February 2, 1862
W[illiam] S. Smith, Colonel, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Jefferson, Kentucky. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter submitting a list of the commissioned officers of the 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the order of rank as determined by the date when they were mustered into service, and his recommendations for promotions to fill vacancies.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 92]

February 3, 1862
J[oseph] W. Burke, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding, 10th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Jefferson, Bacon Creek, Kentucky. To Colonel W[illiam] H. Lytle, Commanding Post, Bardstown, Kentucky. Letter stating that he had written again to the Adjutant General of Ohio setting forth the great injury done the regiment by the failure to forward the commissions for the newly appointed officers, that since Lytle's disability after Carnifex Ferry, he had labored hard to bring the regiment up to perfection and to keep it in that high state of discipline that characterized it under Lytle's command, that if commissions were not soon issued, he could not answer in future for the discipline of the regiment, and that many officers had been compelled to go home sick by having been overworked.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 76]

February 3, 1862
G[eorge] Harsh, [Ohio] Senate Chamber. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that since handing Tod the letter of S. Meyer of Canton, Stark County, requesting the promotion of his son, he had what he deemed reliable information of the young man's competency and worth, and therefore cheerfully endorsed his claims.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 46]

February 3, 1862
W[illiam] P. Israel, Jr., Major Commanding, 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, Camp Kelly, Patterson's Creek, Virginia. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that he had two batteries of the 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery under his command in General [Frederick W.] Lander's division, that they were armed with old bronze rifled guns which were very inefficient and inaccurate, and that he learned a battery of Wiard guns had been sent to Camp Dennison; asking if an exchange could be made; and stating that they were in the immediate vicinity of the enemy and required artillery that could be relied upon, particularly the rifled guns for long ranges, that forwarding a battery of Wiard guns to his battalion would be a great benefit to the public service, that it was a military necessity for them to have arms of superior quality to those they now had in order to do justice and credit to the State of Ohio in an engagement with the rebels, and that he hoped Tod would give his request serious consideration.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 220]

February 3, 1862
W[illiam] R. Lloyd, Colonel, 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, The State of Ohio, Executive Department, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that some weeks before, he had spoken to Tod respecting his letter to Secretary [Edwin] Stanton on the subject of horses for two battalions of the 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry at Camp Dennison, that he had informed Stanton that his application for horses was sanctioned and approved by Tod, that Tod told him he would immediately write Stanton and convey his desires in behalf of the 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, that he troubled Tod to remind him of this, fearing it might have been overlooked in the press of other matters, that they had heard nothing from Stanton or the Quartermaster General on the subject, and that he was still anxious to get his regiment in the field.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 113]

