With the Stigma of a Paroled Prisoner: A 3rd Ohio Cavalryman Remembers Ashland

     It was a week after the Battle of Perryville and with General Braxton Bragg’s army well on the road back to Tennessee, the troopers of the 3rd Ohio and 4th Ohio little thought they had much to worry about as they went into camp in a woodlot on the grounds of Henry Clay’s estate, Ashland near Lexington, Kentucky. The Federal pursuit of Bragg’s army had been a leisurely affair, and it was believed that Bragg wanted nothing more than to get back to Tennessee unmolested.

    But at dawn on October 18, 1862, the Ohioans learned, much to their chagrin, that an aggressive force of Confederate cavalry under John Hunt Morgan wasn’t interested in slipping quietly back to Tennessee quite yet. Morgan commanded a small force consisting of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry regiment, two cavalry battalions, and a pair of guns and was determined to operate in the Federal rear and cause mayhem. His scouts had reported that the Ohioans were isolated and divided, so Morgan resolved to attack them at dawn. Two cavalry battalions and the cannon approached the Federal encampment along the Richmond road while Morgan led Basil Duke’s 2nd Kentucky around to swoop down from the South. The plan worked: the cavalry battalions under Gano and Breckenridge opened fire and once fully engaged, Duke’s men appeared in the Federal rear and added their fire. The Buckeyes folded quickly, and eventually over 290 Federals were captured in this action then just as quickly paroled as Morgan headed back to Tennessee.

    First Lieutenant Oliver M. Brown of Co. B of the 3rd Ohio Cavalry was among the paroled prisoners, and provided this account of the action at Ashland to the Daily Toledo Blade.

Henry Clay made his fortune growing hemp on a 600 acre plantation that he named Ashland, at one time employing as many as 60 slaves. He built the main house in the early 1800s but by the time of the Civil War, his son James Brown Clay owned the house and was living here with his family at the time of the battle. What exists today is actually James' rebuilt 1857 version of the house as the original structure, damaged by the 1811 New Madrid earthquake and suffering from shoddy brickwork, had proved to be an unstable structure. The rebuild utilized features from the original Federal-style structure but included Italianate elements that were more fashionable in the 1850s. The home is now a National Historic Landmark and is operated by the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation. 

 

Camp Lew Wallace, Columbus, Kentucky

October 23, 1862

    How changing are the events of a soldier’s life. When I last wrote to you from West Point, the 3rd Ohio Cavalry was marching with all the pride of success through Kentucky in pursuit of the enemy. Since that time this noble regiment has suffered severe losses. Then your humble servant was with his regiment, proud to bear some humble part in the honors it had already won; now, with the stigma of a paroled prisoner attached to his name, he is laying on his oars at Camp Lew Wallace.

    On the 16th day of October while in camp at Danville, Kentucky, the Third Battalion (Companies C, G, I, and K) of the 3rd Ohio and the First Battalion of the 4th Ohio Cavalry were ordered, under the command of Major Charles B. Seidel, to Camp Dick Robinson to take charge of some commissary stores that Bragg, in his hasty retreat, had left behind. We arrived at that place about 5 p.m. During the succeeding night, two officers of General Alexander McCook’s staff came into camp and early the next morning we started for Lexington with them, arriving there about 4 o’clock of the same day. The people of Lexington received us with demonstrations of joy, crowds thronging through the streets and shouts for the Ohio boys rang from one portion of the city to the other. That night we camped on the grounds of Ashland.

Major Oliver May Brown
3rd O.V.C.

    At daybreak the next morning [October 18th], we were ordered to saddle our horses and head out immediately. This order was scarcely obeyed when the pickets came dashing in and told the Major that the enemy was advancing in force. He immediately asked Captain Henry B. Gaylord of Co. I to advance and attack the enemy. This the captain did most gallantly, pouring a deadly fire into their charging columns, causing them to halt. The enemy’s mounted infantry (who had previously dismounted) now made their appearance in line of battle about 40 rods from where our command was already in line. Captain Gaylord was now ordered to fall back on a line with the balance of the force, and the men were ordered to dismount and open fire on the enemy. Foremost in the ranks was Edwin A. Carr, gallantly urging on his comrades; but scarcely had the battle commenced when that noble youth fell, shot through the lungs, and died in a few minutes.

