Franklin County KyArchives Biographies.....Dooley, Aaron T. June 28, 1832 - unknown
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Sandi Gorin http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00002.html#0000404 April 1, 2005, 7:38 pm

Author: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Boone, Clinton & Hendricks Counties, In.Records of Prominent & Representative Citizens. 

CAPT. AARON T. DOOLEY, one of the officers of the Civil war and an honored 
citizen, springs from Scotch-Irish ancestry, who were pioneers from Kentucky, 
Ohio and Virginia, and were soldiers in the war of 1812, and three of them were 
killed in the battle of River Raisin. Aaron Dooley, grandfather of our subject, 
was a pioneer of Franklin county, Ky., from Bedford county, Va., in 1800, with 
his family. He died in that county.  Thomas S. Dooley, father of our subject, 
was born in Virginia, and was four years of age when brought to Kentucky. He 
was a pioneer farmer and married Nancy Crutcher, and to them were born five
children: Frances, Martha J., Aaron T., Logan (died as a young man) and
James M. Mr. Dooley was a substantial farmer of Kentucky and member of the
Presbyterian church. Politically he was an old-line whig and a strong Union
man, and both his sons were in the Civil war --- James M., in a Kentucky
regiment and in several battles; and Capt. Aaron Dooley, our subject, was
born [June] 28, 1832, received a common-school education, and came to
Indiana at the age of twenty years, in 1851, and married, in 1853, Elizabeth
A. Dooley, and to them were born two children, both now deceased. This wife
died in 1860, and he married Malinda E., daughter of Archibald and Elizabeth
(Worley) West, and to Captain and Mrs. Dooley nine children have been born:
Levi W., James Clarence, Lillie R., Ira L., William T., Daisy A., Bettie,
Virgie and Ethel. When the war broke out Capt. Dooley enlisted at New
Winchester, October 7, 1861, for three years, or during the war, in company
C, Fifty-first regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry, and on the organization
of the regiment, was elected and commissioned second lieutenant of his
company --- Capt. Sheets (killed in battle), First Lieutenant Samuel
Livingston, and Col. Able D. Straight. Capt. Dooley was in the battles of
Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth, Perryville, Ky., Stone River and on
Col. Straight's raid, which was for the purpose of destroying bridges, etc.,
to prevent Gen. Bragg from receiving reinforcements from the east. The
infantry were mounted, the horses being taken from the people, and much time
was lost, the horses and mules being very poor. During this raid the troops
were under fire day and night and were hotly pursued by Gens. Rody and
Forrest with large forces, and the skirmishing was continued, the Federals
having no time to sleep. Near Rome, Ga., Col. Straight was obliged to
surrender the command, and Capt. Dooley found himself a prisoner and was
taken to Libby Prison and confined in that famous bastile twelve months. The
rations consisted of a small piece of corn-bread, and one-fourth pound of
bacon, a little rice and "Nigger peas", the rations being so small and poor
that the men became very emaciated. For two months the rebel authorities
allowed the Union prisoners to receive food from the Union lines; but that
was soon stopped. Capt. Dooley was taken to Macon, Ga., from Libby, and
confined from May to August, 1864; then taken to Charleston, S.C., and
imprisoned two months in the jail yard, the food being more scarce than
ever. Here they were visited by bankers and other moneyed people of
Charleston, who offered them Confederate money for their pay account and
drafts on Northern firms, and in this way the Union officer received about
$7,000 in Confederate money (the drafts were made on fictitious parties),
and thus they were enabled to buy extra food. For $50.00 in Confederate
money they could get a fine meal; a pound of butter for $30.00, a pound of
beef for $30.00, and a bushel of sweet potatoes, and so on. Six hundred of
the Federal officers were imprisoned there to prevent the Federals from
shelling the city, but the artillerymen understood where the prisoners were
and continued to shell. From there the prisoners were taken to Columbia, and
here several prisoners escaped; among them Judge Hadley, of Danville. After
being confined during the winter of 1864-65, they were taken to Charlotte
and confined for a short time, and Capt. Dooley and 100 others escaped, and
one week later were captured trying to cross the Catauba river and taken
back to prison. Capt. Dooley was then paroled and sent north to Annapolis,
Md., to be exchanged, and here was mustered out of the service on account of
expiration of enlistment. He arrived home March 17, 1865, having been a
prisoner twenty-two months in rebel prisons, endured a vast amount of
suffering, and witnessed the fearful sights of those prison pens. When
imprisoned Capt. Dooley weighed 200 pounds, and was one of the strongest men
of his regiment, and when he came out he weighed 150 pounds, and his
constitution was completely shattered, so that he has not been a well man
since. He was promoted to first lieutenant at the battle of Stone River, and
commanded his company on Straight's raid, being the only officer with his
company, the original officers having been killed. He is the only survivor
of his five messmates in Libby prison. He was commissioned captain in 1864,
while he was i n prison. After the war, he engaged in farming, buying his
present farm in 1865, consisting of eighty acres, and besides this home, the
captain has 100 acres in the same neighborhood. Politically he is a
republican, and cast his first vote for John C. Freemont, for president. He
is a member of the G.A.R., Jesse S. Ogden post, Danville, Capt. Dooley
stands high among the people, and was county commissioner from 1876 to 1882.
Before the war he was township trustee of Marion township. He and wife are
members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, in which he is elder. When he
surrendered, the terms were that the soldiers retain their effects and
side-arms, money, etc., but he was soon robbed of his greenbacks, of which
he had quite a sum. The guards at Libby prison were very brutal and many
prisoners were shot down. There were 1,400 confined there at one time. When
Col. Straight made his famous escape, Capt. Dooley was prevented from going
out by the rush until too late. One hundred men escaped, including Col.
Straight, it requiring some time for them to crowd through the long tunnel.
Capt. Dooley is one of the respected citizens of Hendricks county and stands
deservedly high as a citizen and his descendants will long preserve the
record of his terrible experiences as a prisoner of war. In the museum at
Libby prison in Chicago, the bunk of Capt. Dooley is preserved, to which his
name is attached.  [writer's note- this museum no longer exists...]



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