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OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest                    Volume 99 : Issue 397

Today's Topics:
  #1 HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 16            [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]

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X-Message: #1
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 10:41:30, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
Subject: HAMILTON COUNTY - PART 16


                        HAMILTON COUNTY - part 16

        Toward evening a furious thunder-storm drove us to our tents of
blankets and brushwood bowers. It wet us through and destroyed the
cartridges in our cotton haversacks. Just as the storm was closing, a
tremendous fusilade on our right, and the cries of our officer, The enemy
are upon us; turn out! turn out!" brought us to the fence again. The
rebels, we thought, had surprised and would be dashing down in a moment
with their cavalry through the moment with their cavalry through the
orchard in our rear. Several of our companies fired off their muskets in
that direction, and to the manifest danger of a line of our own sentinels.
It was a false alarm, and arose in the 110th Ohio, camped on the hill to
our right.
        You may ask what my sensations were as I thus stood back to the
fence, with uplifted musket in expectant attitude? To be honest, my teeth
chattered uncontrollably. I never boasted of courage. Drenched to the
marrow by the cold rain, I was shivering before the alarm, and so I
reasoned in this way -"Our men are all raw, our officers in the same doughy
condition. We are armed with the old, condemned Belgian rifle. Not one in
ten can be discharged. All my reading in history has ground the fact into
me, that militia, situated like us, are worthless when attacked by
veterans. An hundred experienced cavalrymen dashing down with drawn sabres,
revolvers and secesh yells will scatter us in a twinkling. When the others
run, and I know they will, I won't. I'll drop beside this fence, simulate
death, and open an eye to the culminating circumstances." I was not aching
for a fight. Ambitious youths going in on their muscles, alas! are apt to
come out on their backs.
        Unlike Norvel, I could not say:

        "I had heard of battles and longed
        To follow to the field some warlike chat."

        When at school I never fought excepting when my pugnacity was
aroused on seeing large boys tyrannize over small ones, I never slew
anything larger than a cat, which had scratched me, and at this, as soon as
done. I child-like, as child I was, repenting, sat down and cried. I am
soft-hearted as my uncle Toby with the fly - "Go, poor devil! the world is
large enough for both you and me." To pit my valuable life against one of
these low Southern whites -half animals, fierce as hyenas, degraded as
serfs -appeared a manifest incongruity. It never seemed so plain before. It
was tackling the beast in the only point where he was strong.
        Some things were revealed to me by this soldier life. The alarming
rumors current. The restraints upon one's liberty, imprisoned within the
lines of the regiment. The sensation of being ordered around by small men
in high places, and not admirable in any. The waste of war, piles of bread,
water-soaked by rain into worthless pulp. The vacuity of mind from the want
of business for continuous thought. The picturesque attitudes of scores of
men sleeping on heaps of straw; seen by the uncertain light of night. The
importance of an officers horse beyond that of a common soldier, shown by
the refusal of hay on which to sleep on the night of our arrival, because
the colonel's beast wanted it. Didn't our good mother earth furnish a bed?
        In our company were three of us -William J. Flagg, Samuel Davis and
myself, not relatives in any way -who, in a New England city, distant
nearly a thousand miles, had, over thirty years before been school-mates.
It illustrated a peculiar phase of American habits. We had some odd
characters. Our fifer, a short, spare-built, wan-faced man, had been in the
British army -had seen service in Afghanistan, the other side of the globe.
Another, a German lieutenant, had experience of war in our country -was at
Shiloh. He was imaginative. I talked with him in the night. To my query of
the probability of a night attack, he replied, Yes, the secesh always
attack in that way." Past midnight as he was going the rounds of the
pickets as officer of the guard, he said he saw crouching in the shadow of
a ravine a large body of rebels. He ran to headquarters and aroused our
colonel and staff; but when they arrived at the seeing point, lo! the foe
had vanished. A fat, gray-headed captain with protuberant abdomen came to
me soon after our arrival and with an impressive countenance discoursed of
the perils of our position. In this I quite agreed with him. Then putting
his hand on his stomach and giving his head a turn to one side, after the
usual manner of invalids in detailing, their very sick; the march over has
been too much for me; I feel a severe attack of my old complaint, cholera,
morbus, coming on." After this I missed him. He had got a permit from the
surgeon and returned home to be nursed. Our medical man, Dr. Dandridge, was
old Virginia born; and I had, notwithstanding his generous qualities,
suspected him of secesh sympathies. I wish to be charitable, but I must say
this confirmed my suspicion; it was evident he wished to get the fighting
men out of the way!
        Saturday afternoon, the 13th, we began our return march. The
militia were no longer needed, for the rebels had fallen back, and
thousands of regular soldiers had been pouring into the city and spreading
over the hills. Our return was an ovation. The landing was black with men,
women and children. We recrossed the pontoon amid cheers and the boom of
cannon. Here, on the safe side of the river, the sick captain, now
recovered, joined his regiment. With freshly shaven face, spotless collar
and bright uniform, he appeared like a bandbox soldier among dust covered
warriors. Escaping our perils, he shared our glories, as, with drawn sword,
he strutted through street after street amid cheers of the multitude,
smiles of admiring women, and waving of kerchiefs. Weary and dirt-begrimed,
we were, in a tedious circuitous march, duly shown off by our officers to
all their lady acquaintances, until night came to our relief, kindly
covered us with her mantle, and stopped the tomfoolery. The lambs led forth
to slaughter thus returned safely, to their folds, because the butcher
hadn't come.
        It is now known that Kirby Smith was never ordered to attack
Cincinnati, but only to demonstrate; and about this very time the advance
of Buell seemed to Bragg so menacing that he made haste to order Smith back
to his support. The force that approached so near the city at no time
comprised 12,000 men and were under the immediate command of General Heath.
In speaking of this event after the war, Kirby Smith said that at one time
he could "have very easily entered Cincinnati with his troops, but all h-ll
could not have got them out again."