    Our men resolutely maintained their ground for 15 or 20 minutes against a force more than three times their number. Major Seidel then gave the order to fall back and form a new line about 200 yards to the rear. In doing this, we were met by a large force of the enemy’s cavalry who had succeeded in turning our right flank and had formed a line in an angular direction across the field. Most of them had our blue overcoats on and at first sight I supposed that we had reinforcements and should be able to repulse the enemy. But I was soon undeceived.

    About this time, another column of the enemy’s cavalry came charging up the road and formed a junction with the last force mentioned, this making their triumph complete. Thus, our little handful of brave men was completely surrounded by an overwhelming force and within easy pistol range of the two last mentioned ranks. Further resistance would be in vain, and the Major reluctantly gave the order to surrender. As soon as the men had laid down their arms, the Rebels commenced pouring in upon them a deadly crossfire from both of their ranks and the wonder is that any of them escaped alive. When we afterwards remonstrated with them for this brutal act, their only excuse was that one of our officers was seen still holding his pistol. No sooner had the firing commenced than Private Lafayette Wise of Company G seized his carbine which still lay at his feet, and shot a Rebel officer, who stood near him, mortally wounding him; but he was in turn shot through the heart by a Rebel captain. Noble man! He undoubtedly thought he was shooting the Rebel chief Morgan, and that he would rid the country of him though it should cost him his life. Long may his memory live in the hearts of his countrymen. The wounded Rebel proved to be Major George Washington Morgan, a cousin of General Morgan.[1]

    

Captain Horace Newton Howland, Co. C, 3rd O.V.C. was among the troopers captured at Ashland.

    After the fight was over, we were marched up to the house of James B. Clay, and the work of paroling commenced, and in less than three hours after we were taken, all were paroled. Our whole force in Lexington did not exceed 240, and 40 of these had been stationed in the courthouse as provost guards under the command of Lieutenant Shoemaker. Fifteen more under the command of Lieutenant James R. Hall of Co. K were out patrolling the roads. So, it will be seen that the force engaged in the fight did not exceed 185. The Rebel force according to their adjutant general was 3,500. Our loss was four killed and eight wounded. The Rebel loss, according to their brigade surgeon’s statement, was eleven killed and 15 wounded.

 

3rd Ohio Veteran Volunteer Cavalry reunion ribbon from 1885.

    Oliver May Brown was born September 25, 1826 in Genesee County, New York and prior to the war had moved to Ohio where he owned a blacksmith shop. He married Celia Burrall in 1847 and had two sons, the oldest (Charles) serving with Oliver through the war and became known the “boy bugler” of Sherman’s army. Oliver was a man of deep religious convictions and worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. When the war broke out, he was convinced that it was a God-given opportunity “to free the slaves and save the Union.” He was commissioned second lieutenant of Co. C of the 3rd Ohio Volunteer Cavalry on August 16, 1861 and had a very active career with the regiment. He was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant of Co. B on July 20, 1862, was transferred to Co. K April 24, 1863, then promoted to captain of Co. C August 19, 1863. He was shot in the shoulder during the engagement near Lexington, Kentucky and among Brown’s notable wartime experiences was commanding the rear guard during the cavalry fight at Lovejoy Station in August 1864. At the end of the war, he was promoted to the rank of major but was never mustered at than rank. He mustered out with the regiment August 4, 1865 and returned to Ohio. He founded the Faith Missionary Society and was one of the fathers of the Christian Alliance Church. Brown lived in Cleveland for many years. He died November 25, 1910 at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, Ohio and is buried at Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin, Ohio.

 Source:

Letter from First Lieutenant Oliver M. Brown, Co. B, 3rd Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Daily Toledo Blade (Ohio), October 27, 1862, pg. 2


[1] Captain Horace Howland of Co. C, 3rd Ohio Cavalry reported that Private Wise was gunned down by a Captain McFarlin. Corporal Thomas Croft wrote that the Confederates, under General John Hunt Morgan, paroled the men “at once, and we started for this place in the afternoon about 4 o’clock and got here noon the next day. It was 24 miles and it tired us a good deal for we are not used to walking. The Rebels took everything from us, canteens, haversacks, and blankets.” Daily Toledo Blade, October 23, 1862, pg. 2 and October 25, 1862, pg. 2

