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PHASES OF THE CIVIL WAR

Chapter 3

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At the beginning of the Civil War, the people were not slow to apprehend its great menace to the Union. So far as legislative action in the South was concerned, the Union was already divided. The South had already seceded and set up a government of its own, to be known to posterity as "The Confederate States of America." This action on its part was not construed by the North as a finality, and so determined to contest the proceeding, and leave it to the arbitrament of war.

The first year of the war demonstrated a misfortune in the lack of a trained soldiery. The volunteers had the resolution and courage, but not the drill, which was limited, and the developed hardihood of ample service. The first generals had already acquired the theories, but not the hardening practice and strategies of a great war. Thus unpreparedness and inexperience were the prime cause of thousands of untimely deaths.

The first year was the boastful period. While the Northern soldiers, in the buoyancy of imaginative youth, thought they would have a walk-over, their Southern antagonists laid claim to the ability that "one Johnnie in battle could easily whip five yanks, on an average." But this was before they had done much shooting at each other. Later both sides discovered that it was a family rumpus, anyway, and it would hardly be expected to find all he best fighters on one side.

The war was not settled in the first three months service and Lincoln's next call was for 100,000 volunteers. Greene County volunteers were mostly in the 12th regiment, under the first call and a scattering few in regiments of adjacent counties. The brave Colonel Lowe, of the 12th, was killed at Carnifax Ferry, after the Scary Creek fight, some say after being stung to the quick by flagrant insinuations that he had been too careful of his personal safety in the action at Scary Creek, where the Jamestown boys fought and Clinton Timberlake fell. It was also said that to refute the slanderous imputations against him, Colonel Lowe exposed himself reckless bravery at Carnifax Ferry and died a hero's death. So Colonel John W. Lowe, of Greene County, was the first commissioned officer from Ohio killed in the Civil War.

The Cedarville boys were mostly in the 12th regiment and suffered severely, being among the foremost in the early campaigns, and many laid down their lives for their country.

But in the summer of 1861 in Jamestown and vicinity a company was organized with A. S. Ballard, Captain, and Thomas C. Bell, First Lieutenant. Captain Ballard had been a Forty-niner, and had survived the trying hardships of that long overland tramp to the sunset state, so fatal to many. He knew what it was to lay by the trackless path for many long nights, to endure the pangs of hunger, as well as other dangers of the trip, one of them being the frequent attacks of hostile Indians.

More than any of his men did Captain Ballard understand the portents and meaning of war. His selection as Captain of the company met with the hearty approval of all of its members.

A word about this company. It was made up mostly of young men of the best families of Jamestown and vicinity. The boys were of strong build, good appearance, brave, and patriotic to the core. During its summer drill days in 1861, a number of recruiting officers came here at different times from many parts of the state, if per chance they might enduce the company to form the nucleus of some new regiment in which they were interested. One of these young officers was Captain Isaac Sherwood, of Toledo, afterwards a gallant Brigadier General, and for several terms, and now, a prominent Democratic congressman.

But these tempting officer were promptly declined. The company had another course in view and one to reflect more tangible honor on itself as well as on Greene County. This arrangement was in due time effected, which resulted in the organization of the 74th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with the Jamestown Company as letter A., and its Captain becoming the first Major of the regiment.

On the 9th of October 1861, Co. A. entered Camp Lowe, Xenia, Oh, as the nucleus of the 74th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The camp was named after Col. John W. Lowe, who fell in the thickest of the fight at Carnifax Ferry, W. Virginia, a few months before. We may drop the remark here that in the death of Col. Lowe, Greene County's chance for her highest officer to reach the rank of Brigadier General was lost on the battlefield where it would have been won, had he survived. The nearest we ever came to it was when Secretary of War Stanton, sent Col. Granville Moody's name to the Senate which gave him the title by brevet.

The old Fairgrounds at the east end of Xenia were improvised for a camp. The horse stalls were made to serve as tents, in which bunks were put up, and the boys began their first practice in acquiring the callous state of the hip bones, so necessary to fully appreciate the solid comfort to be found in fondly snuggling down to the soft side of a board. And thus, for three months, as the nights grew long, they took their airy flights into dreamland, always touching at the Old Home, but soldier-like were back in time to answer the call of the reveille.

There were some good singers in Co. A. And on moonlight nights the air was rife with song. Not only the old songs of peaceful times, but the current war songs, then rapidly appearing. One of the old songs was a great favorite. It was called "Bingen on the Rhine." It describes a wounded soldier left on the snow covered battlefield, with the pale moon shining calmly down, while all about is so cold and still; and as his life blood ebbs fast away, his feeble breath mutters the sweet memories of the far off Rhineland. Coincidentally, it was the sad fate of one of these best singers at Camp Lowe, later to lay down his life the same way in the bloody struggle of three days in the winter of 1862-63 at Stone River.

When the 74th had its full complement of companies, Granville Moody was commissioned Colonel and Alexander Von Schrader, Lieutenant Colonel. Col. Moody had been a prominent Methodist preacher for thirty years. He had fought Sin under all its guises. He considered the sin of the South in its effort to break up the Union, one of the most diabolical. He had no patience with a people that had no more gumption than to kill the hen that laid the golden egg. The The Colonel was a stalwart, fine looking man. He took lessons in boxing in his youth, and had in his veins both Northern and Southern blood. He was a great orator and never felt lack of words to express himself on any subject. He was a born fighter, and only restraining grace, as he said, kept him from getting into trouble at times. One incident of his belligerency well illustrates this phase of his nature. He was making a speech at Piqua during the war. A congressman McKinney disputed his word. The Colonel told him what would happen if he continued his interruptions. But McKinney persisted. A second warning came but no heed was paid, when he got through with him he returned to the speaker's stand, finished his speech, without further interruption. His restrained grace was turned loose only on appropriate occasions.

Lieutenant Colonel Von Schrader was a Prussian officer. He had come to this country and espoused the cause of the Union. He was a strict drillmaster, and exacted obedience as the first requisite of a soldier. Some of his men didn't like him; others didn't like Col. Moody. So the volunteer system had its likes and dislikes, and early disregard of higher authority was sure later to get the volunteer into trouble. As an ecclesiastic, Col. Moody always obeyed his superiors; as a Prussian officer, Lt. Col. Von Schrader rendered strict obedience, and this he taught his soldiers, and they saw the day when his strict orders were accepted with forgiving grace and approval.

The organization of the regiment made Captain Ballard, of Co. A., Major, and Lieutenant Thomas C. Bell, Captain; Second Lieutenant J. W. McMillen became First Lieutenant and Thomas H. Adams, Second Lieutenant. For the present we shall leave the 74th in Camp Lowe, pursuing their daily drills and other duties, and gather up some collateral incidents.

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