                                MORGAN'S RAID.
        Morgan's raid in July of the next year was the next event to arouse
an excitement in the city. He came within a few miles and slipped around it
in the night. The details of the raid are given elsewhere. After the battle
of Buffington Island the prisoners, amounting to about 700 men, were
brought to the city in steamers. The privates were sent from here to
Indianapolis. The officers, about 70 in number, were landed at the foot of
Main street from the steamer Starlight, and marched up the street under a
strong guard to the city prison on Ninth street. The people had regarded
them in the light of horse-thieves, and greatly rejoicing at their capture,
as they passed along, in places expressed their contempt by howls and
cat-cries. No other bodies of prisoners brought to the city during the war
were otherwise than respectfully received. Indeed the only word of
disrespect we heard towards any of them came from a little boy and of our
own family. It was early morning when in our residence on East Fifth
street, near Pike, we were attracted by sounds in the street. Rushing to
the door our eyes were greeted by the sight of a body of say 200 unarmed
men dressed in gray, and the whole mass were on a run in the middle of the
street hurrying to the depot of the little Miami Railroad en route for Camp
Chase. At this sight the little one at my side called out, "Rebel traitors
-rebel traitors!" Curious to know the effect of so much war time education
he was receiving had upon the same young mind we about then inquired:
"Would you like to be a soldier?" "No, sir; not one of the kind that go to
war." "Why not?" "Because, I should expect to get killed."
        Morgan and a number of his officers were confined in the State
Prison at Columbus, from whence the great raider made his escape on the
night of the 27th of November. The following particulars of the flight were
detailed in a Richmond paper:
        "It had been previously determined that, on reaching the outer
walls, the parties should separate. Morgan and Hines together, and the
others to shape their course for themselves. Thus they parted. Hines and
the General proceeded at once to the depot to purchase their tickets for
Cincinnati. But, lo! where was the money? The inventive Hines had only to
touch the magical wand, of his ingenuity to be supplied. While in prison he
had taken the precautions, after planning his escape, to write to a lady
friend in a peculiar cypher, which when handed to the authorities, to read
through openly, contained nothing contraband, but which, on the young lady
receiving, she, according to instructions, sent him some books, in the back
of one of which she concealed some "greenbacks, and across the inside wrote
her name to indicate the place where the money was deposited. The books
came safe to hand, and Hines was flush. Going boldly up to the ticket
office, while Morgan, modestly stood back and adjusted a pair of green
goggles over his eyes, which one of the men, having weak eyes, had worn in
prison.
        They took their seats without suspicion. How their hearts beat
until the locomotive whistled to start! Slowly the wheels turn, and they
are off. The cars were due in Cincinnati at 7 o'clock a.m. At Xenia they
were detained one hour. What keen anguish of suspense did they not suffer!
They knew at 5 o'clock a.m. the convicts would be called, and that their
escape would then be discovered, when it would be telegraphed in every
direction; consequently the guards would be ready to greet them on their
arrival. They were rapidly nearing th city of abolition hogdom. It was a
cool, rainy morning. Just as the train entered the suburbs, about half a
mile from the depot, the escaped prisoners went out on the platform and put
on the brakes, checking the cars sufficiently to let them jump off. Hines
jumped off first, and fell, considerably stunned. Morgan followed, unhurt.
They immediately made for the river. Here they found a boy with a skiff,
who had just ferried across some ladies from the kentucky side. They dared
not turn their heads for fear of seeing the guards coming. "Hines,"
whispered the General, "look and see if anybody is coming." The boy was
told they wanted to cross, but he desired to wait for more passengers. The
General told him he was in a hurry, and promised to pay double fare. The
skiff shot out into stream -they soon reached the Kentucky shore, and
breathed -free."

        -continued in part 17

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End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #397
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