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Arming the Buckeyes: Longarms of the Ohio Infantry Regiments

Image
     A common question that comes up in conversation about Civil War Buckeye regiments is "What were they armed with?" We are fortunate in that the state of Ohio kept good records of how the regiments were armed when they went into service, this being especially true for those regiments which went into service in 1861 and 1862. The state adjutant general's reports for 1861 and 1862 have been heavily drawn upon to construct this article, as well as consultation with Phil Spaugy who has done extensive research on how Ohio's troops were armed during the war.      Buckeyes carried a fairly wide variety of weapons into the field, and the below article breaks this down into weapons of both domestic manufacture and imported arms. The early days of the war found the state of Ohio practically bereft of longarms; as an example, when the 1st and 2nd Ohio Volunteer Militia left the state in late April 1861, they left unarmed, being armed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on t...
Read more

Bullets for the Union: Manufacturing Small Arms Ammunition During the Civil War

Image
       Civil War bullets are perhaps the most common item collected from the era; the two armies expended bullets by the millions during the four years’ conflict and spent or deformed bullets of all shapes and sizes have made fascinating and affordable collectibles since the guns went silent in 1865.       I recently acquired a display piece featuring 35 different types of small arms ammunition used during the Civil War, including everything from a small .28 caliber ball up to a .69 caliber three-ring Minie and it triggered some questions: how did the Federal army obtain its small arms ammunition during the war? Where did the lead come from to make the bullets, and where and how was the ammunition manufactured? This post seeks to answer those questions. A typical .58 caliber 3-ring Minie bullet   “Whenever the blasts of war blow in the ears of men who trade in the implements of destruction, they are apt to experience more joy than the true ...
Read more

Dressing the Rebels: How to Dye Butternut Jeans Cloth

Image
     In the early days of the Civil War,  the Southern states found themselves with an abundance of cotton but a shortage of cloth with which to make army uniforms. The trade in cloth prior to the war had largely been to send raw cotton or wool north to New England (or Great Britain) where it was converted into usable cloth; but now that trade was broken and the Southern states were thrown upon their own resources in their efforts to properly clothe the Confederate army.  This collection of Confederate enlisted men's frock coats and shell jackets gives some indication of the variety of shades of butternut worn during the war. All of them are shades of yellow brown, some heavier on the yellow and some heavier on the brown. The blue used around the collar or as rank insignia indicates that the soldier was in the infantry. Surviving Confederate uniforms are considered rather rare and command quite a healthy price in the collecting market. For an in-depth study of h...
Read more

The Wizard of Oz and the Civil War

Image
T he 1939 film The Wizard of Oz has delighted viewers for 85 years and ranks as a personal favorite, especially during the Halloween season. While watching it with the family the other night, I wondered if there were any connections between the film and the Civil War. Not surprisingly, the answer is yes and those connections touch both the blue and the gray.           Interestingly both “witches” in the film not only had Civil War ancestors but had connections with Civil War soldiers from Ohio. Margaret Hamilton, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, to attorney Walter Jones Hamilton and his wife Mary Jane Adams; Margaret’s grandfather was Judge Edwin Timothy Hamilton. Judge Hamilton had served as a private in Co. D of the 84 th Ohio Infantry during the summer of 1862. The 84 th Ohio, a three months’ regiment, served nearly the whole of its service attached to the Railroad District in western Ma...
Read more

The Vaunted Enfield Rifle Musket

Image
     The English-made Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield Rifle Musket was widely regarded as the best infantry arm in the world at the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. Favorable international press describing its efficiency in the Crimean War and in suppressing the Indian rebellion led to the widespread desire of American infantrymen (both Federal and Confederate) to be armed with these accurate and well-made arms. The lock plate of this well-worn P1853 Enfield rifle musket produced in 1862 shows the typical markings of a British-made weapon that made it through the Federal blockade.  ( Army of Tennessee Relics ) Enfield-pattern weapons were imported into the states by the tens and hundreds of thousands during the war years; one estimate stated that the Federal government purchased 500,000 while the Confederates purchased another 400,000. The Confederate government dispatched Captain Caleb Huse to Europe in April 1861 to purchase weapons and Huse focused on se...
Read more