February 3, 1862
Minor Millikin, Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio. To Governor William Dennison. Letter concerning the disaffection in the 1st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry resulting from his appointment as Colonel; and stating that he lay sick at Louisville when the notice of his promotion came, that he had never seen the regiment since being confined with a stubborn and threatening attack of congestion on the lungs from which he was now recovering, that for over three weeks, during which time various fermentations and intrigues had been in progress, he had no intercourse with or knowledge of these proceedings except what he could glean from a few hastily written letters of his friends, that Lieutenant Colonel [Thomas C.H.] Smith, angered and mortified, declaimed against the injustice done him, the insult offered the regiment, and the incentive given to demoralization by the appointment of a younger and (in rank) inferior man over the elder and superior, that his promotion flew in the face of the expressed wish of the Captains as contained in the memorial sent to Dennison, that with the skill of a shrewd pettifogger and the zeal of an outwitted and humiliated schemer, humbled before the very men he had for weeks been ogling, humoring, and flattering to his purposes, Smith went to work to raise such a flame of resentment as should prevent in some way, he cared not what, Millikin's accepting or assuming the Colonelcy, that Smith succeeded in a good measure, that he was told Smith openly organized and attended the meetings of company officers when speeches were made, resolutions adopted, and threats and bragadocio indulged in to an extent of indecency which should have forfeited their commissions, that the officers had intentionally or unwittingly involved their companies, that what protests or papers of any nature they had produced, or who sent them, he did not know, that the whole conduct of the officers towards him had been secret and ungenerous, that while he was almost entirely ignorant of the extent and nature of the opposition to his appointment, he was perfectly acquainted with the motives of nearly all, that there were men in the regiment who dreaded his appointment on account of his ideas of discipline, that they knew he would not have drunkenness or incapacity about him and that once preferring charges, he would adhere to them to the end, that during the eight days he was in command after Colonel [Owen P.] Ransom's resignation, he broke up the old careless ways of working and exacted of company officers the performance of their whole duty, applied for a Board of Examination, and denounced the laziness and want of conscientious labor among the officers in the regiment, that as a result, many of the officers became alarmed and some became indignant, that all the Captains of the regiment told Governor William Dennison to appoint Lieutenant Colonel Smith as Colonel and all the Captains of the regiment (save one) felt they had received a deep insult when Dennison appointed Millikin, that a Major and a Lieutenant were appointed from outside the regiment and his appointment, coupled with those, was seen as a determined effort to injure the wishes of the regiment, that there were a great many Captains who expected to be Majors, that these Captains felt he was connected with all their misfortunes and was always in their way, that Lieutenant Colonel Smith had cause for resentment in the mortification he felt, that Smith might have felt called on to resign or to express to him any number of uncomplimentary or ungenerous things, that Smith might have felt injured, that none of these things suited Smith, that Smith chose to involve all in his disgrace and to extract a principle out of the weakness of the men around him which might cover his own case, that he charged Smith with being an intriguer, a fomenter of dissentions, a flatterer for low ends, a petty manager, and an unprincipled fortune hunter, that throughout the whole history of Smith's connection with the regiment, and with everything else Smith was ever connected with, he was double faced and dissembling by his very instincts and took a secret and double minded plan when a frank and single minded course would do as well, that to supplant him and destroy the position he held in the regiment as its teacher and drillmaster, Smith did low and ungentlemanly things, that to efface the credit he gained in some quarters for the thorough renovation he made during his short reign at Louisville, Smith sneered prudently and loosened the discipline of the regiment to utter laxness in order to be popular with those who loved laxness, that during the whole time of his illness and absence, Smith had been active and virulent, agitating new questions and raking up the embers of the old, that Smith had impugned his motives in removing Ransom, that Smith had charged him with plotting and intrigue, that Smith had endeavored to incite the vulgar prejudices of some by declaring that his appointment was the result of "political influence" and dishonorable "personal intrigue," that by inuendo, by suppression, by flattery, by falsehood, by reiteration, and by skilful suggestion, Smith was taking advantage of his position and meanly smothering the obligations recognized by all honorable men not to malign an absent foe, and had fanned and blown this painful coal into the flame which infected the officers and men, that per a letter received from the Chaplain of the regiment, he perceived that the officers had gone still further in their waywardness by sending away the Lieutenant appointed by Dennison, that by the fear many officers had of him on account of his ideas of discipline, by the imagined slight the Captains received when he was appointed out of the order they had decreed, by the disappointment some received in not being promoted and the resentment they felt at the appointment of outsiders, and over all, by the persistent and skilful agitation and fomenting of Smith during his long absence, the opposition and dissatisfaction had been bred and was now sustained, that he supposed many were ready to give color to their position by impugning his ability and expressing want of faith in his qualities, that this could be heard now, but the very opposite, in the most fulsome praise and repeated assertion, was heard while he was Major and when they expected him to be Lieutenant Colonel, that Dennison presented to him the propriety of his resigning into his old place on account of said opposition and the appointment of an English Colonel, that he could not perceive how the appointment of this Colonel would appease the "mutinous dictators" as said individual was an outsider, that he could not for a moment agree to assuming the duties of a Major in a regiment where he was not allowed to be Colonel, that he could never have any respect for the men who had, by disgraceful and unlawful means, conquered him and the friends who procured his promotion, that without doubt, if he could not sustain himself in the position Dennison had given him, he must resign or be transferred, that to do either of these things without a trial would disgrace him, that he proposed to leave Hamilton next Tuesday, that on his way, he planned to see General [Don Carlos] Buell and explain his situation, that he would then proceed, with Buell's directive and backing, to his command and do his best, that if he found that he could not profitably hold his place, he would leave his case with Buell and resign or rely on a transfer, that it was too late to go back to being Major of the regiment, and that if asked to do so, he would settle the matter by resigning.
6 pp. [Series 147-26: 73]

