THE PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR TROOPS.--ORGANIZATION OF THE SEVENTH.--ITS
DEPARTURE FOR CAMP DENNISON.--ITS REORGANIZATION AND DEPARTURE FOR
THE FIELD.
On Monday, April 15, the President issued a call for 75,000 volunteers
for three months' service. The States responded immediately to this
call in double the number required. Never in the history of the world
was such a response witnessed to the call of any country. Men left
their implements of husbandry in the fields and rushed to the
recruiting stations. The executives of the States were pressed with
applications to raise companies and batteries under the call of the
President.
Under this call thirteen regiments of infantry were assigned to Ohio.
In fifteen days 71,000 troops were offered to Governor Dennison to fill
the quota of the State. Camps were now established at different points
in the State, and troops ordered to rendezvous. Camp Taylor, at
Cleveland, Ohio, was organized on the 22d day of April, and by the 27th
contained several thousand troops. Of these, the city of Cleveland had
three companies of infantry; Trumbull County, one; Mahoning County, one
company of infantry and a section of artillery; Portage County, two;
Lake County, one; Lorain County, one; Huron County, one; while the city
of Toledo was represented by an entire regiment. The latter part of
April these detached companies were formed into a regiment,
constituting the Seventh Ohio. It contained the right material for a
fighting regiment. The majority of its members were of a floating
class, fond of adventure, while many were of the best class. The
regiment, as a whole, combined rare military talent. Many of its
officers and privates were skilled in tactics; and those who were not,
immediately set themselves about acquiring the necessary information,
rather by practice than study; for, with some exceptions, it was not a
scholarly regiment. The members took too much the character of
adventurers, to indulge in close study or profound thinking. But for
practical purposes, I doubt whether the regiment had a superior in the
State. It readily acquired discipline while on duty; but while off
duty, its members were not over-nice in their conduct, seldom indulging
in sports that were absolutely wrong, but, at the same time, gratifying
that propensity for fun which characterized them through their entire
career. It contained no drones; there was no companionship in it for
such.
On a beautiful Sabbath in early May, as the morning, with its
freshness, was dispelling the damps and shadows of the night from city
and country, a regiment was seen passing down the streets of the city
of Cleveland. The sweet strains of music and the heavy tramp of the
soldiers alone broke the silence. There was nothing but this martial
bearing, which marked the carriage of the members of the regiment, to
distinguish them from the multitude which was hastening in the same
direction; for there were no arms and no uniforms. Each member was
dressed in his citizen's garb, and there was no attempt at military
evolutions. It was a simple march of determined men to the defence of
their country. Solemnity and a becoming absence of unnecessary
enthusiasm marked the occasion with sublimity and grandeur. The faces
of those brave men were saddened with the thought of the perils which
lay before them, and the endearments that were behind. They were
marching to perform a sacred trust, confided to them by their
countrymen. "This was the first march of the gallant Seventh." Arriving
at the depot of the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati Railroad, it
took a train of cars for Camp Dennison, where it arrived in the
afternoon of the next day. Here they were totally unprepared to receive
it, no barracks having been erected, although one hundred men had been
sent there for that purpose several days previous. The ground was
perfectly saturated with water from a three days' rain, and the camp in
what had been a cornfield. But notwithstanding these difficulties, by
sunset the regiment had constructed barracks, and were comparatively
comfortable. In a few days the companies began to drill in earnest, and
their advancement was correspondingly rapid.
On the 11th day of May the regiment was ordered to elect, by ballot,
three field-officers. The candidates for colonel were, E. B. Tyler, of
Ravenna; a former brigadier of militia, and James A. Garfield. The
former was elected. Garfield afterwards became colonel of the
Forty-second regiment, and, in command of a brigade, defeated Humphrey
Marshall in Kentucky, for which he was given a star. Captain W. R.
Creighton was elected lieutenant-colonel, and J. S. Casement, of
Painesville, major.
On the 13th day of May, the President having issued a call for 42,032
volunteers for three years, a meeting was held in the Seventh Regiment,
when all but one of the officers were in favor of organizing under this
call. The subject being brought before the regiment on the following
day, about three-fourths of the command enlisted for the three years'
service. Recruiting officers were sent home, and by the middle of June
the regiment was full. It was mustered into the three years' service on
the 19th and 20th of June.
The companies were officered as follows: Company A, O. J. Crane, captain;
A. C. Burgess, first-lieutenant; D. A. Kimball, second-lieutenant.
Company B, James T. Sterling, captain; Joseph B. Molyneaux,
first-lieutenant; H. Z. Eaton, second-lieutenant. Company C, Giles W.
Shurtliff, captain; Judson N. Cross, first-lieutenant; E. Hudson Baker,
second-lieutenant. Company D, John N. Dyer, captain; Charles A. Weed,
first-lieutenant; A. J. Williams, second-lieutenant. Company E, John W.
Sprague, captain; Arthur T. Wilcox, first-lieutenant; Ralph Lockwood,
second-lieutenant. Company F, D. B. Clayton, captain; John B. Rouse,
first-lieutenant; A. C. Day, second-lieutenant. Company G, F. A.
Seymour, captain; W. H. Robinson, first-lieutenant; E. S. Quay,
second-lieutenant. Company H, Joel F. Asper, captain; Geo. L. Wood,
first-lieutenant; Halbert B. Case, second-lieutenant. Company I, W. R.
Sterling, captain; Samuel McClelland, first-lieutenant; E. F. Fitch,
second-lieutenant. Company K, John F. Schutte, captain; Oscar W. Sterl,
first-lieutenant; C. A. Nitchelm, second-lieutenant. H. K. Cushing was
appointed surgeon, and F. Salter assistant surgeon. John Morris was
appointed quartermaster, Louis G. De Forest, adjutant, and Rev. F. T.
