous duties of that office had been performed and for the fact that the credit and honor of the State were sustained, and that it must be a source of unalloyed satisfaction to Dennison and his numerous friends that by the firmness, prudence, and wisdom of its policy, Dennison's administration had been successfully vindicated and the disloyal partisans who assailed it silenced and discomfitted. Bears a note from Dennison stating that he desired to promote Major Ferguson if possible.
4 pp. [Series 147-22: 235]
December 24, 1861
J[acob] D. Cox, Brigadier General Commanding, Headquarters, Division of the Kanawha, Charleston, Virginia. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that Captain Philip Pfau of the cavalry wanted him to ask whether the original intention of the circular under which his company was raised was to have the men of the troop pay for their saddles and horse equipments or whether the State of Ohio furnished them without charge, that the Paymasters insisted that the price of the horse eqipments must be taken out of the men's pay which would leave them little or nothing, that the men had understood that the State furnished them the outfit, that Pfau's company was raised before the passage of the act of Congress and when the pay was promised to be 50 cents per day for use of horses only as they claimed, and that Buckingham's decision on the subject would be satisfactory and conclusive with Pfau and his men.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 16]
December 24, 1861
A[ndrew] Hickenlooper, Captain, 5th Independent Battery, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, Headquarters, Jefferson City, Missouri. To Dear Sir. Letter stating that since a question of rank might have to be decided at some future time between the 5th Independent Battery, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery and 16th Independent Battery, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery in consequence of a difference between date of appointment and commissions, he was sending his inquiry; and stating that they were appointed on August 31, 1861, and commissioned on October 2, 1861 as the 5th Independent Battery, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, and that at the same time by Special Order No. 865, they were required to report to Major General [John C.] Fremont for duty.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 91]
December 24, 1861
John E. Hunt, Office of Denison B. Smith & Co., Commission Merchants, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that the bearer, Florence J. Sullivan, was an applicant for the appointment of Lieutenant in the 67th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that given Sullivan's influence among the Irish of Toledo, he had done much towards the raising of a company, that from this consideration alone, Sullivan was deserving of such an appointment, that he had worked with Sullivan for several years, and that Sullivan was well qualified.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 220]
December 24, 1861
A.A. Hunter, 1st Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant General, 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, 3rd Provisional Brigade, Fayetteville, Virginia. To ? Copy of Special Order No. 58, stating that by order of the General commanding the Department of Western Virginia, Captain J. Meredith, Company C, 26th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry was ordered on recruiting service in Ashley, Delaware County, Ohio, that Meredith would report by letter his arrival at that point to the Adjutant General of Ohio and apply to the nearest recruiting station for directions and the necessary blanks for this service, and report with his recruits at the headquarters of his regiment on January 24, 1862, and that Meredith would take Sergeant Elias Cole and Private John Black with him. By order of Colonel E.P. Scammon, Commanding Brigade.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 64]
December 24, 1861
Thomas Lowrey, 1st Lieutenant, 56th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Morrow, Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. To ? Letter certifying that he enlisted Godfrit Gross in November, that on the day of his enlistment, Gross came to the town of Waverly, Pike County, Ohio, that Godfrit Gross and Gotlipp Gross (brother) came to his recruiting office and told him they would enlist, that both men were duly sober, that he asked them to go with him into a German settlement some four miles from Waverly and assist him in recruiting, that they did so and drank nothing before leaving town, that they rode with him all day and drank nothing through the day except water, that they told every man they talked to on the subject of enlisting that they had enlisted, that in the evening around sundown they came to the house of Godfrit Gross about four miles from Waverly, that there they stopped and drank one dram each of some kind of bitters and ate some supper after which Godfrit Gross gave him his name and subscribed to the obligations, that Gotlipp Gross said he would give him his name in town where he lived, and that Gotlipp Gross rode to town with him and assisted him in recruiting another German on the way. Bears a note from Ed Kinney, Captain, Company I, 56th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, certifying that Lowrey was duly sober in the evening at four o'clock after enlisting Godfrit Gross, and that he had a talk with Lowrey about that hour. Also bears a note dated December 31, 1861, from P[eter] Kinney, Colonel, 56th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Morrow, to Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham; enclosing Lowrey's statement; stating that it did not warrant the discharge of Gross; requesting a response from Buckingham; stating that he wrote some time since requesting permission to recruit and fill up his regiment to one thousand and ten men and had not received an answer; and asking if he should go on and fill up.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 48]
December 24, 1861