February 3, 1862
W[illiam] Mungen, Colonel, 57th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Chase, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that he was leaving that morning for home, that upon his return, he wished to have an interview with Tod regarding the field officers of his regiment, that there was no peace or satisfaction, but continual murmuring and complaint about the field officers, that he was very anxious to have a good and efficient regiment, that this was impossible given the regiment's present organization, that he regretted this exceedingly, but when he said that the dissatisfaction was universal, he meant it, that two or three companies would ask to be transferred from the 57th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry to some other regiment if the field officers were not changed, that he respectfully requested an interview and an interview for his Captains so that they might explain their views for themselves, that it was said their regiment was satisfied and that a reaction had taken place, and that this was not true.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 123]

February 3, 1862
F[rederick] Poschner, Colonel Commanding Post, 47th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Gauley Mountain, [Virginia]. To Governor David Tod. Letter enclosing a correct enumeration of the staff and company officers of the 47th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; soliciting commissions for those promoted whose names he subjoined; and stating that he was returning the commission of Theodore Davis, the validity of which had expired because Davis had not reported in due time, that the engrafting of officers from abroad upon regiments in which they were not known would necessarily engender ill feelings, that there were at least a dozen men in the 47th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry who, by their approved talents and the rigid fulfillment of their duties, were fairly entitled to promotion, that the sense of honor and military zeal of these men would be impaired if wholly unknown persons with untested military knowledge obtained the preference, and that to obviate such results, he would entreat Tod to approve the promotions proposed.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 95]

February 4, 1862
C.H. Sargent, Colonel, 52nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Governor David Tod. Letter inquiring as to the status of a proposed council between Tod and the Adjutant General relative to the present appointments of Lieutenant Colonel and Major in the 52nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; and stating that if he was to go on and recruit another regiment, he must have someone with him who had either brains or money as he was pretty much played out of the requisite quantity of both.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 4]

February 4, 1862
Franklin Sawyer, Lieutenant Colonel, 8th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Patterson's Creek, Virginia. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that the bearer, Captain D[aniel] C. Daggett, had been an officer in the 8th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry since its organization in April 1861, and had held commissions as 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, and Captain of Company D in said regiment, that during the three months' service, Daggett acted as regimental Quartermaster, that in all these positions, Daggett had performed his duties with ability and fidelity, that Daggett had felt compelled to resign on account of his private affairs which required his immediate personal attention, and that should Daggett be inclined and his business permit him to again enter the service, he would recommend Daggett's commission to a Captaincy or to such position in the Quartermaster Department, Commissary Department, or Ordnance Department as might be desired.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 167]

February 4, 1862
T[imothy] R. Stanley, Colonel, Headquarters, 18th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Jefferson, Kentucky. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that 1st Lieutenant Jacob C. Frost of Company D had resigned per his advice, and he had no doubt the resignation would be accepted by the proper authority, that Company D was peculiarly situated, having a Captain and Lieutenants who were good and worthy men, but not an officer among them, that 2nd Lieutenant S[amuel] H. Martin had resigned and Tod appointed Alexander Pearce of Vinton County in Martin's place, that Pearce had not yet reported for duty, but would probably arrive that day, that he knew Pearce well, that Pearce was a good officer and he was content, although he had recommended another, that he trusted Tod would now make promotion from the company, that he thought if the company had men who were fit for the place, they should be promoted, that Orderly Sergeant Charles B. Saunders would make a good Lieutenant, that Saunders would have received a unanimous vote or nearly so, but for his firmness in sustaining discipline, that said firmness raised Saunders very much in his estimation, that the company was a good one and only wanted good officers, that he therefore recommended the promotion of 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Pearce to be 1st Lieutenant and Charles B. Saunders to be 2nd Lieutenant, that he was glad to see a notice of Tod's order in reference to promotions in the regiment and trusted that such might generally be the case hereafter, and that while he still thought the individual he recommended for 2nd Lieutenant of Company D was right, he did not want his former recommendation acted on as it was outside the regiment; and requesting early action in this case and also in the case of Lieutenant [William B.] Williams and Orderly Sergeant [Charles M.] Grubb of Company F.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 79]

February 4, 1862
W[illard] J. Stokes, Adjutant, 24th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Wickliffe, Kentucky. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he had received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant, that an error had occurred in his name, that it was written as William J. and should be Willard J. Stokes, and that Charles G. Morehouse was Sergeant Major of the regiment, a man of good sense, and the ranking non-commissioned officer of the regiment.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 15]