In front of Atlanta with the 68th Ohio

Image
  The arrow corps badge of the 17th Army Corps was worn by many members of the 68th Ohio in the latter days of the war.       Private Edward A. Bigelow of Co. F of the 68th Ohio Volunteer Infantry wrote this brief account of the Battle of Atlanta just two days afterwards to his father back home in Henry County, Ohio. The regiment formed a part of Colonel Robert K. Scott's three regiment all-Ohio brigade consisting of the 20th, 68th, and 78th regiments, being designated the Second Brigade of the Third Division of Frank Blair's 17th Army Corps. Bigelow's letter originally appeared in the Napoleon Press newspaper and was copied in the Toledo Daily Commercial which was providential as no known copies exist today of the wartime Napoleon Press.  
Read more

Charging Battery Robinett: An Alabama Soldier Recalls the Vicious Fighting at Corinth

Image
W riting 30 years after the Battle of Corinth, James A. McKinstry of the 42 nd Alabama recalled his experiences storming Battery Robinett with Colonel William P. Rogers of the 2 nd Texas and expressed guilt that it was perhaps his action that brought about the colonel’s demise. “On seeing a line of Federals approaching, and before giving the situation a thought, I immediately raised my gun and fired full into the breast of a Federal sergeant, who was in front of the column, and only a short distance from us.  'Twas then that Captain George Foster shouted, "Cease firing, men! cease firing!" and waved his handkerchief, then I realized the true situation. 'Twas too late! That fatal volley had been turned on our little band from the muzzles of 1,500 muskets. I was still standing just as I was when I fired my last shot, and within a few feet of Colonel Rogers, when a Minie ball went crashing through my left hip and turned me half round; another went tearing through my ...
Read more

Cook & Brother of New Orleans

Image
    The lockplate of a New Orleans-made Cook & Brother Enfield rifle produced in 1862 shows the fine craftsmanship that became the hallmark of the maker throughout the Civil War. Note the stars and bars flag at left, an emblem used on C&B's production throughout the war and the Cook & Brother, N.O. 1862 markings. Earlier production weapons at New Orleans had the flag located just above the maker's name while later weapons produced in Athens, Georgia would have a modified flag and Athens on the plate followed by the serial number.        In the spring of 1861, two English-born businessmen, Ferdinand and Francis Cook of New Orleans, perceived the need for the South to have its own domestic production of firearms and  set out to prove "that rifles could made here as well as in Yankee land or in Europe." The brothers  elected to produce copies of the British Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield rifle as this was considered the benchmark longarm...
Read more

I Want to See a Battle: A Hoosier at Shiloh

Image
W riting in his diary, Private Manius Buchanan of the 29 th Indiana recalled the eagerness with which his regiment marched towards Savannah, Tennessee with the sounds of the battle of Shiloh ringing in their ears.           “The forced march was kept up until 2 p.m. when we were halted until 4 p.m,” he noted. “The rest was really needed, but the continual question is ‘Why are we stopped here?’ The sound of battle increased in volume and anxiety to be up and doing grows more intense. As I am weak from a late sickness, I am urged to fall to the rear; but no, in common with all, I want to see a battle and fear this will be my only chance.” The regiment would go into action the following afternoon, and of the four neighborhood boys who had enlisted together in Co. B, only Buchanan escaped unscathed. One afternoon's exposure to the horrors of battle was all it took to satisfy this Hoosier's desire to see the elephant. “I wanted to see a battl...
Read more

An Interview with Forrest in May 1864

Image
  “The noise of battle is the only music that ravishes the senses of Forrest.” I t was May 1864. Back east, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were locked in the deadly dance of the Overland Campaign while in Georgia, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army squared off against General Joseph E. Johnston and the Army of the Tennessee in the campaign for Atlanta.       Based in relatively quiet northern Mississippi, General Nathan Bedford Forrest bided his time waiting for a Federal advance from Memphis. Earlier in the month, General Samuel Sturgis led a brief campaign into Mississippi but Forrest was sure Sturgis would venture out again. In the meantime, he tried to keep his reorganized command intact despite persistent demands from his superiors that he return the absentees and deserters who inflated his ranks (nearly 1,000 in number) to their original commands.      Around this same time,  an old acquaintance from Me...
Read more