Philip Pfau, Captain, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Charleston, Virginia. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that Buckingham would recollect when his company was organized that they were to receive fifty cents per day for the use and risk of their horses, but it was afterwards reduced to forty, that Paymaster Major Cowen refused to allow forty cents per day unless the value of the horse equipage was deducted from their pay, which would leave them nothing, that they had lost five horses for which they could claim nothing from the U.S., and that by severe service, one third of their horses had been crippled which had been a great loss to them as they had to buy serviceable ones in their places; and requesting that Buckingham advise him in the matter.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 17]
December 25, 1861
M.H. Kirby, Probate Judge's Office, Upper Sandusky, Wyandot County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter introducing his friend, J.D. Sears of Upper Sandusky, who wished to confer with Dennison in relation to filling the vacancy in Captain Constable's battery in Missouri; and stating that J.D. Sears' brother, Cyrus Sears, was one of the Lieutenants in said company, that he had known Cyrus Sears intimately for a number of years, that Cyrus Sears was a young man of great prudence, firmness, and decision, and of good practical business habits, that he hoped Cyrus Sears might be chosen to the command of said company, and that he believed Cyrus Sears was entirely competent for the position and would not disappoint any confidence reposed in him.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 54]
December 25, 1861
R. McKelly, Legal Department of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, Solicitor's Office, Upper Sandusky, Wyandot County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that the bearer and their mutual friend, J.D. Sears, was visiting Columbus for the purpose of asking justice for a very meritorious young man who, owing to some irregularity in the date of his commission, was liable to lose his just right and position in his company, and that he hoped Dennison would remedy this doubtless unintentional error.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 53]
December 26, 1861
Jno. Boyd, Greenfield, Highland County, Ohio. To Professor S.M. Smith, M.D., Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Letter calling Smith's attention to the enclosed petition, signed by the officers of the 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for the promotion of his son, E.B. Boyd; stating that his son was acting as Quartermaster Sergeant of the 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry and wished an appointment as Quartermaster of any regiment in which there might be a vacancy, that his son had done all the business that pertained to said office for the past six months, and that he thought confidence would not be misplaced in conferring the office on his son; requesting that Smith interest himself in the matter; enclosing a recommendation from Colonel William E. Gilmore; and stating that he would like to hear from Smith immediately, and to have the matter acted upon before the Governor retired from office.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 5]
December 26, 1861
S. Craighead, et. al., Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter signed by nine individuals; and stating that Richard Baur enlisted in Dayton about three months ago as a Private in an artillery company, that Baur was now in Missouri in the 11th Independent Battery, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, that Baur was acting as a Lieutenant by authority of his commander who had recommended to Dennison that Baur be regularly commissioned, there being a vacancy, that they had known Baur very well for some years and desired to second and endorse said recommendation, that Baur was a German, a very modest man of good character and habits, and of unusual education and general intelligence, that Baur formerly edited a German newspaper in Chillicothe, but for some years past had been the editor of the Dayton Pioneer, a paper devoted to the Union cause and sound principles generally, that they believed Baur had seen service in Germany, that Baur had enlisted in this country purely from a sense of duty and had been acting as Gunner most of the time since, that they were assured that Baur was highly esteemed by his company generally, and that since they supposed there could be no question as to Baur's entire fitness for the place he sought, they sincerely hoped that Dennison might regard it as proper to send Baur a commission.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 1]
December 26, 1861
J.D. Hines, Lieutenant Colonel, 12th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, et. al., Charleston, Virginia. To the Governor of Ohio. Letter signed by fourteen officers of the 12th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; recommending Francis L. Fornshell, Sergeant in Company F, 12th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a commission; and stating that Fornshell had, since the first call, been in the field and connected with the regiment in actual service, that Fornshell had at all times demeaned himself as a soldier, and that Fornshell was well qualified to discharge the duties a commission would impose.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 197]
December 26, 1861
A.E. Jones, Aide-de-Camp, City Barracks, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter reporting that according to Dennison's instructions, he visited Louisville to close up the business at the City Barracks, and relative to the State troops ordered on duty by Brigadier General O[rmsby] M. Mitchel to guard the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, the several fortifications in the vicinity of Cincinnati, the depositions of State arms, and the City Barracks; and stating that at headquarters at Louisville, he received further instructions to follow General Mitchel and obtain certificates to company rolls, that he did so and found Mitchel at Bacon Creek, eight miles from Munfordville (Green River), obtained the certificates and a receipt for the arms Mitchel ordered to Kentucky, and returned to Louisville and reported, that immediately an order was issued to Brigadier General [Melancthon Smith] Wade by Brigadier General [Don Carlos] Buell to have the troops mustered in and out and paid, that he also received $587.74 to pay bills for work in fitting up the City Barracks which was the whole amount due, and that the City Barracks were now completed without any expense to the State.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 24]