February 5, 1862
[James R. Challen], Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that he had received a letter from Camp Hamilton which his sense of duty compelled him to lay before Tod, that the same information had reached his knowledge from several independent sources and he had no doubt of its truth, that he concealed names for the present, but they would be forthcoming if required, that the writer of the letter in question believed there was systematic corruption at Camp Hamilton which should be exposed and examined by the proper authorities, and that said writer mentioned certain frauds committed in the 69th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry with the knowledge and participation of Colonel [Lewis D.] Campbell; calling Tod's attention to these frauds; and stating that by examining the morning reports on file in the Adjutant General's office, Tod could find whether the ranks of the regiment were diminishing as the writer said, that it was equally fraudulent to accept payment for encouraging desertion by assuring the party there would be no pursuit or for giving the party a discharge, that the dissatisfaction and demoralization of the 69th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry were terrible, that the whole community knew this, that some of the best citizens of Hamilton thought and stated that they believed Colonel [Lewis D.] Campbell never intended to go to the field and that he got up the regiment on speculation and would sell it, and that these were grave charges.
4 pp. [Series 147-26: 1]

[February 5, 1862]
James R. Challen. To the Governor. Cover letter for [Series 147-26: 1]; stating that he looked upon the fraud, corruption, and crime going on in the army with horror, disgust, and condemnation, that although he hated quarrels, he hated these greater evils worse, and that if by risking or engaging in quarrels he could do anything to prevent said frauds, he would do his duty.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 2]

February 5, 1862
George A. Purington, Major, Fort Leavenworth, [Kansas]. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that his commission was sent to the Adjutant General's Department for the purpose of having its date changed from September 10 to August 25 as per note on file in Buckingham's office, and that said commission had not been received; and requesting that it be forwarded.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 185]

February 5, 1862
Jacob A. Remley, Captain, Company A, 5th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Kelley, Patterson's Creek, Virginia. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that the position of Major of the 5th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry had become vacant some two weeks before by the resignation of Major William Gaskill, that he embraced this opportunity to present his claims to the position, that he had the oldest commission in the regiment, bearing the date of May 1, 1861, that his company was organized, tendered its service, was accepted at the commencement of the war, and marched to Camp Dennison on April 20, 1861, that the position he now filled, senior Captain of the regiment, was awarded to him by Brigadier General Joshua H. Bates in consequence of having the oldest commission of any Captain in the regiment, that Bates commanded at Camp Dennison when the regiment offered its service for three years, that the regiment tendered its service to the government for the three years' service, as organized, and was accepted according to Special Order No. 246 dated May 26, 1861, that he had acted as senior Captain of the regiment from the time it first entered the service and had filled the position to the satisfaction of his superior officers, that he had been in the service since April 20, 1861, and acquired the experience necessary to fill the position of Major, that without such experience, he would not pretend to claim the position of Major, that he had at one time been on detached duty with half the regiment, and that he considered himself entitled to the position of Major by all military law and regulation.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 9]

February 5, 1862
Thomas S. Shipley, et. al., Company B, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Jefferson, Kentucky. To ? Letter signed by seventy-two members of Company B, 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; requesting that Sergeant Josiah Smouse be appointed as their 2nd Lieutenant, there being a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Captain F[rancis] S. Parker; and stating that they felt confident Smouse would make an able and efficient officer, and that all of the members of the company placed confidence and respect in Smouse.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 88]

February 5, 1862
H.H. Wilson, Captain Commanding, Company M, 28th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Encampment, Point of Rocks, Maryland. To the Adjutant General of Ohio. Letter stating that he had a Corporal in his company who had been a Private in Company H, 2nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (three months' service), that said individual never obtained a written discharge from the 2nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (three months' service), that he sought to assist said individual in obtaining such a discharge, and that said individual was an excellent soldier and a worthy young man.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 7]

