OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - And Then They Went West (published 1897) [Part 8] *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 April 24, 1999 *********************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio The Kelley Family Book compiled by Hermon Alfred Kelley 1897 And Then They Went West by D. Kelley 1998 (Part 8) *********************************************** Military Records At the outbreak of the Civil War a call was issued through the medium of the "Islander" for a meeting of the Kelley's Island Union Guards, to be held Jan. 19,1861. The first military company of the island chose George P. Bristol, then twenty-one years old, to be its captain. Mr. Bristol had had some military training having been a member of a similar organization at his home town, Ravenna, Ohio. He was minus a thumb and finger which he lost while in Ravenna by the explosion of a cannon that was being fired in honor of the arrival of Governor Chase. The Union Guards was an artillery company. They obtained one of the old cannon that had been used on board one of Commodore Perry's fleet at the battle of Lake Erie. About the only service they perfomed, beyond reassuring the inhabitants of the island, who feared an attack by Rebels and Southern sympathizers from Canada, was to participate in the Perry Victory Celebration at Put-in-Bay on Sept.11,1861. It was not until the call of July 2,1862, was made by the government of the United States that recruiting became active in Sandusky. Several of the island boys enlisted in the 101st Ohio Volunteer Regiment, Company B, which was organized in Sandusky. The roster shows the names of Sergeant Simon Huntington, a son of George C. Huntington, Emmett Lincoln, and John M. Ward. The roster of the 24th Infantry contains the names of Sergeant James Quinn and George Stubenhofer. The 3rd Ohio Cavalry attracted John Woodford and Stephen French. We know from other sources that Charles Quinn, Jake Rush and Morris Lincoln were together on a gunboat on the Mississippi River. Pat and John Monaghan also volunteered and were accepted. George P. Bristol volunteered but was rejected because he was minus the thumb and finger. It is recorded in the Islander that the men were awarded a bounty of fifty dollars each in 1862. The sum was raised by the island folks and was intended for the support of the families of those who joined the Army at the time. They were as follows; Simon Huntington, John M.Ward, Jerome Hollay, Bradford Severy, Charles McGettigan, William Hutton, Dennis Mullen, Henry Pape, August Raab, Emmett Lincoln and George Wright. These men, then, are some of the least of the island men who joined in 1862 or before. A draft of fifty Island men was made on August 4,1862, of which fourteen were accepted. Unfortunately the record is not complete, so we are not able to give all their names. The account showed that it had been said by Army officials that Kelley's Island supplied the Army a larger proportion of its men than any other community in the United States. Of the above men, Simon Huntington was wounded at the battle of Stone River and died in the hospital. Douglas Kelley was taken prisoner and languished at Libbey Prision from which dismal place he wrote letters that were published in the " Islander". The other men except John Ward, who died of sickness, returned at the end of their enlistments. Most, but not all, were three year men. During 1863, the excitement on the island incident to the war was intense Rumors of rebel activities in Canada and threats of raids from that direction by bands of southern sympathizers lead by rebel officers kept the island people in a more or less anxious state. The letters from the island boys at the front were publicly read at the "Lodge" and the newspapers were scanned with eager interest for war news. On July 14, 1863, according to the "Islander," a company of volunteer militia for State defense was recruited in less than twenty-four hours. Ninety-six men enrolled themselves. The chronicler of this event in the " Islander " opined that "the speed could not be beat anywhere in Ohio. July 24th, election of company officers was held and resulted as follows; Captain, W.S. Webb; First Lieutenant, George P. Bristol; Second Lieutenant, Henry Lang. The following is a complete list of officers and non-commissioned officers as published by the Orderly Sergeant, Erastus Huntington, in the first issue of the "Islander" for 1863-4: Captain,W.S. Webb; First Lieutenant, George P. Bristol; Second Lieutenant, Henry Lang; Orderly Sergeant, Erastus Huntington; Second Sergeant,Michael Hughs; Third Sergeant, Hamilton Hays; Fourth Sergeant, Jacob Vogt, 1st; Fifth Sergeant, James Titus; 1st Corporal, William True; 2nd Corporal, C. Sternberger; 3rd Corporal, H.H. Woodford; 4th Corporal, H. Ohmacher; 5th Corporal, B. McGettigan,Jr.; 6th Corporal, Lester Carpenter; 7th Corporal, Jacob Beaty ; 8th Corporal, W.D. Kelley; Fifer, Jacob Voyt, 2nd.; and sixty privates. Of these, eight were unfit for duty, leaving available strength of a company 69 strong. We find in the record book of thr township clerk dated July 14,1863, the following entry; " Board met and determined and did give certificates of exemption to the following persons; Henry Elfers, John Harly, Pat Gallagher, John Carter, Henry Gallagher, Henry Pringnitz. -- No other business, board adjourned with this statement. Whole number enrolled 134. Exempted 16, leaving company strength of 118.---George P. Bristol, Tp, Clerk." There appeared in a December, 1863, issue of the New York Tribune a statement that there was an army of twenty thousand rebel soldiers lying in wait at Point au Pele' Island, for the purpose of making an attack upon the United States army post at Sandusky. That the plan was to liberate the rebel prisioners who only three miles from the city of Sandusky. If true, this was indeed a very serious matter, for it was entirely possible, if the ice was strong enough, as it often was, for the army to march directly to Sandusky by the way of Middle Island , Kelley' s Island and Marblehead, which were convenient stopping places, about equally distant from each other and the two terminal points. Within a few days after this article appeared in the Tribune, Captain Wm. S.Webb of the Kelley's Island home guard, Company E., recieved an order from General Terry to report to Captain Bassett, commanding the army Post at Sandusky, and Johnson Island. Capt. Webb, immediately upon receipt of the order, went to Sandusky, where he received instructions regarding an order to establish look out camps at strategic points along the north shore of Kelley's Island. Upon his return to the island, Capt Webb called his lieutenants, Bristol and Lang into conference and made for establishing the guard. On Jan. 15, 1864, the first patrol guard was established at West Bay and named the encampment Camp Cattanach, because Mr. Cattanach's fish house was utilized . The pickets were stationed at intervals along the shore from Cameron's Point to Long Point. The men were skeptical and inclined to make a joke of the affair, for few, if any, believed that any danger threatened. They were dubbed, " the frontier Guards" and numerous practical jokes were played on them. Someone, under cover of darkness, placed a wooden dummy on the ice, so that it appeared to the two guards who saw it at daybreak, to be a man approaching from the direction of Canada. The officer of the guard was called and excitement was temporarily high; but soon the Hoax was discovered and great hilarity followed. On the following Thursday night, an alarm was called by the guards, reporting that several lights were seen on Middle Island, supposed to be signal fires of the rebels. Capt. Webb was immediately called to the scene. He ordered the Orderly Segeant, Erastus Huntington, to call out the whole company at the first signal of alarm. Nothing further occurred during the following day, except that the company was called together at three o.clock in the afternoon at Kelley's Hall where extra ammunition was issued and the company ordered to " sleep on their arms " at the hall that night in anticipation of a possible night attack by rebels. In the meantime , Morris Lincoln and Oscar Dean were sent to Middle island to investigate. It is almost unnecessary to say that this event caused the wildest excitement on the island. Many packed up their most valuable and more easily moved effects in readiness to leave the island in case it was attacked. Others hid themselves,the silverware, money and jewelry and while the men were away, the women and children gathered in their neighbors homes too frightened to stay alone. Some affected to be entirely alarmed and attributed the so-called signal fires to " Northern Lights" or Aurora Borealis, quite common in winter months. (to be con't in part-9)