Brown, chaplain.
Camp Dennison was well calculated for a camp of instruction. It is
separated into two parts by the track of the Little Miami Railroad,
while the river of the same name flows along its border. It is situated
between sloping hills of some magnitude, in a slightly undulating
valley. In summer it is beautiful; in winter, gloomy.
Soon after being mustered into service, the regiment was reviewed by
George B. McClellan, then major-general of Ohio militia, commanding the
Department of the Ohio. Immediately after, we were ordered to join his
forces in the field.
Accordingly, on the afternoon of the 26th of June, the regiment took
the cars for Columbus, Ohio, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Creighton, Colonel Tyler having gone in advance. Arriving in Columbus
late at night, it was transferred to the Central Ohio Railroad,
arriving at Bell air in the afternoon of the succeeding day. It was
immediately ordered across the river to Benwood, a small station on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a few miles below Wheeling. Here the
regiment was, for the first time, supplied with ammunition. It encamped
on the common, after the pieces were loaded. Much fatigued by their
long ride, the men threw themselves upon the hard ground, and were soon
enjoying a sound sleep.
In the mean time Major Casement was superintending the transportation
of the baggage and supplies across the river to a train of cars in
waiting.
Here and there the dusky forms of men were seen grouped over the fires,
which were dimly burning, discussing the stories which were floating
about camp, with no apparent starting place, of ambuscades, masked
batteries, and other concealed horrors.
Early on the morning of the 28th of June, three trains of cars were
slowly conveying the regiment into the wilds of Western Virginia, where
war, in its madness, was to confront it.
It arrived at Grafton early in the afternoon, and taking the
Parkersburg branch of the railroad, it arrived at Clarksburg before the
close of the day, and encamped in the outskirts of the village. The
entire regiment occupied tents, which were looked upon with much more
favor than densely crowded barracks.
While encamped at this place, a stand of colors was presented to the
regiment, the gift of the Turners, a society of Germans in Cleveland.
Near thirty miles from the village of Clarksburg is the small hamlet of
Weston, then a notorious haunt for rebels. In the place was a bank, in
which the deposits, to the amount of about thirty thousand dollars,
still remained. The authorities were desirous of procuring this
treasure. The undertaking was intrusted to the Seventh. It was proposed
to surprise the town early in the morning, before any one was astir to
give the alarm.
In the afternoon of the last day of June, the regiment wound its way
through the village, across the river, on to what is called the
Clarksburg pike, leading to Weston. The clay was intensely hot, and the
men entirely unused to marching. At sunset but little distance had been
made, and all were much fatigued, but still the gallant band pressed
onward. Weary and footsore, it moved on till daylight, when some
considerable distance intervened between it and the village. Men were
beginning to fall out by the wayside, unable to proceed further. At
this unfortunate moment the river appeared in view, which makes a bend
to the road, about a mile from Weston. On the opposite side of the road
was a gradual slope of cultivated land, with here and there a clump of
trees. From behind one of these a man was seen to emerge, and being
taken for one of the enemy's scouts, the command was given to "fire,"
when several pieces were discharged, without injury, however, to the
object of their aim. A double-quick was now ordered, when the men,
unable to proceed with their knapsacks, scattered them along the road.
Arriving at the town the right wing made a detour to the left, while
the left wing made a similar one to right, deploying as they went. In
this manner the village was entirely surrounded. The first intimation
the citizens had of the presence of the military was the playing of the
"Star Spangled Banner" by the band stationed in the park. A guard was
placed over the bank, and a member of the regiment detailed to look to
the business.
The Union citizens were overjoyed at the presence of the Federal
forces. They prepared a breakfast for the entire regiment, and other
charitable acts, which attested their devotion to the Union cause. The
regiment encamped on the bank of the river, near the cemetery.
During the first days of our stay at Weston many arrests were made of
disloyal citizens, a few of whom were sent to Columbus, Ohio, to await
the action of the Federal Government.
At this time a small force, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pond,
of the Seventeenth Ohio Volunteers, was besieged at Glenville, a small
village on the banks of the Little Kanawha, by a superior force of
rebels, under command of Major Patton, assisted by Captain O. Jennings
Wise. Companies H and B were sent to his relief. After a fatiguing
march of two days and one night they opened communication with Colonel
Pond, the rebels withdrawing at their approach.
Six more companies of the regiment arrived at Glenville on the
following day, Colonel Tyler being fearful that the first detachment
might meet with a reverse. Several other regiments arrived about the
same time, but left soon after.
During the stay of the regiment at this place, many scouting
expeditions were sent out; on which occasions many dangers and
hardships were encountered.
Just before our arrival at Glenville, a Union lady rode in the saddle
through the rebel camp, with the stars and stripes in one hand and a
pistol in the other, while she defied the rebel host. Being pursued,
she sought refuge in our camp, and finally accompanied the advance of
our forces to her home, with the proud satisfaction of seeing the old
banner once more planted on her native soil. During the progress of the
war she had suffered many perils. At one time she went to visit her
brother, who was concealed in the woods, for the purpose of giving him
food, when she was challenged by a rebel picket. She wheeled her horse,
and, by hard riding, escaped, the rebel bullets passing harmlessly over
her head.
Private Adams, of Company C, was wounded while on picket, being the
first casualty in the regiment produced by the enemy. About the same
time Captain Shurtliff had a horse shot from under him, while riding in
the vicinity of the camp, and within the Federal lines.
Some difficulty was experienced at this place in procuring supplies.
The regiment was fed for some time on corn meal and fresh beef. A mill,
however, was soon set in operation, and supplies of flour and meal were
furnished in abundance.