February 6, 1862
William H. Brinkerhoff, Pastor, Presbyterian Church, Frankfort (Jerome), Union County, Ohio, Fayetteville, Virginia. To Dear Sir. Letter stating that he was at Fayetteville on a visit to the 30th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that he had learned in Ohio that the 30th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry had no Chaplain, that he had two sons and many friends in Company E of the 30th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that he had nothing else to live for besides those boys, that he had journeyed to Fayetteville in hopes of obtaining the position of Chaplain, that he was alone in the world and longed to be with his boys, that upon his arrival, he found that Lieutenant [John C.] Lewis of Company I had made application for the position of Chaplain, that the officers and men of the 30th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry were on the best possible terms, but complaints were loud, that great dissatisfaction prevailed on account of the absence and want of field officers for so long a time, that officers and Privates complained of the delay of the paymaster, that part of the regiment had been paid for two months, but four companies had not yet received one cent, that among the unpaid soldiers were his sons, that it had been nearly six months since the organization of the regiment, that the families of many of those brave men were living upon charity in Ohio or suffering want, that the men suffered for want of a little butter and eggs, cabbage, potatoes, and many other things which they were used to in Ohio, which were in market almost daily, and upon which their health depended in great measure, that many of the men were sick and needed more than the army rations, that he was surprised to hear no angry or improper complaints, and that frequent and earnest desires were expressed for the paymaster; asking if anything could be done to hasten the paymaster's coming; and stating that the fortifications at Fayetteville were going on rapidly to completion.
3 pp. [Series 147-26: 59]

February 6, 1862
John Hutchins, Washington, D.C. To Governor David Tod. Letter enclosing the resignation of his brother as Battalion Quartermaster in the 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry; and stating that J.B. Phillips of Orwell was appointed at the request of [Benjamin F.] Wade and himself, but had to give up his place on the consolidation of the regiment with another, and that they now thought Phillips should have the appointment in place of his brother resigned.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 45]

February 6, 1862
Emerson Opdycke, Captain, Company A, 41st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Camp Wickliffe, Kentucky. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that the resignation of S[eth] A. Bushnell as Captain of Company A, 41st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry took effect November 27, 1861, by order of General [Don Carlos] Buell, that he was then recommended by Colonel [William B.] Hazen for promotion to the vacancy, that 2nd Lieutenant James McCleery was recommended for promotion to 1st Lieutenant, that 1st Sergeant Calvin C. Hart was recommended for promotion to 2nd Lieutenant, that Hazen ordered each of them to assume the responsibilities and perform the duties belonging to the ranks they were recommended to fill, that Tod's predecessor, by some unaccountable freak of injustice, did not commission them until just on the eve of his retirement and then dated said commissions January 9, 1862, except his which was dated January 9, 1860, that this was wrong to them both in rank and finances, especially the latter in the case of Hart, that the difference in the pay of a Sergeant and Lieutenant was considerable to a poor man, and that the rank was of most consequence to McCleery and himself, there being only a small difference in the pay of their former and current ranks; requesting that Tod allow them to return their commissions and that the commissions be dated November 27, 1861; and stating that they did not receive the commissions until the previous evening. Bears a note from W[illiam] B. Hazen, Colonel, 41st Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, stating that it would be but common justice that the officers within named receive promotion and pay from the time they commenced their new duties and assumed their new responsibilities, that such had always been the custom in the regular service, and that it appeared but just.
3 pp. [Series 147-26: 125]

February 6, 1862
L[e] R[oy] Spencer, Cumberland, [Maryland]. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he still found in Buckingham a disposition to give to the Ohio soldier his just rights, which he was sorry to find was not the case with some of the officers with whom he was connected, that he did not know what was wanted, but he presumed all things would be right if he could stay in one place long enough to attend to it, that they were under marching orders and he was utterly ignorant of their destination, that there was some rumor of their soon entering an expedition which was now being fitted for the South, that they would probably leave Cumberland in a few days, that all he wanted Buckingham to do was to have his claims so fixed that it would not be lost until he could get time to attend to it himself, that he had been a Private in Company B, 3rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry (three months' service), and that he was sending the certificate of enlistment in his present company.
4 pp. [Series 147-26: 13]