December 26, 1861
Jno. S. Mason, Colonel, 4th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Commanding Regiment, Headquarters. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter calling Buckingham's attention to the question of rank of officers in the 4th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; stating that the question had never been definitely or satisfactorily settled, that there were now no less than three Captains who claimed to be the senior and all based on different grounds, that it was claimed by some that the commission under the three months' organization should govern as to rank in the present regiment while others claimed that the present organization was entirely separate and distinct and that the letter of the company governed, that under the former, Captain [James M.] Crawford was senior, and that under the latter, Captain [Leonard W.] Carpenter, who was a Lieutenant in the three months' service, was senior; enclosing a list giving the rank if the three months' service was considered; stating that Buckingham's Order No. 33 of July 15 gave the three years; and asking which was considered as governing in Buckingham's office.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 29]
December 26, 1861
J.H. Scott, Van Wert, Van Wert County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had been very ill with the typhoid fever, that he wanted to send some recruits to Green River, Kentucky, that he wanted to know if transportation could be provided so that there could be one or two recruits sent at a time, that nearly every week, someone offered to go, that when he said he would take them, they would ask how soon, that his answer was as soon as he was able for camp duty, but that it would be two months yet, that men were lost to the service and to him because of the delay, that enough transportation should be sent for at least a dozen recruits, that if nothing could be sent, he would appreciate knowing how he was to transport his recruits across Ohio, and that Buckingham's reply would very much oblige the Captain of Company H, 15th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
4 pp. [Series 147-22: 8]
December 27, 1861
Henry C. Benson, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Company, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter enclosing the advice of the Military Committee to extend his time ten or fifteen days; stating that the number of men recruited at his last report was eleven, that the number recruited since his last report was eight, that the number subsisted was nineteen, that the number at his station at Chardon was seven, that the number at Claridon, Geauga County was six, that the number at Cleveland was four, that the number at Burton was two, and that three of the men were enrolled by Private Robinson in Claridon on December 21, 24, and 25 respectively in his absence; and requesting orders and transportation to Painesville, Lake County, Ohio as he would leave there on December 31 on the 6:10 A.M. express train for Columbus.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 10]
December 27, 1861
W[illiam] O. Collins, 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Battalion Headquarters, Camp Crittenden, Hillsborough, Highland County, Ohio. To Captain F. Myers. Letter stating that he was very sorry to hear that Governor William Dennison declined to appoint Lieutenant H.C. Pike to the post of Adjutant for the battalion as Myers supposed Dennison would consent to do, that their great need was for persons who had cavalry experience, that Dennison had sent them an Adjutant some two months before who proved worthless and was a disgrace, that in the consolidation of the 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry and 7th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, an Adjutant with no cavalry experience and who they never saw was assigned to them from the other regiment, that where this person was he did not know, that they were in camp without an Adjutant or anyone to instruct them who had experience, that they were anxious to prepare the men for service, that they should know better than to believe that all it took to make cavalry was a man and a horse and a pistol and sabre, that Dennison promised to try and procure cavalry instruction for them from the regular service and when last in Washington had memoranda to that effect, that he had heard nothing of the result except that Dennison gave the papers to General [George B.] McClellan who of course had not a moment to spare for such details, that under these circumstances, at the recommendation of Myers and others, he brought Pike with him paying the expenses, that finding Pike likely to prove valuable to them, the Major and Captains of the battalion united with him in requesting Pike's appointment, but they got a refusal without a reason, that this was very detrimental to the service, and that he was sure Dennison would recognize their right to select their own Adjutant if he knew its importance; and requesting that Myers do what he could to secure Pike for the regiment.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 34]
December 27, 1861
A[lfred] W. Gilbert, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding, 39th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters Detachment, Syracuse, Missouri. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that around October 16, he wrote Dennison requesting a commission for William H. Lathrop as Captain of Company G, 39th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Captain [Charles W.] Pomeroy, that no commission had yet arrived, that Lathrop had been doing duty as Captain ever since, and that he had recently written again for Lathrop's commission; requesting that 2nd Lieutenant William H. Williams be commissioned as 1st Lieutenant in Company G and that Orderly Sergeant Uriah Hoffner be commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in Company G; and stating that this was in accordance with the wish of Lathrop and himself, that Williams and Hoffner were both tried and good officers, that the company should have its full complement of officers as soon as possible, that Colonel [John] Groesbeck and five companies were in north Missouri, that they had not seen each other for over three months, and that he could not tell when they would be united.