February 6, 1862
T[imothy] R. Stanley, Colonel, 18th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Jefferson, Kentucky. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that he feared he would be troublesome to Buckingham, but was placed in singular circumstances, that 2nd Lieutenant S[amuel] H. Martin had resigned and his resignation was accepted January 8, 1862, that he had recommended Henry H. Welch of the 13th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry to fill the vacancy, that about January 24, he received a 2nd Lieutenant's commission for Alex[ander] Pearce dated January 21, that he wrote to Pearce to join the regiment and had heard nothing from him, that a notice had just come to Henry H. Welch that he was appointed on January 11, 1862 as 2nd Lieutenant, that there was but one vacancy, that he was very well satisfied with Pearce, that he knew Pearce well, that Pearce was a good officer and very much needed in the company, that he would also be satisfied with Welch who he first recommended, that he was expecting Pearce daily, that Pearce's commission was there and he had ordered him to report forthwith, that Welch was there with his appointment, and that he declined to assign Welch to a company until he heard from Buckingham.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 136]

February 6, 1862
William Stedman, Major, 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Camp Dennison, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter acknowledging receipt of a commission as Major in the 6th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry; and stating that he failed to receive his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, a position to which he was appointed and from which he was promoted to Major.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 15]

February 6, 1862
James Taylor, 1st Lieutenant, Company D, 30th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Fayetteville, Virginia. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that he had a suggestion to make for the improvement of the efficiency of the army and he would be pleased if Ohio could have the honor of leading off in the movement, that his proposition was to organize two or three regiments to be armed with spears or pikes from 7 to 10 feet in length, that there might be two companies in each regiment armed with rifles of long range to cover the advance of the pikemen in making a charge or storming the enemy's batteries or works, that such a force would be eminently useful to support their own artillery or to take and hold that of the enemy, that the pikes should be so constructed that the soldier could either strike or thrust, that 1,000 men thus armed could hold any well selected position against 5,000 infantry or cavalry, or they could put to flight or cut to pieces a proportionate number, that such a force should be officered by men of nerve and discretion, men who had both the moral and the physical courage to undertake to whip the enemy when an opportunity offered and who would not endeavor to keep at a respectable distance from the enemy lest they jeopardize a reputation which they had not, that profound military men who did everything by strategy and nothing by force, mere place seekers, and "Miss Nancys" would be out of their sphere in such a force, that for personal courage, the rank and file of their volunteer army had never been excelled in any age or nation, that the rank and file did not expect to be Brigadiers or even Colonels, that the spears or pikes would be cheap, costing probably not over $3.50 each, that every man, but most especially their Irish-born soldiers, would use them almost instinctively without any training, that of course they should be well drilled in the maneuvers and brought under proper discipline, that he knew by personal experience that not more than one half of the infantry soldiers now in the field could make any profitable use of their guns in firing, although many of them had been in active service for six months, that there was not five per cent of the soldiers who could judge distance and the proper elevation of their pieces well enough to hit a regiment of men drawn up in line of battle at 400 yards with one shot in fifty, although the guns would carry from 800 to 1,000 yards, that on every battlefield where infantry was engaged, it was the bayonet which did the effective work, that if bayonets were so effective, pikes 12 to 30 inches longer than a gun and bayonet should be much more efficient, that one man with a pike would be more than equal to three without, that the pikemen should serve with artillery, infantry, etc., and not alone, that he was so confident of the correctness of his views that, although he was not dissatisfied with his present situation and had no aversion to the infantry service, he would be pleased to take any place in a force of pikemen not inferior in rank to that which he now held, and that all he asked was that the commander of such a force be a man of nerve; requesting that Tod apply to the Secretary of War for permission to raise one or more regiments of pikemen in Ohio; stating that if permission was obtained, such a regiment could be raised, armed, and put in the field in 30 days, that many of the companies in the unfilled regiments would probably embrace such an opportunity to get into active service, that he was not a professional military man, and that he had no military experience except during the present war; and citing references.
4 pp. [Series 147-26: 98]

February 7, 1862
L.C. Brown (for G.W. Maris), Camp Chase, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that the bearer, John Fryman, had been examined by him and found to be paralyzed, that Fryman was entirely unfit for duty and would be for many months, that Fryman was calling on Buckingham for a pass home, that he did not know if Buckingham had the power to issue such a pass, and that if Buckingham did have the power, a pass would be a favor justly bestowed.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 151]

February 7, 1862
B[radford] R. Durfee, 82nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Tod, near Grafton, Virginia. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter regarding his commission; and stating that he was on active duty as Lieutenant Colonel of the 82nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Buckingham's appointment, from the day he was mustered out of the 4th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that he felt it was just that he should rank and draw pay from that date, that if he was right, his commission should be made to take effect as of December 10, 1861, that he had received pay to November 1, 1861, and that no confusion could occur in his accounts with the Government.
2 pp. [Series 147-26: 23]

February 7, 1862
E[rasmus] Gest, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that up to the time he left St. Louis, Missouri, no union had been affected of the detachments of the 39th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that this regiment was accidentally divided about September 1, 1861, with the five companies under Colonel [John] Groesbeck remaining in northern Missouri and the other five companies passing into southern Missouri, that in his opinion, the regiment could have long since been united without detriment to the service or unreasonable expense to the Government, that he did not wish to be understood as insinuating that the delay had been wanton, only that it had been prolonged by reason of the many duties devolving upon one suddenly called to the position of General commanding a department where all had before been confusion and mismanagement, that General [Henry] Halleck was not responsible for dividing the regiment, that he believed if Halleck had aids and advisers with more than ordinary military minds or civilians of high administrative and business qualifications, that which had been objectionable since Halleck assumed command of the department would have been avoided, that the service in Missouri should have been delegated to soldiers from the more western states accustomed to living upon cheerless plains among frontier men and not to men from a people as far advanced in civilization as Ohioans, that he had not seen a single officer or Private who did not detest the Missouri service and view the contest as being with and for a contemptable and worthless people, that at the same time, these very soldiers' bosoms swelled with all the patriotic ardor of the most devoted sons of the Union, that they desired no greater boon than the privilege of measuring lances with the more gallant sons of secession (if there was such a thing as a gallant disunionist) in the more genial fields farther to the south and east of the Mississippi, that aside from [George B.] McClellan, [Henry] Halleck, [Don Carlos] Buell, [William S.] Rosecrans, and probably a dozen Brigadiers, the spirits to prosecute the war with vigor and victoriously were to be found among the Colonels, lower grade officers, and Privates, that never did Government commit greater error than theirs in prematurely appointing so many Brigadiers, and that the single star was one which should only grace the shoulder of he who had by herculean effort, or on the battlefield by daring judgement and exertions, produced results rarely accomplished; asking how those many gallant spirits, whose feats of daring and heroism would become known after events in the coming few weeks and cause their names to be echoed in every household, were to be rewarded now that the star was so common on the shoulders of the undeserving; and stating that Tod could not confer a greater favor upon the Ohio troops in Missouri than to secure their withdrawal from that state, that the Ohio troops were not in one Brigade and no two commands were together, that the Ohio troops were not now nor were they ever necessary in Missouri, and that Tod could confer a great favor upon the country by exerting his influence in arresting the wholesale elevation of incompetents and the undeserving to the rank of Brigadier.
3 pp. [Series 147-26: 102]

February 7, 1862
L[eonard] A. Harris, Colonel, 2nd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Bacon Creek, Camp Jefferson, Kentucky. To Governor David Tod. Letter stating that the resignation of Surgeon [Daniel E.] Wade having been accepted, said position was now vacant, that the present Assistant Surgeon, B[enjamin] F. Miller, was qualified in every particular, that he desired Miller's appointment to fill the vacancy, that he had not as yet been officially notified of Wade's resignation, but had learned of it from an unofficial source, and that he desired the appointment of an active, qualified man for the position of Assistant Surgeon.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 72]

February 7, 1862
S.J. McGroarty, Colonel, and M.P. Nolan, Lieutenant Colonel, 50th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Headquarters, Camp Beckett, Ohio. To Adjutant General C.P. Buckingham. Letter stating that they were sorry to learn from Lieutenant Daly of Montgomery County that his commission as Lieutenant to recruit for the 50th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry had been revoked, that Daly was one of the best men in the country, that Daly already had thirteen men, most of whom were now in camp, that Daly had failed to make his reports to Buckingham's office which was wholly wrong, that Daly should have complied with the letter of his printed instructions, that Daly was under the impression that reporting to camp was all that was necessary, that Daly did visit Buckingham on January 22, and his time was extended for 20 days, that Daly was in camp taking charge of and drilling his own men and men of other Lieutenants who were off recruiting, and that if Buckingham restored Daly to his former position, it would confer a high personal favor and advance the service.
1 p. [Series 147-26: 31]

PREVIOUS ||  CIVIL WAR DOCS ||  NEXT