2 pp. [Series 147-22: 2]
December 27, 1861
William E. Gilmore, Colonel Commanding, 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Worthington. To Assistant Adjutant General Rodney Mason. Letter stating that an attack of inflamatory rheumatism had delayed his report in response to Mason's order of December 18; providing a full list of all those who had received permits to recruit for the 22nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, what they had done, etc., and a second list of those who had secured themselves places in companies, etc., and ought to be retained; and stating that a large number of men, more than enough to fill up the regiment, had been recruited for it, but under the changing and irregular systems existing in the State soon after the expiration of the three months' term, they were taken from him again, and that he had a large number of men out recruiting and hoped to have six hundred men by January 2, 1862.
6 pp. [Series 147-22: 14, and 15]
December 27, 1861
D.W.C. Loudon, Lieutenant Colonel, et. al., Camp Ripley. To Colonel J[oseph] R. Cockerill, Commandant, 70th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Letter signed by seven field officers and company commanders of the 70th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, recommending the appointment of Captain Joseph Blackburn as Chaplain of the regiment. Bears a note from Cockerill to the Governor of Ohio; stating that in compliance with the recommendation, he was designating Blackburn to be Chaplain of the regiment; and requesting that Blackburn be commissioned accordingly.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 27]
December 27, 1861
A[ugustus] Porter, Nettle Lake, Williams County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he received an appointment as recruiting officer for the 68th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry dated November 5, that he went to work under that appointment expecting to comply with the conditions of his appointment in every particular, but he failed to recruit thirty men in the time allowed, that he did recruit twenty-six men, that Robert Masters reported twenty-five recruits at the time of their appointment and was in the recruiting service the same length of time that he was, with or without authority, that when they reported to the commanding officer of the regiment, he had a number of recruits more than Masters in camp, that by some process which he did not understand, Masters and Boyd both received commissions over him with a less number of men sworn in, and that all the compensation he had received was fifty dollars which would pay about half his expenses; requesting that Buckingham procure for him an order for his pay as recruiting officer for the 68th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; and stating that he had reported his recruits at camp on December 13, and that as soon as he could obtain blank bills of subsistence, he would forward his account for final settlement.
3 pp. [Series 147-22: 21]
December 27, 1861
S[amuel] H. Steedman, Colonel Commanding, 68th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Latty, near Napoleon, Henry County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that the organization of the 68th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry was complete, that he was forwarding the muster rolls per express, and that he received the bill of the stores and muskets purported to have been shipped on December 24.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 8]
December 27, 1861
B.B. Woodbury, Chairman, P. Hitchcock, Secretary, H.H. Ford, and Erastus Spencer, Military Committee for Geauga County, Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter stating that in the opinion of the committee, an extension of the time of the appointment of Lieutenant Henry C. Benson was desirable for a term of from ten to fifteen days, and that from the success Benson was now having, if the same be granted, he would within the time of such extension be able to secure the number of men required.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 11]
December 28, 1861
S.B. Conger, 2nd Lieutenant, 7th Company, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Camp Carlile. To Assistant Adjutant General R[odney] Mason. Letter stating that at last report, he had seventy-four men since when none had been added; and asking if it was the wish of the Adjutant General's Department to commission the officers and register the company when full in accordance with the permit given him by General C.P. Buckingham on September 24.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 21]
December 28, 1861
J.A. Dewey, Company B, 58th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (now transferred to the 43rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry), Camp Chase, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that Buckingham offered him an order to recruit, but he had not received it while at Buckingham's office; requesting that the order be sent to him at Camp Andrews; and stating that he wished to proceed to Austinburg, Ashtabula County where, trusting to accounts, he might be able to recruit quite a detachment of able volunteers.
1 p. [Series 147-22: 12]